Cinema & Media Studies

How news coverage affects public trust in science

News media reports about scientific failures that do not recognize the self-correcting nature of science can damage public perceptions of trust and confidence in scientific work.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

A link between gun violence on TV and firearm deaths

Research from Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Daniel Romer and Patrick E. Jamieson found that gun use on television doubled from 2000 to 2018, rising in parallel with the proportion of homicides from firearms in the U.S. during the same period.

Michele W. Berger , Michael Rozansky

How news messages affect views on vaccination

News coverage of expert scientific evidence about vaccine safety is effective at increasing public acceptance of vaccines, but the positive effect is diminished when the expert message is juxtaposed with a personal narrative about real side effects.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

Five questions about the new White House press secretary

In a Q&A, Barbie Zelizer of the Annenberg School for Communication discusses Jennifer Psaki’s first weeks on the job, plus what a shift back to a traditional press briefing means for journalism during the Biden presidency.

Michele W. Berger



Media Contact


In the News


Yahoo! Finance

Media companies cut thousands of jobs so far this year. They're not coming back

Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication says that the ad-revenue business model for journalism has collapsed and can’t be replaced with paywalls.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

How Newtown native Alex Cooper used ‘Call Her Daddy’ to create a sex-positive podcasting empire

Sarah Banet-Weiser of the Annenberg School for Communication says that shows like “Call Her Daddy” can be useful for building solidarity among women and helping them understand what it means to be a sexual subject, not a sexual object.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

PBS is coming to Philly to talk climate, community empowerment at Penn

The Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media will convene with PBS, WHYY, community leaders, science communicators, journalists, and leading scientists at an upcoming Philadelphia panel to discuss the value of storytelling to educate about climate change.

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The Washington Post

Texas Tribune, hailed as nonprofit media success, suffers first layoffs

Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication says that the Texas Tribune’s layoffs reflect broader structural problems that are facing local journalism.

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NPR

Small Kansas paper raided by police has a history of hard-hitting reporting

Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication says that when a local newspaper is lost, levels of corruption rise, civic engagement declines, people are less likely to vote, and community taxes go up.

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Religion News Service

How a mysterious Indian religious figure united Hindus and Muslims

In an Op-Ed, Murali Balaji of the Annenberg School for Communication says that Shirdi Sai Baba’s influence in shaping Indian spirituality could be instrumental to building bridges between Hindus and Muslims.

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