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Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Communications
How news coverage distorts America’s leading causes of death
How news coverage distorts America’s leading causes of death
A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication shows how media coverage of sensational risks underemphasized chronic illnesses.
Matthew Grossman named head of University Communications at Penn
Matthew Grossman named head of University Communications at Penn
The Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Techstars will succeed Stephen J. MacCarthy on April 7.
Writers of color are leaving the journalism industry for Substack. Is it better there?
Writers of color are leaving the journalism industry for Substack. Is it better there?
Postdoctoral fellow Nelanthi Hewa spoke to writers and journalists of color about their experiences on the email newsletter platform Substack.
More than a year in as Annenberg dean, Sarah Banet-Weiser focuses on care and collaboration
More than a year in as Annenberg dean, Sarah Banet-Weiser focuses on care and collaboration
Drawing on her background as a scholar of gender in media and founder of the Center for Collaborative Communication, she is supporting community members as they drive communication research around democracy, climate, health, and more.
Addressing the ‘catch-22’ academics face on social media
Addressing the ‘catch-22’ academics face on social media
The Annenberg School for Communication’s Center for Media at Risk and Center for Digital Culture and Society brought together scholars to analyze the interconnected benefits and risks that academics face using social media.
Journey to Joy
Journey to Joy
In a joint class within the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, PIK professor Desmond Upton Patton invites students to dream big in Journey to Joy: Designing a Happier Life.
How information spread on Facebook during and after the 2020 election
How information spread on Facebook during and after the 2020 election
Annenberg School for Communications’ Sandra González-Bailón and colleagues analyzed the spread of over one billion Facebook posts to reveal how information flowed on the social network.
A study of scammer culture in popular media
A study of scammer culture in popular media
Sarah Banet-Weiser and Kathryn Claire Higgins examine how the shows “Inventing Anna” and “The Dropout” reflect a post #MeToo society.
Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation?
Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation?
Bypassing involves offering accurate information that has an implication opposite to that of the misinformation. New research from APPC finds bypassing may be superior to correction in forming beliefs, but not in attitude about the delivered information.
Democrats and Republicans vastly underestimate the diversity of each other’s views
Democrats and Republicans vastly underestimate the diversity of each other’s views
A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication finds that Democrats and Republicans consistently underestimate the diversity of views within each party on hot-button issues like immigration and abortion.
Media Contact
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
After years of anti-vaccine advocacy, RFK Jr. said vaccines protect children. But experts say he must go further amid measles outbreak
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and Jessica McDonald of APPC’s Factcheck.org comment on the need to debunk vaccine misinformation in public health messaging.
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The Guardian
Formerly anti-vax parents on how they changed their minds: ‘I really made a mistake’
According to surveys from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the proportion of respondents who believe vaccines are unsafe grew from 9% in April 2021 to 16% in the fall of 2023.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Many Gen Zers deal with higher rates of mental health challenges and firearm suicides, according to a new report
PIK Professor Desmond Patton says that more young people are speaking openly about mental health, especially on social media. College of Arts and Sciences first-year Anvesha Guru says that cultural attitudes about guns and mental health need more than a simple shift.
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Fortune
The dangers of drinking: Experts explain the four ways alcohol can cause cancer
According to a 2024 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, a majority of Americans were unaware that alcohol consumption increases their risk of cancer.
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Los Angeles Times
A pivotal senator says he extracted vaccine concessions from RFK Jr. How will that play out?
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center comments on the likelihood that U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy would be able to influence Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after his installation at the Department of Health and Human Services.
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U.S. News & World Report
Has RSV vaccine hesitancy subsided?
A survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that more Americans believe in the effectiveness of vaccines developed to protect newborns and seniors against RSV.
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