To test language around false content, our researchers showed participants tweets from: 📌 Conservative-leaning outlet (Wall Street Journal) 📌 Liberal-leaning outlet (New York Times)

Engaged journalism works. It builds trust. It gives audiences a voice. And yes—it can bring in new subscribers. For local newsrooms looking for a way forward, this study offers a path 👉

🌎 People in news deserts still feel informed about their community. What can newsrooms take away from these findings? Our research suggests they could use more audience-centered journalism — reporting like a community member, not just an observer — to build a sense of social cohesion.

Partisanship is the strongest predictor of what people view as true or false. Polarized online spaces reinforce these differences. Read more here: mediaengagement.org/...

Not all labels for false content are equal. Our researchers tested “fake news,” “false news,” and “misinformation.” Results show: - “Fake news” lowered trust in the outlet & credibility of journalists. - “Misinformation” had the most positive effect. Read more:

When people feel included in local news, they see it differently. When news organizations practiced engaged journalism, their audiences felt that the newsroom: - Gave them more of a voice - Felt more responsive to the community - Was more connected to the community

📸Has new tech created a decline in protest participation? Advancements in surveillance technology have made it easier for law enforcement to identify protestors through facial recognition and the data broker ecosystem.

Takeaway for journalists: Both empathetic and just-the-facts approaches to fact-checking can correct misperceptions. But political beliefs still strongly influence how people perceive the news.   See the implications:

Local Facebook pages do more than share events — in news deserts, they’re often a key source of community news. Our research found misinformation was shared in less than 1% of posts. 🔗Read more:

🗣️“Let’s talk it out…” Political conversations with people who disagree with you may bring opportunities to learn from each other. We examined what habits were more common among people who don’t demonize those they disagree with.

Voter turnout in the U.S. has fallen behind other democratic countries for decades. To best communicate information about how to register to vote, we suggest news organizations: 

🗨️Finding common ground isn’t easy. People who often discuss politics with neighbors they disagree with are less likely to view people from the opposite political party negatively, but they may view them with more prejudice. Read more:

Correcting misperceptions — beliefs in false information — has become a central task for journalists.  We tested out two approaches in broadcast news: a just-the-facts style and a more empathetic style.

Words matter. Our research found that using the phrase “fake news” in reporting decreases trust in the newsroom that uses it. Our takeaway for journalists: ✔️ Use “misinformation” instead, it improves journalists’ perceived credibility. ❌ Stop using “fake news” entirely.

What are the most important groups scientists should communicate with? Our survey of journalists and scientists shows what both groups think:

With true crime media like the Dahmer series rising in popularity, creators and consumers must ask themselves..,when does storytelling become exploitation?

📰 Even in “news deserts,” people don’t always see themselves as living in one. Our research shows that many residents still feel informed — often by turning to local Facebook pages and community ties. 🔗Read more:

As misinformation spreads, journalists face the challenge of correcting misperceptions. But how? We tested whether a straightforward fact-checking style or a more empathetic approach would be more effective in broadcast news. Read the results here:

When journalists decide which scientists to reach out to, the most important factor is expertise fit with the story topic. They also place high importance on communication skills, while factors like gender identity and career stage are less influential.

📰 Can solidarity reporting make journalists seem more credible to people across the political spectrum?

➕Local newsrooms can build relationships with their communities by letting their audiences lead the conversation. We partnered with 20 U.S.-based news sites to explore how reporting on audience-submitted questions can increase trust and help provide newsroom revenue.

Texas has one of the highest concentrations of Al data centers in the U.S. Our new research uncovers how Texans feel about the data center boom. While many have a positive outlook on Al, there are concerns about oversight & environmental impact. 🔗Read more:

⁉️Does language matter when discussing false content? Yes! Using phrases like “fake news” can negatively impact a journalist’s credibility and can decrease trust in news organizations. Alternatively, the phrase “misinformation” can improve a journalist's credibility.

⚡Ever notice how the angriest posts get the most attention online? Toxicity and conflict in social media posts, especially political posts, produce the engagement algorithms love and push.

Divisiveness on social media threatens thoughtful dialogue and it can undermine our democracy. Our study suggests one solution: encouraging connective language in posts and optimizing algorithms to surface them more often. Explore findings:

💻Social media platforms and news organizations will often delete hateful or offensive comments to foster a better online conversation, but how does the global public perceive this? 

📋Why do labels matter? Labels that journalists and news organizations use to describe communities can perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Utilizing person-centered terms like “people with substance use disorder” can increase trust in news media from stigmatized communities.

💭 How should journalists, scientists, and the public balance enthusiasm with caution?

Not all political posts are created equal. ✅ People spent more time on pages with connective posts ✅ Found them more enjoyable ✅ Felt less manipulated Discover how connective language may help make online conversations more enjoyable: mediaengagement.org/research/con...

The U.S. is experiencing heightened divisions among social and political lines. Our new study tests whether “connective language” (phrases like “correct me if I’m wrong” or “this is just my opinion”) can make political conversations on social media more enjoyable. mediaengagement.org/research/con...

Political division is at a high, and online discourse can make it worse. Using connective language — phrases that express openness and humility — can lead to a more enjoyable social media experience.  Read more here: mediaengagement.org/research/con...

How storytelling approaches shape perceptions across party lines: 🔗Read full report: mediaengagement.org/research/quo...

✨Labels Matter ✨ Using person-first language builds trust and helps people feel better represented in news coverage. Journalists and organizations can create stronger connections by putting people first.

💬 “This is just my perspective...” 🗣 “I might be wrong, but…” These are examples of connective language, which might be a key to improving our online political conversations. Learn more about this study & our work on Connective Democracy: mediaengagement.org/research/con... @knightfoundation.org

🧠 How can we bridge political divides in a digital world?  This Social Media + Society special issue dives deep into connective democracy — an approach to understanding political polarization online.

How do people really feel about content moderation? 🤔  Our study dives into how gender, perceived similarity, and freedom of speech arguments shape views on moderation fairness.

📉 Waning trust in U.S. news media is a persistent problem, particularly among political conservatives. This is concerning because it may amplify divisions and encourage the spread of misinformation.

🔎 Democrats rated all news posts as significantly more credible than Republicans did, regardless of the storytelling approach. Members of both parties gave the highest credibility ratings to posts that only quoted a government official.

In a new study, we examined how different storytelling approaches influenced perceptions of bias and credibility across the political spectrum. Quoting only Democrats, only Republicans, both parties, or neither party warranted different responses from both sides.  Read here to find out more:

Our joint research with NYU Stern explores how political propagandists are using messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber to mislead voters worldwide. From India to Mexico to the U.S., messaging apps have become powerful tools for spreading manipulative content in elections.

🤖How might AI change political communication? Tools like Ashley allow lawmakers to quickly deliver personalized responses, boosting voter trust, but concerns about bias and the loss of genuine human connection make transparency essential.

Tech companies have built tools that "sound so fluent and humanlike they obscure the intractable problems lurking underneath." Judges bet the time saved will outweigh the risks, & that they'll catch mistakes before they matter. But the stakes are sky-high. www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...

🎉 We’re halfway there — your vote matters! SXSW’s PanelPicker voting is live until August 24, and our session—AI in the Newsroom: Customizing Content & Connecting Readers—is moving up.

New CME study on Quotes and Credibility: How Storytelling approaches shape perceptions across party lines. Both parties had the highest credibility ratings for news posts that only quoted a government official. mediaengagement.org/research/quo...

🔗Read more: mediaengagement.org/quick-tips/

🗳️ VOTE for our #SXSW 2026 panel! AI in the Newsroom: Customizing Content & Connecting Readers will show how AI can: • Craft posts that connect across political lines • Summarize comment threads to reduce toxicity • Turn long stories into bullet lists and Q&As

💭 How long should past mistakes follow us? Are some mistakes “unforgivable”?

In 2021, Alexi McCammond was named editor-in-chief-elect of Teen Vogue. Old racist and homophobic tweets from when she was 17 resurfaced, leading staff to condemn the comments, advertisers to pull campaigns, and McCammond to resign before starting.

She had apologized and deleted the tweets years earlier, and apologized again in 2021. Some argued she shouldn’t be defined by a mistake from college, while others questioned the sincerity and timing of her apologies. Read the full case study: mediaengagement.org/research/can...

New_ Public Co-Founder @taliastroud.bsky.social and @engagingnews.bsky.social have a new study on the effects of humility in online social media posts archive.is/vQjOs