Scientists have to care about journalism, they have to care about platforms and the political economy of media. This is a non-partisan issue — or a cross-partisan one. It's about democracy and our freedoms. see also @victorpickard.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/asc....

In two weeks! @cnn.com's @brianstelter.bsky.social joins us for a lunchtime colloquium. Register here! bit.ly/4jJSZRr @asc.upenn.edu

As the first public demonstration of a working mechanical television transmission system reaches its 100th anniversary, Professor Emeritus of Communication Joseph Turow reflects on the history of cable television:

100 years ago, on January 26, 1926, Scottish engineer John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of a working, mechanical television transmission system. A century later, we asked Annenberg experts about how the medium has evolved over the last century:

A study led by Prof. Aswin Punathambekar examines how Muslim creators are using shows on Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock to move beyond tokenistic diversity by building entire cultural worlds that reimagine what it means to be Muslim in the West:

➡️ @victorpickard.bsky.social 👥 Victor Pickard, a key contributor to our Political Economy of the Media paper, will now join us as a full-time fellow where he'll continue to research policy tools to reconstruct the public media system. Full bio 👉 rooseveltinstitute.org/authors/vict...

CFAS at Penn’s Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award recipient and award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee spoke with professor Heather Andrea Williams, about the Civil Rights Movement, filmmaking, and more. - read this from Penn Today @asc.upenn.edu @appc.upenn.edu

Honored to celebrate our 2026 MLK Social Justice Awardee, Spike Lee. A phenomenal conversation that was funny, inspiring, and challenging. @asc.upenn.edu @appc.upenn.edu 📸 Photos by Eddy Marenco #mlk2026 #award #spikelee #photos #africanastudies

Journalism in the United States is in crisis. A new @rooseveltinstitute.org report co-authored by Professor @victorpickard.bsky.social traces the erosion of the free press in the United States over the past two decades. Learn more: www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/...

Next month, we start our spring programming with @cnn.com's @brianstelter.bsky.social, exploring the shifting ground of media commentary today. Free & open to all. 🎟️ Register here: bit.ly/4jJSZRr @bzelizer.bsky.social @asc.upenn.edu

On the latest episode of Annenberg Conversations, Annenberg Professor @victorpickard.bsky.social, co-director of the @miccenter.bsky.social, explained how the loss of local journalism affects civic knowledge, political engagement, and our democracy as news deserts become more widespread.

In a hybrid panel event this Thursday, 1/15, Warren Center faculty affiliate Duncan Watts will address the power and impact of Thomas Paine’s revolutionary pamphlet “Common Sense”—250 years after its publication. www.library.upenn.ed...

Did a quick Q&A about the imminent closure of my hometown newspaper for the @us.theconversation.com

Welcome back, Annenberg! Here's to a semester of joy and new discoveries!

While big tech and market forces get much of the blame for the decline of news media, Professor Barbie Zelizer makes the bold claim in her new book that problematic journalistic practices that became entrenched during the Cold War are responsible for the current issues facing journalism:

For the inaugural Annabelle Sreberny Distinguished Lecture, Anikó Imre explored how storytelling shapes politics and media economies, particularly in illiberal, populist states in Eastern Europe:

Prof. Jessa Lingel on Craigslist: “It’s not a perfect platform by any means, but it does show that you can make a lot of money through an online endeavor that just treats users like they have some autonomy and grants everybody a degree of privacy.”

For his honors thesis, Communication major graduate C.H. Henry examined how presidential campaigns have used music to court voters, with guidance from Institute for Public Service Director David Eisenhower. Read our Q&A, where he discusses the challenges and rewards of archival research:

Associate Professor Andy Tan testified before the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Health & Human Services about an amendment to the ordinance regulating the sale of tobacco products. His remarks were about the high density of tobacco-selling retail stores in low-income neighborhoods:

Journalism in a Changing Information Landscape. The Starving Artist vs. A.I.: Guess Who Is Winning? Networks Can Help Partisans Agree on Content Moderation. These were some of the topics explored last month at Annenberg. Learn more on our website: www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/...

As Paramount mounted a hostile takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, we asked Annenberg professor @victorpickard.bsky.social, co-director of the Media, Inequality & Change Center, to weigh in on the potential consequences.

Really enjoyed this timely conversation!

As media institutions lose their funding, Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser invited professors @victorpickard.bsky.social and Duncan Watts (@csspenn.bsky.social) to discuss the role of journalism in our democracy. Listen to Annenberg Conversations on your favorite podcast app, or visit our website.

A new study by Professor Damon Centola and alum Douglas Guilbeault explored how content moderators can reach consensus on classifying controversial material online, including inflammatory, offensive, or hateful images:

A scary trend driven almost entirely by the spread of (political identity associated) misinformation...👇 As Measles Cases Rise, Views of MMR Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness and Willingness to Recommend It Drop www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/as-measles-c... via @asc.upenn.edu Dark Age 2.0

In Athens, Penn Communication majors heard media practitioners around the world debate the challenges of journalism in a world of misinformation and AI:

From @jticona.bsky.social and Caitlin Petre, some great insights for policy and organizing from their interviews with artists grappling with the economic and labor impacts of AI

In a new paper, @guobin-yang.bsky.social analyzes how Chinese social media users eulogized Li Wenliang through an ancient literary form:

Great to see Prof. Emily Falk's new book - What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - on the list!

We’ve been talking with writers, artists, and actors, and they’re not worried about AI’s abilities, they’re mad that it stole its creativity from them and worried that it’s now being used in ways that threaten to dry up the pipeline of creative jobs that gave many their start.

"We really have to this paradigm shift, where we think of our news media, especially local journalism, the same way that we think of public education, libraries, public parks. There are these public goods that we would never leave entirely up to the market," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.

“The threat is monumental but the outcome is not inevitable,” write Caitlin Petre and Julia Ticona. “The actions that artists, audiences and regulators take in the next few years will shape the future of the arts for a long time to come.”

In her latest book, Annenberg alum Julie Dobrow (M.A.C ‘84, Ph.D. ‘87) delves into the lives of Charles Alexander Eastman and Elaine Goodale, whose interracial marriage reflected a changing America:

This short video beautifully captures the spirit of my @asc.upenn.edu course “The Past and Present of Latin American Television” and my students’ commitment to and enthusiasm for the class material from this past spring:

NEW📰: Democracy requires both an informed citizenry and a free press. But how do these ideals show up in public policy? Today, we have a paper out that looks at how media has become highly concentrated, commercialized, and drained of its public interest potential.

A new survey from @appc.upenn.edu found that more than three quarters of Americans indicate that they would be either very likely or somewhat likely to recommend that a newborn in their household be vaccinated against hepatitis B:

A new media analysis by @appc.upenn.edu found 19 stories in print media outlets that spread the false myth that suicides increase during the holidays:

Prof. Kate Shaw (@kateshaw.bsky.social) and political commentator Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) delivered this year’s Annenberg Lecture (@asc.upenn.edu), discussing how changes in media and public attention are reshaping U.S. politics. https://penncareylaw.news/4iJQIoX

APPC Director and @upenn.edu professor Kathleen Hall Jamieson talks with @pnas.org News about using a "mental model" approach to help people understand how science and medicine work, and undercut misinformation before it takes hold. cc: @asc.upenn.edu www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

New @thenation.com piece by @bilalb.bsky.social, @shahrzadshams.bsky.social and myself that draws from our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report to argue for structural media reform: www.thenation.com/article/soci...

The first panel on witnessing is happening now 🚨! This morning's panelists include J. Siguru Wahutu, Richard Stupart, and Sandra Ristovska. #BeyondEndurance. @asc.upenn.edu

Critics have raised unfounded fears about #mRNA technology, which is being used to develop vaccines against melanoma, pancreatic cancer, flu, HIV, Lyme disease & more. A study in @pnas.org suggests a promising way to overcome those fears. cc: @asc.upenn.edu @upenn.edu @pauloffit.bsky.social

In 2020, Netflix announced it would base its regional operations in Mexico City, which has long been the central hub for telenovelas, news and variety shows, led by giants like Televisa. Now with Netflix in town, what’s changed? A course taught by @llamasjr.bsky.social asked that question:

How do we ensure AI technologies serve communities and promote social good? Hear an insider conversation among experts at the forefront of technology and social impact. 📆 Monday (12/8) 4PM at Annenberg. Co-sponsored by @pennsp2.bsky.social and Penn AI. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/governing-...

Critical wavefield exploration. Addressing gun violence. What the mainstream press can learn from non-profit prison news. These were some of the topics explored last month at Annenberg. Learn more on our website: www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/...

Researchers at @appc.upenn.edu have tested the effectiveness of a ‘mental model’ approach to presenting scientific information, incorporating visual, verbal, or animated models to teach scientific or medical concepts to better identify misconceptions:

Researchers from the Social Action Lab, including PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín, have created a new tool to help public health workers predict future HIV outbreaks in the U.S.

Check out Emily's interview on @whyy.org's "The Pulse" where she discusses why nurturing connections is essential for health and wellbeing: whyy.org/episodes/wha...

Vice Dean Emily Falk (@falklab.bsky.social) was recently on WHYY to discuss why maintaining relationships often falls to the bottom of our to-do lists, and how understanding our brain’s reward system can help us change that. 🎧Listen:

Our Annual Symposium starts this Thursday! It's free and open to all. Get your tickets here: bit.ly/beyondendurance @asc.upenn.edu