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TV stations broke law by airing Amazon propaganda as news, experts say

TV stations broke law by airing Amazon propaganda as news, experts say

Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication said the airing of marketing materials without adequate disclosure on news stations reflects the decline of quality local journalism. “Structural factors that create fertile conditions for such corporate propaganda include the loss of actual journalists, little regulatory oversight, and media ownership concentration, which tends to both intensify commercial pressures and homogenize media content,” he said.

Right-wing radio reaches tens of millions. Its coronavirus conspiracies are out of control

Right-wing radio reaches tens of millions. Its coronavirus conspiracies are out of control

Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the popularity of conservative talk radio hosts, who maintain close relationships with their listeners. “They may listen 15 hours a week to that host. For Rush [Limbaugh], they might have been doing that for 30 years and they might spend more time with him than they spend with their spouse,” Rosenwald said. “It’s a deeper bond.”

The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
A person standing in front of a lab bench full of bones. On the wall hangs a poster that reads: "Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs."

Aja Carter (seen here in May 2018) recently earned her doctorate from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences. In the lab of Peter Dodson, she studied how the structure of the vertebrae in the spinal column changed over time and how that affected the way animals move. As most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so did her thesis defense and that of so many others.

The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually

When most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so, too, did the thesis defense for Ph.D. candidates. Despite some challenges, the shift had unexpected benefits.

Michele W. Berger

Do political beliefs affect social distancing?
Group of people standing on the steps of a state building holding signs in protest of the state’s stay at home orders due to the pandemic.

Do political beliefs affect social distancing?

A new study found that political partisanship influenced Americans’ decisions to voluntarily engage in physical distancing at the start of the pandemic, particularly in response to communications by state governors.

Kristen de Groot

Sarah J. Jackson, Duncan Watts awarded 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellowships
Portraits of Watts and Jackson

2020 Carnegie Fellows Sarah Jackson and Duncan Watts.

Sarah J. Jackson, Duncan Watts awarded 2020 Andrew Carnegie Fellowships

The program supports high-caliber scholarly research in the humanities and social sciences that addresses important and enduring issues confronting our society.

Ashton Yount , Julie Sloane , Michele W. Berger

In the coronavirus crisis, Newsom uses social media to raise awareness of the pandemic — and his profile

In the coronavirus crisis, Newsom uses social media to raise awareness of the pandemic — and his profile

Raina Merchant of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the use of social media by elected officials and public health leaders to communicate about the coronavirus. “There’s just a lot more people who are on social media. So these types of conversations are very important,” she said.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Carl June elected to National Academy of Sciences
Two people side by side in different images. In the one on the left, the person stands in an office and a blue suit, hands crossed low in front. In the one on the right is a person in a tie and white coat that reads, "Carl H. June, M.D. Abramson Cancer Center"

Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Carl June are among more than 140 new members elected to the National Academy of Sciences. (Image: Eric Sucar (L) and Courtesy of Penn Medicine)

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Carl June elected to National Academy of Sciences

The researchers, from the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Perelman School of Medicine, join a class of honored scholars recognized for their unique and ongoing contributions to original research.

Michele W. Berger , Michael Rozansky , John Infanti

Use of conservative and social media linked with COVID-19 misinformation
Cartoon of a person wearing a face back wondering if they should panic while reading a tabloid newspaper with the headline reading pandemic alert covid-19.

Use of conservative and social media linked with COVID-19 misinformation

A study of media use and public knowledge has found people who relied on conservative or social media were more likely to be misinformed about how to prevent COVID-19 and believe conspiracy theories about it.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center