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Communications

Netflix series ‘13 Reasons Why’ did not increase number of teen suicides, study finds

Netflix series ‘13 Reasons Why’ did not increase number of teen suicides, study finds

Dan Romer of the Annenberg Public Policy Center reanalyzed data on adolescent suicides and found no evidence of a significant increase in suicides after the release of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” series. “Researchers are looking for that negative effect, and maybe ignoring the fact that some of these shows may help people,” he said. “For some people, the show reduced suicidal tendencies, but it also had a detrimental effect on others. You can’t disentangle them.”

Rep. Maxine Waters thought she was talking to Greta Thunberg. It was actually Russian trolls

Rep. Maxine Waters thought she was talking to Greta Thunberg. It was actually Russian trolls

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center said pranks pulled on U.S. government officials by Russian trolls accomplish two things: “The first [goal] is adding info to a political dialogue in which discrediting one side is useful to Russia. The second is being able to make the argument to the rest of the world that U.S. leaders are easily duped. Putin’s interests are served when U.S. leaders are made to look foolish in the eyes of the world.”

A global take on Lebanon protests
drone shot of Martyr square, showing the Lebanese flag in foreground along with Mohammad Al Amine Mosque and st. George Church in the background, during the Lebanese revolution

A global take on Lebanon protests

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have poured into the streets of Lebanon. Penn Today speaks to two experts on Lebanon to find out why.

Kristen de Groot

A ‘holiday office party’ podcast
From left to right: Julia Ticona, Mr. Fish, and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.

From left to right: Julia Ticona, Mr. Fish, and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.

A ‘holiday office party’ podcast

In the latest episode of Penn Today's “Office Hours” podcast series, and the final installment of 2019, three returning guests join for a chat about the holiday season, the decade that’s been, and the year ahead.
Side Gigs for Good, part three
Two people sitting on an L-shaped couch amidst four pillows. The one on the right is holding a clipboard.

Altagracia Felix (right) is a financial coordinator for the Annenberg School for Communication, but she also has a side gig as a money coach. Her aim is to help “disrupt the cycle of poverty and struggle,” she says. (Image: Courtesy of Altagracia Felix)

Side Gigs for Good, part three

The final 2019 installment in our series highlighting impactful work Penn faculty and staff do.

Katherine Unger Baillie , Michele W. Berger

Individuals find polls that favor their candidates more credible
illustration of a republican elephant sitting beside a democrat donkey on a bench facing a screen with a pie chart

Individuals find polls that favor their candidates more credible

Because voters use pre-election polls to consider the choices before them and to structure their expectations about an election, a new study highlights how individuals interpret them.

Penn Today Staff

How rituals shape our world
Slices of toast thrown onto the track at Penn's football stadium.

 At Penn home football games, fans throw toast onto the field after the third quarter. (Image: Chase Sutton)

How rituals shape our world

An Annenberg class about ritual communication encourages students to employ ethnography and textual analysis to think about the unique language of rituals and their endurance.

Penn Today Staff

Understanding how information flows into and out of Gitmo
A person standing with arms crossed on a stairwell.

Muira McCammon is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication. She is also working toward a master’s degree from Penn Law.

Understanding how information flows into and out of Gitmo

Annenberg doctoral student Muira McCammon studies the intersection of technology, law, and military policy. She’s on the quest to understand how people and data move through the Guantánamo Bay detention center.

Michele W. Berger , Julie Sloane

The power of conservative talk radio

The power of conservative talk radio

Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about talk radio’s evolution from news to “infotainment.” “What makes for good, entertaining radio is not saying, ‘Well, they had to cut a deal over this because the debt ceiling has to get raised and there’s divided government,’ and all that stuff. It’s not fun.” Rosenwald explained. “Nuance is boring, basically. And what isn’t boring is saying, ‘Those Democrats are a bunch of socialists trying to destroy America,’ and playing to people’s emotions.”

Alumna Andrea Mitchell on her career in journalism
NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell sits at a table in front of a microphone, responding to a question at Kelly Writers House on Penn’s campus, as audience members look on.

NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent and Penn alum Andrea Mitchell responds to questions during a talk at Kelly Writers House on Dec. 10, 2019. She discussed everything from breaking into TV journalism in the 1960s to moderating the Democratic presidential debate.

Alumna Andrea Mitchell on her career in journalism

NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent spoke at Kelly Writers House about her 40-plus-year career.

Kristen de Groot