Research

In a special issue of Social Media + Society, CME researchers curate a collection of scholarly articles that explore connective democracy. Read More

Examining whether covering social justice issues using a solidarity reporting approach increases perceptions of news story credibility. Read More

Examining a novel approach to identifying “connective language” that brings people together on social media.   Read More

As Election Day approaches, how are newsrooms tasked with covering contentious races handling the pressure? 10 editors at newsrooms in battleground districts or states to learn more about the opportunities and challenges they face. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement investigates GenAI’s role before, during, and after several key global elections in 2024. Read More

Public-friendly digital spaces where people feel welcome, make connections, build understanding, and work together can seem elusive. This work builds on our Civic Signals project to investigate how members of Vermont’s Front Porch Forum perceive the platform. Read More

A survey of journalists and scientists to better understand their experiences in the production of science news. Read More

To better understand major trends and common concerns about the role of Generative AI in politics, the Center for Media Engagement conducted interviews with experts in the digital politics space. Read More

Exploring how different racial and ethnic groups respond to bylines from journalists who share their race or ethnicity. Read More

There’s been a lot of research on digital platforms. But how do we know these studies were conducted ethically? And what does it mean to conduct ethical research? We examine the state of current platform studies ethics. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement compiled a comprehensive database of more than 130 active art-science programs and conducted interviews with the key players driving these projects. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement set out to test two approaches in broadcast news: a more traditional just-the-facts style that lays out the corrections and a more empathetic style that walks viewers through the discovery of why the misperception is wrong. Read More

This report explores how Iraqis in the diaspora leveraged social media during the Tishreen movement to mobilize both online and offline activism. It also investigates how propaganda and false information shaped this activism. Read More

New research that examines whether an online guessing game that includes questions about political issues can help address people’s misperceptions about the other side. Read More

WhatsApp has become a dominant platform for communication, entertainment, and news sharing among U.S. diaspora communities. It has also emerged as a significant source of misinformation. Complimenting ongoing and previous research, this report focuses on Caribbean diaspora communities. Read More

An examination of how Chicago news outlets covered migration reveals questions news organizations might want to consider when examining their migration coverage. Read More

Practicing engaged journalism, where newsrooms build relationships with their audience by responding to community concerns, can offer a lifeline. Read More

This report provides an overview of media coverage in the state of Georgia. Read More

A look at whether political partisanship is predictive of people's beliefs in true and false claims. Read More

A look at the role EMAs play in global disinformation efforts and the manipulation of public opinion. Read More

How online multiple-choice quizzes present an opportunity to encourage readers to engage with fact-checking content and to help them learn. Read More

We interviewed scientists to better understand some of the biggest problems facing science communicators in a changing media landscape. Read More

Understanding the needs of local news audiences is essential for a healthy media ecosystem. And before newsrooms can take steps toward meeting these needs, it’s crucial that they understand how people interact with local news, what issues they find important, and what communities feel underrepresented. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement talked to people living in areas defined as news deserts to find out where they’re getting local information – and if it’s helping them stay informed. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement wanted to find out how some aspects of identity, such as gender, age, education, political orientation, and time spent online, are tied to the ways in which people participate in certain anonymous actions. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement conducted interviews with STEM graduate students in the U.S. and Canada to learn more about their activities that engage with the public, about how they find meaning in these activities, and about their sense of belonging in these spaces. Read More

We asked WhatsApp users in three sub-groups (Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, and Indian Americans) about their perceptions of the platform; their news and information consumption behaviors; and their encounters with false information. Read More

As the 2022 midterm elections approach, newsrooms play an important role in warning audiences about misinformation. We held a symposium to help news leaders in battleground states learn how to detect & deal with false information. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement partnered with Resolve Philly to explore a small, yet impactful, way that journalists can connect with misrepresented or stigmatized audiences: using person-centered language, as opposed to stereotypical labels, to describe communities in news articles. Read More

The Center for Media Engagement examined: How are encrypted messaging apps (EMAs) relevant for propagandists and/or activists in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya? How do these platforms fit into the existing (dis-)information landscape? Read More