Announcements
Congressional Testimony: Dr. Samuel Woolley on Ele...
April 25, 2022
Dr. Samuel Woolley to testify in front of the U.S. House of Representatives. Read More
Event: Digital Data Conference (D2C)
March 20, 2022
The Digital Data Conference brings together researchers collecting and analyzing digital media data to discuss the practice and ethics of digital data research. Read More
Event: How the Internet Improves Humanity
March 19, 2022
This talk will highlight one underappreciated aspect: how the Internet has the capacity to improve the human species by increasing pro-social interactions and reducing anti-social ones. Read More
Event: Who Gets to Speak in News Coverage? Solidar...
March 19, 2022
News coverage of trans issues has grown in recent months, with reporting on legislation, protests, and profiles of trans individuals. Yet much of this coverage still silences, re-marginalizes, and alienates…
Event: “Is that Really Journalism?”
October 20, 2021
Join us for a panel discussion that explores the connection between journalism and advocacy. Read More
CME Welcomes New Faculty
August 23, 2021
The Center for Media Engagement is thrilled to welcome Dr. Craig R. Scott and Dr. Anita Varma to the team. Read More
Event: Solidarity Reporting on Afghanistan
August 19, 2021
Join Azeta Hatef and Anita Varma for a discussion of key issues in reporting on Afghanistan. Read More
CME Propaganda Team Adds Senior Faculty Research A...
April 1, 2021
The Center for Media Engagement is thrilled to announce Dr. Josephine (“Jo”) Lukito as a Senior Faculty Research Associate on our Propaganda team. Read More
Event: SXSW Panel “How Newsrooms Can Help Bridge D...
March 12, 2021
Join us for our SXSW panel “How Newsrooms Can Help Bridge Divides.” Read More
Event: Overdoing Democracy: The Problem of Politic...
February 24, 2021
In this talk, Robert Talisse (Vanderbilt University) draws from current findings regarding political polarization to argue that, as important a social good as democracy is, it is nonetheless possible for citizens…
Civic Signals Research Unveiled at New_ Public Fes...
January 12, 2021
Civic Signals, a project created to explore what makes digital spaces public-friendly, released the results of a two-year-long study, the largest global survey of social media superusers to date. Read…
Event: COGSEC Registration is Now Open!
January 11, 2021
The Center for Media Engagement is proud to host COGSEC, an online conference that will bring together a community of practitioners on the front lines of dealing with and actively…
The Latest Issue of Media Ethics Magazine is Onlin...
December 21, 2020
The latest issue of Media Ethics Magazine is available online. Read More
Panel: A Reflection on the Media in 2020
December 10, 2020
The Center for Media Engagement is joined by panelists David Fahrenthold, Arthel Neville, and Dan Rather for a conversation on the media's role in 2020 events. Read More
Event: Press Freedom in the Age of Alternative Fac...
November 10, 2020
What is the role of journalism and the press in a time when the truth is malleable, fake news is on the rise, and journalistic freedom is being put into…
Catch CME at ICA’s Virtual Conference
May 21, 2020
Attending ICA's virtual conference? CME Researchers will be virtually presenting on a variety of topics. Read More
Civic Science Fellow Joins Center for Media Engage...
May 19, 2020
The Center for Media Engagement welcomes Clio Heslop as a Civic Science Fellow. Read More
Science Communication Program Adding New Faculty
March 11, 2020
The Center for Media Engagement welcomes Dr. Lucy Atkinson and Dr. Lee Ann Kahlor to the team! Read More
Upcoming Event: Cognitive Security Conference
March 2, 2020
((POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE… Stay tuned for more details)) The Center for Media Engagement is thrilled to announce the inaugural Cognitive Security (COGSEC) Conference. The conference will be held at The University of…
CME Program Director Samuel Woolley Publishes Book
January 6, 2020
Fake news posts and Twitter trolls were just the beginning. What will happen when misinformation moves from our social media feeds into our everyday lives? Read More
CME Launches Propaganda Division
January 1, 2020
Under the direction of Dr. Samuel Woolley, our propaganda division will focus on how emergent technologies are used in and around global political communication. Read More
10 Newsroom Lessons We Learned in 2019
December 19, 2019
1. Build trust by using an “Explain Your Process” box. Audience trust is key to a newsroom’s success. But in this era of “fake news” and fading confidence in the media, it can…
Where to Find CME at NCA
November 14, 2019
Attending the NCA Convention? Don’t miss these presentations by our CME team members. Thursday, November 14 The Impact of Relationship Quality and Partisan In-group/Out-group Perception on Perceived Interpersonal Competence in…
Moving Into New Roles
September 20, 2019
The Center for Media Engagement is thrilled to announce new roles for two of our team members. Gina Masullo Chen will move into the Associate Director position, taking on new…
CME Launches Connective Democracy Initiative
July 22, 2019
Whether political or social, the divisions in our society seem to be growing swiftly and aggressively. And with these divides come new challenges in facilitating the exchange of information. The…
Attending ICA? Come Find Us!
May 20, 2019
CME researchers are presenting on a variety of topics. Find one that interests you and check it out! 5/24 Friday Pre-Conference Principles for Elevating Engaged Journalism on Social Media:…
Meet the Research Scholars: Rachel Moore
February 15, 2019
Meet Rachel Moore, a Media Ethics Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Justin Pehoski
February 13, 2019
Meet Justin Pehoski, a Media Ethics Initiative Graduate Research Associate for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Michaela Urban
February 11, 2019
Meet Michaela Urban, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Page Trotter
February 6, 2019
Meet Page Trotter, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Sharmeen Somani
February 1, 2019
Meet Sharmeen Somani, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Grace Holland
January 31, 2019
Meet Grace Holland, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar and Advertising Intern for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Sophia Park
January 30, 2019
Meet Sophia Park, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Irie Crenshaw
January 28, 2019
Meet Irie Crenshaw, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Spring 2019. Read More
10 Things We Learned in 2018 (And How They Can Hel...
December 17, 2018
1. Images and links at the bottom of the page help keep readers on your site. Getting readers to stay on your site can be a challenge. Our research found a few ways…
CME Expanding into New Research Fields
December 12, 2018
The Center for Media Engagement is thrilled to announce two new additions to our team. Dr. Anthony Dudo and Dr. Scott R. Stroud will expand CME’s reach by taking our…
Meet the Research Scholars: Rachel Weisenthal
November 28, 2018
Meet Rachel Weisenthal, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Associate: Justin Pehoski
November 13, 2018
Meet Justin Pehoski, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Associate for 2018-2019. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Holland Smith
November 2, 2018
Meet Holland Smith, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Michael Sanchez
October 24, 2018
Meet Michael Sanchez, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Alex Purcell
October 17, 2018
Meet Alex Purcell, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Kaitlyn Pena
October 12, 2018
Meet Colin Frick, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Colin Frick
October 8, 2018
Meet Colin Frick, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Research Scholars: Oluwasemilore Adeoluwa
October 2, 2018
Meet Oluwasemilore Adeoluwa, a Media Ethics Initiative Research Scholar for Fall 2018. Read More
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Bailey Sebastian
March 1, 2018
Meet Bailey Sebastian, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Jason Head
February 28, 2018
Meet Jason Head, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
CME Announces New Assistant Director
February 27, 2018
We are happy to announce that Dr. Gina Masullo Chen has been appointed Assistant Director of the Center for Media Engagement. Gina is a former journalist and an assistant professor…
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Morgan Malouf
February 21, 2018
Meet Morgan Malouf, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Sabrina Stoffels
February 19, 2018
Meet Sabrina Stoffels, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Haley Turner
February 15, 2018
Meet Haley Turner, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
Meet the Citizen Scholars: James Jackson Hayden
February 13, 2018
James Jackson Hayden is a third year student at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in both Communication Studies and Government. He plans to attend law school after completing…
Meet the Citizen Scholars: Anna Rose Isbell
February 12, 2018
Meet Anna Rose Isbell, a Media Ethics Initiative Citizen Scholar for Spring 2018. Read More
Media Ethics Citizen Scholars Program
November 13, 2017
UT Austin Students: Are you interested in an internship in media ethics? Check out the Media Ethics Citizen Scholars Program! Read More
Stroud Named to SciLine Advisory Board
November 9, 2017
Dr. Talia Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement, has been named to the advisory board for SciLine, a new service from the American Association for the Advancement of…
ENP Relaunches as Center for Media Engagement
October 2, 2017
The Engaging News Project – a news media research and outreach initiative in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin – is expanding and renaming…
Director Leads Talk With Pulitzer Winner
September 25, 2017
Photo courtesy of New Politics Forum. Dr. Talia Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement, had the opportunity to lead a talk with Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize…
Vote for CME's SXSW Panel
August 22, 2017
Want to learn how to make political content go viral? Then vote for our proposal in the SXSW PanelPicker! Click here to vote for our session, titled “Making Politics Popular…
Join CME for Chat on Homepage Redesigns
August 9, 2017
How do you measure the success of a news site homepage? And what makes for a good news homepage in 2017? Researchers from the Center for Media Engagement will be…
Watch: LMA Webinar on Audience Challenges
July 31, 2017
Dr. Talia Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement, recently led a webinar on audience engagement for the Local Media Association (LMA). Slides and video of the presentation, “Top…
Director Presents Research at ISOJ
May 2, 2017
CME Director Talia Stroud speaks during the ISOJ breakfast panel. Center for Media Engagement Director Dr. Talia Stroud was one of five researchers to participate in a breakfast panel during the…
CME Collaborators Named Pulitzer Finalists
April 11, 2017
Center for Media Engagement collaborators at the Chattanooga Times Free Press were recently named finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Journalists at the newspaper were recognized for their series “The Poverty Puzzle.”…
Watch: Webinar on Best Practices for Engaging Audi...
April 6, 2017
The Center for Media Engagement conducted a webinar for the Institute for Nonprofit News on best practices for engaging digital audiences. During the webinar, Director Dr. Talia Stroud discussed: Proven…
Clickbait Research Presented at Copy Editing Confe...
March 28, 2017
Faculty Research Associate Dr. Josh Scacco recently presented Center for Media Engagement’s research on clickbait headlines at the American Copy Editors Society’s national conference. In his research with Dr. Ashley…
Test Your Audience's Knowledge with End of Ye...
December 19, 2016
2016 was filled with major news stories, including unprecedented elections, interesting political moves and events that brought the world together. As the year comes to a close, we’ve created an…
Digital leaders share experiences with social medi...
November 16, 2016
On Friday, November 11, the Center for Media Engagement hosted their first Social Media Summit in partnership with the UT School of Journalism. During the summit, digital news leaders and…
Team Earns Awards from National Communication Asso...
November 10, 2016
Congratulations to the CME team members who won the Applied Communication Division’s 2016 Bill Eadie Distinguished Award for a Scholarly Article from the National Communication Association! The team received their award…
CME Research Shared at ONA Conference
October 3, 2016
Research Associate Shannon McGregor presented Center for Media Engagement research at the Online News Association’s annual conference in Denver. Shannon was joined by Scott Smallwood of The Chronicle of Higher Education…
Registration Open for Social Media Summit
September 15, 2016
There’s no question that social media has forever changed the way news organizations connect with their audiences. But has that change helped or harmed news organizations? And what’s in…
Researcher Presents Commenting Survey Results
September 12, 2016
Research Associate Emily Van Duyn presents CME research. Research Associate Emily Van Duyn recently presented Center for Media Engagement research at the 2016 American Political Science Association Political Communication Preconference in Philadelphia.…
Millennials and the News
July 7, 2016
This post first appeared on the Center for Media Engagement’s Medium page In what can feel like a never-ending list of issues facing the news industry, one issue seems to…
Webinar: Increasing Engagement
June 10, 2016
The Center for Media Engagement recently joined Gatehouse Media and Viafoura on a webinar to share what it takes to increase engagement, build a civil community and win in the…
Gender and Age in the Mobile News Landscape
June 7, 2016
Photo: Girl waiting for the train by Toshihiro Gamo on Flickr. This post was written by CME Director Dr. Talia Stroud and first appeared on the Knight Foundation’s blog. Many…
"Respect" Research Published in Academic...
May 5, 2016
The Center for Media Engagement’s paper, “Like, recommend, or respect? Altering political behavior in news comment sections,” has been published in the latest edition of the New Media & Society…
CME Leads Engagement Workshop at ISOJ
April 21, 2016
Josh Scacco shares CME research at the pre-ISOJ workshop. Photo courtesy of the Knight Center. The Center for Media Engagement’s Josh Scacco and Katie Steiner, along with ProPublica’s Amanda Zamora,…
Director Presents at SXSW Interactive Festival
March 24, 2016
Dr. Talia Stroud discusses our latest report on commenters and comment readers at the SXSW Interactive Festival. CME Director Dr. Talia Stroud was part of a panel on improving comment sections…
CME Hosts News Tools Workshop
March 22, 2016
Participants listen to one another at the News Tools Workshop in Austin, TX. In February, the Center for Media Engagement hosted its third workshop – the first to focus on…
Make Your Own ‘Respect’ Button with En...
February 10, 2016
The Center for Media Engagement has developed a new WordPress plugin that allows users to customize the buttons on their websites, including adding a “Respect” button. With Engaging Buttons, you can design…
CME Makes List of Top Digital News Research of 201...
December 14, 2015
The Center for Media Engagement is featured twice in Nieman Lab’s list of top 10 digital news research articles of 2015. For the list, a range of scholars, digital gurus and…
CME Selected to Speak at SXSW
October 22, 2015
The Center for Media Engagement was recently selected for one of more than 500 sessions at the 2016 SXSW Interactive conference, taking place March 11-15 in Austin, Texas. Our panel, “Comments Are Terrible…
New Report Examines Headlines
October 13, 2015
The Center for Media Engagement has begun conducting research on the content and effects of different types of headlines. As the first part of our research efforts, we have a…
CME Celebrates News Engagement Day
October 6, 2015
On Oct. 6, the Center for Media Engagement took part in the second News Engagement Day, a day devoted to raising awareness about the importance of news engagement. News Engagement Day…
CME Represented at Various Conferences
October 1, 2015
Center for Media Engagement team members have been busy the past couple months traveling across the country to present at various conferences. Research Associate Alex Curry presented at the Association…
Why 'Dislike' When You Can 'Respect...
September 16, 2015
When Facebook makes a change, everyone has an opinion. That was definitely the case when Mark Zuckerberg announced that the social media giant would begin testing out a “Dislike” button.…
Homepage Design Affects Page Views, Learning from ...
July 27, 2015
There is a significant increase in page views when people browse a news website with a contemporary design compared to a website with a classic design, according to a new…
CME Provides Training on Managing Comment Sections
June 22, 2015
The Center for Media Engagement recently gave a training presentation to GateHouse Media editors on best practices for managing comment sections. During the training, research associate Alex Curry shared the…
Philly.com, Inspired by ENP, Makes Changes to Comm...
May 14, 2015
Philly.com, the website for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, recently made changes to its comments section that were inspired, in part, by the Center for Media Engagement.…
Digital Leaders Share Challenges, Ideas
November 15, 2014
For its second News Engagement Workshop, the Center for Media Engagement brought together a group of digital news leaders including, from left: Jennifer Carroll, Gannett Digital; Barry Osborne, The Denver…
Online Polls and Quizzes
November 14, 2014
Many news websites have online polls on their sites. Although polls can be engaging for site visitors, there are downsides. Specifically, some site visitors may believe that online poll results…
CME Researches Interactive Features
May 22, 2014
In a recent report, the Center for Media Engagement examined a representative sample of 155 newspaper and television news websites to understand how they were using social media buttons, comment…
Public Agenda Adopts "Respect" Button
May 22, 2014
The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Public Agenda has begun using a version of the “Respect” button, developed by the Center for Media Engagement. On Public Agenda’s blog, if you highlight text…
Director Speaks at ISOJ
May 22, 2014
CME Director Natalie Stroud speaks at the Global Roundup Breakfast at the 2014 International Symposium on Online Journalism. In early April, Center for Media Engagement Director Natalie Stroud presented some…
Nieman Journalism Lab Features Recent Research
May 22, 2014
The Nieman Journalism Lab covered featured recent research from the Center for Media Engagement on how television and news organizations use interactive features on their websites... Read More
Texas Tribune Uses Respect Button on New Site
May 13, 2014
The Texas Tribune has begun using the “Respect” button on their new site, TribTalk. TribTalk is a digital forum for dialogue, featured submitted commentary and opinion pieces. The “Respect” button…
Solutions Journalism Benefits Readers, News Organi...
May 10, 2014
A new report from the Center for Media Engagement and the Solutions Journalism Network illustrates that solutions-based journalism is an effective journalistic tool that benefits both readers and news organizations.…
CME Teams With NICD For Online Discourse Research
May 9, 2014
The Center for Media Engagement and the National Institute for Civil Discourse have teamed up on a literature review that presents an overview of what the organizations already know about…
Team Shares Quiz Tool At ONA Conference
May 8, 2014
In late September, Center for Media Engagement Director Natalie Stroud and Developer John Macon presented the team’s new Create a Quiz feature at the Online News Association’s 2014 Conference in…
CME Celebrates News Engagement Day
May 7, 2014
On Oct. 7, the Center for Media Engagement took part in the inaugural National News Engagement Day, a day devoted to raising awareness about the importance of news engagement. National…
Research Featured in Top Academic Journal
May 6, 2014
The Center for Media Engagement’s research on civility and quality discussion in comment sections will be released soon in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. In the article, “Changing Deliberative Norms…
Progress Report on Comment Moderation
May 5, 2014
The Center for Media Engagement has released a progress report on its work to find new approaches to comment moderation. For three months, CME research associate Arielle Cardona attempted to…
CJR Publishes Q&A With Dr. Stroud
May 2, 2014
The Columbia Journalism Review recently published an in-depth Q&A with Center for Media Engagement Director Dr. Talia Stroud. In the Q&A, Stroud provides background on the Center for Media Engagement,…
Benefits, Limits to Using Three-Column Comment Sec...
May 1, 2014
There are several benefits – and limits — to using a three-column comment section as opposed to using a traditional one-column section, according to a new report by the Center…
Digital Leaders Share Ideas, Challenges
May 1, 2014
For its second News Engagement Workshop, the Center for Media Engagement brought together a group of digital news leaders including, from left: Jennifer Carroll, Gannett Digital; Barry Osborne, The Denver…
Young People Reluctant to Discuss Politics, Accord...
May 1, 2014
Photo courtesy of iStock. Young people today are reluctant to discuss politics with people who disagree with them and view online spaces as somewhat treacherous for interacting politically, according to…
ENP, WAN-IFRA Host Media Innovation Workshop
May 1, 2014
Rolf Dyrnes Svendsen of NxtMedia in Norway presents during the workshop. During this year’s SXSW Interactive Festival, the Center for Media Engagement hosted the World Association of Newspapers and Newspaper…
Quiz Tool Used by News Organizations
May 1, 2014
In honor of Tax Day, which was April 15, the Center for Media Engagement put together a 4-questions quiz using our “Create a Quiz” tool. The quiz featured a variety…
Research Published in ISOJ Journal
May 1, 2014
Research Associate Josh Scacco presents CME research at the International Symposium on Online Journalism. The Center for Media Engagement’s paper, “Digital Divisions: Organizational Gatekeeping Practices” was recently published in the…
Digital News Innovators Gather for Workshop
April 29, 2014
Digital news leaders from across the country came to Austin, Texas for the Engaging News Workshop. Ten digital news innovators recently came together to visit about current practices and future…