Quick Reads

a computer screen with a website

Can Solidarity Reporting Boost News Story Credibil...

Examining whether covering social justice issues using a solidarity reporting approach increases perceptions of news story credibility. Read More
Can Solidarity Reporting Boost News Story Credibility?
Two tablets exchanging messages, surrounded by speech bubbles and paper planes.

Bridging Divides on Social Media: A New Approach D...

Examining a novel approach to identifying “connective language” that brings people together on social media.  Read More
Bridging Divides on Social Media: A New Approach Detects Connective Language
What We Learned in 2024

What We Learned in 2024: From GenAI to Election Co...

Important findings from our 2024 research. Read More
What We Learned in 2024: From GenAI to Election Coverage to Platform Research
Solidarity reporting panel featuring Azeta Hatef, Briana Ureña-Ravelo, and Anita Varma with expertise in journalism and activism.

Solidarity Reporting Beyond “The Latino Vote” and ...

Prompted by media discourse and criticism in the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. election, the Center for Media Engagmenent held a workshop focused on encouraging journalists to move beyond reductive, monolithic labels, and identifying specific reporting practices for doing so. Read More
Solidarity Reporting Beyond “The Latino Vote” and “The Arab Vote”
Navigating Election Prep in Battleground Areas: News Editors Share their Strategies

Navigating Election Prep in Battleground Areas: Ne...

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
Navigating Election Prep in Battleground Areas: News Editors Share their Strategies
Webpage layout with a top menu, two image placeholders, and text blocks on a grey background.

How News Audiences Respond to Journalist Race and ...

Exploring how different racial and ethnic groups respond to bylines from journalists who share their race or ethnicity. Read More
How News Audiences Respond to Journalist Race and Ethnicity in Bylines
Couple sitting on a blue couch watching news on TV, man holding remote.

Fact-Checking Approaches for Broadcast News

A test of two fact-checking approaches found that both work equally well to correct misperceptions. Read More
Fact-Checking Approaches for Broadcast News
Dashboard illustration with pie chart, gear, light bulb, globe, line graph, and bar chart elements.

6 Important Outcomes from Our Research This Year

Learn more aboout the key outcomes of our research from the past year. Read More
6 Important Outcomes from Our Research This Year
GuessSync game interface with text entry, avatar selection featuring a bear, and “Play!” button against a white background.

A Simple Online Game Can Help Bridge Political Div...

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
A Simple Online Game Can Help Bridge Political Divides
Q&A box on ladders, speech bubbles with icons and text floating above.

Curbing the Decline of Local News Through Engaged ...

Practicing engaged journalism, where newsrooms build relationships with their audience by responding to community concerns, can offer a lifeline. Read More
Curbing the Decline of Local News Through Engaged Journalism
graphic

5 Ways to Build Trust and Bridge Divides

Strategies to to combat news distrust and connect with communities that feel underserved by their local newsrooms. Read More
5 Ways to Build Trust and Bridge Divides
Two people communicating, speech bubbles between them, one red and one blue.

Do Democrats and Republicans Live in Different Wor...

A look at whether political partisanship is predictive of people's beliefs in true and false claims. Read More
Do Democrats and Republicans Live in Different Worlds?
Three horizontal bars with check mark and cross icons in the background.

How Multiple-Choice Quizzes Can Help Fact-Checkers

How online multiple-choice quizzes present an opportunity to encourage readers to engage with fact-checking content and to help them learn. Read More
How Multiple-Choice Quizzes Can Help Fact-Checkers
Hand holding smartphone displaying a news article.

Build Trust Through Your Storytelling Process

Five actions newsrooms can throughout the storytelling process that can improve trust. Read More
Build Trust Through Your Storytelling Process
Diverse, overlapping silhouettes of people in profile on a light background.

5 Steps for More Effective Solidarity Reporting

When reporting on marginalized communities, it’s imperative to get the story right by including people who help tell the whole story. Read More
5 Steps for More Effective Solidarity Reporting

What We Can Learn from People in News Deserts

While news deserts undeniably pose a problem, there is something to be learned from the way people in news deserts think about access to local information. Read More
What We Can Learn from People in News Deserts
Yellow lightbulb icon with a lightning bolt inside and rays emanating from it.

A Year in Review: 10 of Our Most Interesting Resea...

Person-centered terms encourage stigmatized groups’ trust in news. The Center for Media Engagement, with support from Resolve Philly and Democracy Fund, asked people in recovery from substance abuse disorder, people who have experienced homelessness, and people with a disability for their feedback on news articles. We tested whether the use… Read More
A Year in Review: 10 of Our Most Interesting Research Findings in 2022
Laptop displaying

Using the Phrase “Fake News” Hurts Trust in Your J...

How three commonly used phrases for false content - fake news, false news, and misinformation - affect public perceptions of journalists and news media. Read More
Using the Phrase “Fake News” Hurts Trust in Your Journalists and Newsroom
Silhouettes of five people in shades of blue, centered with one lighter figure.

Using Person-Centered Language Can Build Trust

Using person-centered language can foster trust and help news organizations better connect with stigmatized groups. It can also help some marginalized groups feel better represented by news coverage. Read More
Using Person-Centered Language Can Build Trust
Election Fraud Beliefs Web Tile

How Newsrooms Can Address Election Fraud Beliefs

Better understanding why some people think Trump likely won in 2020 gives news organizations the opportunity to address legitimacy concerns in future election coverage. Read More
How Newsrooms Can Address Election Fraud Beliefs
Quiz question asking about the benefits of adding quizzes to websites, with multiple-choice options.

Help Audiences Learn By Adding Quizzes to Stories

Adding quizzes to news sites can provide a fun, interactive learning experience for users while also benefitting the news organization. Read More
Help Audiences Learn By Adding Quizzes to Stories
Smartphone with chat bubbles and a check-mark shield icon, indicating secure messaging.

End-to-end Encryption for Messaging Apps: Importan...

The Propaganda Research Lab at the Center for Media Engagement (CME), in collaboration with Omidyar Network, hosted a RightsCon 2022 session on encrypted messaging apps (EMAs) and their global use for political propaganda, mis- and disinformation, activism, and news Read More
End-to-end Encryption for Messaging Apps: Important for Whom, How and What’s its Future?
Documents, light bulb, magnifying glass, shield, and info icon represent research and protection.

Solving Questions of Digital Literacy Through Comm...

The Center for Media Engagement explores how public interest principles can be incorporated in social media to combat mis-information in larger communities. Read More
Solving Questions of Digital Literacy Through Community-Based Approaches
Hand using a smartphone with tick and cross buttons, selecting a red cross icon.

Building a Local System to Fight Misinformation

The Center for Media Engagement is working to build a local system for surfacing misinformation that can be adapted for different communities. Read More
Building a Local System to Fight Misinformation
Computer displaying 'Advertising' text with virus symbol on screen.

Who’s Funding Primetime News – And Why It Matters

Do you know who funds the news you watch? As is widely known, some news programs focus on facts, while others focus on opinions. Behind all these programs are advertisers who drive revenue – meaning they have the power to hold news outlets accountable for their coverage. Read More
Who’s Funding Primetime News – And Why It Matters
Surveillance concept: eye, camera, person with laptop, circular design.

How Digital Surveillance Deters Protest Participat...

This piece provides insights into the ways in which protests are surveilled and outlines two main issues with the practices: (1) general problems with the collection of personal data at protests, and (2) the problematic ways in which protest coverage is used toward political ends. Read More
How Digital Surveillance Deters Protest Participation
Webpage with three profile cards, each featuring an avatar, text, and a distinct color scheme.

Making Political Points with Humility Can Bridge D...

We found that humility can help people bridge divides, making it a useful approach for news organizations looking to uplift content or comments that build bridges. Read More
Making Political Points with Humility Can Bridge Divides
Silhouette of Kenya with a virus symbol inside.

​​Three Ways COVID-19 Affected Kenyan Media and Ho...

In the case of COVID-19, disinformation can occur when there is an intention to create a different viewpoint from that of vetted healthcare officials and authorities regarding the disease’s status, spread, prevalence, and management. While this phenomenon has been heavily studied in the U.S. and many European countries, parts of… Read More
​​Three Ways COVID-19 Affected Kenyan Media and How the Country is Trying to Counter the Fallout
Yellow lightbulb icon with a lightning bolt inside and rays emanating from it.

10 Research Findings & What they Mean for New...

Ten takeaways from our research that can help newsrooms and journalists tackle challenges in the year ahead. Read More
10 Research Findings & What they Mean for Newsrooms
Silhouetted crowd holding protest signs and megaphones, raising fists in demonstration.

A Better Way to Tell Protest Stories

To help journalists frame stories in ways that do not marginalize certain groups, the Center for Media Engagement tested several approaches to protest coverage. Read More
A Better Way to Tell Protest Stories