Parents can become desensitized to violence and sex in movies after watching only a few scenes with disturbing content, according to a new study published in Pediatrics that was conducted by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The study comes as scenes of sex and violence become more prevalent in movies aimed at youth. A 2013 study in Pediatrics from APPC researchers showed that the amount of violence in PG-13 movies tripled in the most popular movies since 1985.
Annenberg Public Policy Center to study the Science of Science Communication
To mark its 20th anniversary, the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania is opening a new area of study, the Science of Science Communication, to investigate how scientific evidence can be more effectively conveyed to the public. APPC also announced that FactCheck.org, which has focused on political speech, has received funding from the Stanton Foundation to expand its mission to include monitoring the use and misuse of scientific evidence.
FactCheck.org collaborates with U.S. Vote to provide political news to voters
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) and the nonpartisan site FactCheck.org have developed an alliance through which FactCheck.org will provide relevant, timely and accurate political information to voters who create an individual “My Voter Account” on the US Vote website. The project, supported by the Democracy Fund, was created to make it easy for voters to find unbiased, fact-checked news from within their private Voter Accounts.
Celebrating Constitution Day 2014 in Washington, D.C.
On Sept. 17, 2014, 47 students and their teachers gathered in Washington, D.C. as part of a coast-to-coast celebration to commemorate Constitution Day.
Chinese journalists visit Annenberg Public Policy Center
A group of five Chinese journalists visited the Annenberg Public Policy Center on Sept. 23, meeting with APPC director Kathleen Hall Jamieson. The journalists took part in the 2014 China-United States Journalists Exchange, on a study tour in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Dr. Jamieson, co-founder of the policy center's FactCheck.org project, said the group talked about practices in Chinese vs. U.S. journalism...
Americans know surprisingly little about their government, survey finds
Americans show great uncertainty when it comes to answering basic questions about how their government works, a survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center has found. The survey was released for Constitution Day, Sept. 17, in conjunction with the launch of the Civics Renewal Network.
Former Homeland Security Secretaries Urge Oversight Reform
On the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the three former U.S. Secretaries of Homeland Security recommended that Congress streamline its oversight of the Department of Homeland Security as “a matter of critical importance to national security on which there is broad bipartisan agreement.”
Civics Renewal Network launches on Constitution Day
Constitution Day, Wednesday, Sept. 17, and the 225th anniversary of the drafting of the Bill of Rights will be celebrated by events spanning the nation, including naturalization ceremonies at iconic sites, students taking the “Preamble Challenge,” a panel in Washington examining the role of civics in American life, and the start-up of an online resource for civics education. The daylong commemoration will launch the Civics Renewal Network, a collaboration among 26 groups, including the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
Margot Adler, voice of award-winning radio show ‘Justice Talking,’ dies at 68
Colleagues and friends at the Annenberg Public Policy Center are mourning the loss of Margot Adler, the journalist who was the voice of "Justice Talking," the award-winning radio show produced over a decade by APPC. Ms. Adler was 68 and had been battling cancer for several years.
High school students produce anti-tobacco videos in APPC summer camp
Nearly 100 high school students from across the Philadelphia region took part in the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s inaugural summer camp program devoted to learning about and participating in anti-tobacco advertising research. The program brought teenagers from 19 area schools to APPC for three week-long sessions.