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.
Michael Rozansky
Director of Communications, APPC
Michael Rozansky has worked as an editor, writer and reporter for 30 years. Before joining the Annenberg Public Policy Center as director of communications, he spent more than 20 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, most recently supervising its arts and entertainment coverage. He has reported on the arts, media, business, politics, national and regulatory issues. Rozansky also developed and taught a class at Temple University on the history and practice of celebrity journalism. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from Brown University and a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Overcoming the Effects of Selectively Presented Scientific Information in Partisan Media
Scientists can minimize the likelihood that their message will be rejected in a politically polarized environment by avoiding advocacy, relying on trusted sources, and inviting the audience to understand the evidence that justifies the scientific conclusion, according to a new study by Annenberg Public Policy Center researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It showed that conservatives were able to draw the correct inferences about the downward trend in the Arctic sea ice despite exposure to a misleading Fox News report.
R.I. Gov. Lincoln Chafee talks about politics in a polarized world
Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee met with students and faculty at the Annenberg School for Communication on Thursday, Oct. 2, and spoke about navigating an increasingly polarized political environment. Chafee, who has been Governor since 2011, previously served as a Republican U.S. Senator representing Rhode Island from 1999-2007. He subsequently became an Independent, and in 2013 announced that he would register as a Democrat.
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.
9/11 Commission members warn of emerging threats in new report
The struggle against terrorism "has entered a new and dangerous phase," members of the 9/11 Commission said on the 10-year anniversary of their report. The group's new report, developed with APPC and the Bipartisan Policy Center, identified emerging threats and continuing vulnerabilities.