Institutions of Democracy

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.

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.

The Annenberg Public Policy Center has partnered with NBC News and the Wall Street Journal on surveys of the American public through the 2014 election. The Annenberg/NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey will examine Americans’ attitudes and opinions about the U.S. Congress from June through the November election.

Annenberg Classroom documentary “Search and Seizure: Mapp v. Ohio" has received a 2014 CINE Special Jury Award, chosen as one of the best films from among recipients of the 2013 CINE Golden Eagle Award from the Council on International Nontheatrical Events.

Viewers of “The Colbert Report” who watched faux-conservative TV host Stephen Colbert set up a super PAC and 501(c)(4) organization during the last presidential election cycle proved to be better informed about campaign financing and the role of money in politics than viewers of other news channels and shows, according to a new study by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Olga Kamenchuk, Ph. D., is a visiting scholar from the Moscow State University of International Relations, where she chairs the Sociology of Mass Communication department. She talks about her public polling work at VCIOM, the leading Russian opinion research center, her international research interests, and her work at APPC.

FactCheck.org was named best Politics website for the 18th Annual Webby Awards. The Webbys, called “the Oscars of the Internet,” are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.