A new bipartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center report that proposes a serious overhaul of the 2016 general-election presidential debates to improve their quality, reach and relevance in the age of social media and an increasingly diverse electorate has drawn widespread media coverage.
Press Releases
Visiting Scholar Dietram Scheufele and Postdoctoral Fellows Join Policy Center
Communication scholar Dietram A. Scheufele from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has joined the Annenberg Public Policy Center as a Visiting Scholar this fall. Seven postdoctoral fellows also have joined APPC, most researching the science of science communication.
New Incentives Needed to Uphold Scientific Integrity
An article in Science magazine says that new efforts are required to preserve the integrity of science in the face of what appear to be an increasing incidence of irreproducible findings and retractions.
Campaign Watch: FactCheck.org, SciCheck Monitor Candidates’ Claims
With a flurry of candidates entering the 2016 presidential race, FactCheck.org and its science feature, SciCheck, are examining the campaigners' recent statements and revisiting past claims. Recent posts examine claims by Scott Walker, Donald Trump, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Stronger Working Memory and Reduced Sexual Risk-Taking in Adolescents
Adolescents who have difficulty with impulse control may be more prone to risky sexual behavior, with consequences such as sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies. A study finds that individual differences in working memory can predict early sexual activity during adolescence.
Annenberg Group Releases Recommendations for Presidential Debates
The Annenberg Working Group on Presidential Campaign Debate Reform – a bipartisan group of top officials from past presidential campaigns – released its recommendations to help democratize the presidential general election debate process ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Fear-Based Ads Help to Convince Teens to Cut Back on Sugary Drinks
A new study of public service advertisements (PSAs) to address obesity finds that appealing to fear – and the health consequences of too much sugar, such as diabetes and heart disease – had the greatest effect on teens’ intention to cut back on sugary beverages like soda and energy drinks.
Amy B. Jordan Takes Office as President of ICA
Amy B. Jordan, Ph.D., associate director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, took office this week as president of the International Communication Association , the leading international organization dedicated to scholarship in the field of communication.
Book Review: ‘Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents’
"Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents," edited by Amy B. Jordan and Dan Romer, was called a "scientifically rigorous and timely volume on youth media use" in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.
Working Toward Trust in Science
Does the public trust science? What are the elements of trust, and how is it built, maintained and lost? Those questions were featured in a National Academy of Sciences workshop at which Annenberg Public Policy director Kathleen Hall Jamieson reflected on trust in science.