Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania

10/30/2026

Do politicians know what the public actually cares about? In this video, Annenberg Professor Diana Mutz, a leading expert on political psychology and mass political behavior, provides insights from her research on public opinion to explain why the press and policymakers need to dive deeper into public opinion rather than just assume what we want and don’t want.

10/30/2026

With the midterm elections days away, much of the attention is focused on polls, close races, and which party will control Congress. Annenberg School for Communication Professor Yphtach Lelkes, co-director of the Polarization Research Lab, is also interested in who turns out in midterm elections and how partisan animosity shapes the way candidates campaign, and what it could mean once the votes are counted.

Ahead of Election Day, Lelkes reflects on what this year’s midterms may reveal about voters, candidates, and the state of American politics:

Research 29 Oct 2026 Polarization, Polling, and What to Watch For After the 2026 Midterms Professor Yphtach Lelkes discusses the turn out for the midterm elections, trust in the polls, and what he’ll be watching once the votes are counted. With the midterm elections less than a week away, much of ...

10/29/2026

Siren!, a new open-access magazine run by doctoral students, launched its inaugural issue last month with an event at Annenberg. The publication takes its name from the mythical creatures whose alluring voices tempt sailors toward destruction. The name is a metaphor for a media landscape that can sap attention and keep us from living in the real world, and a wink at what the magazine actually publishes: culture, media, history, and activism through a feminist lens.

Doctoral students Sim Gill, Valentina Proust, and Lucila Rozas run it alongside alum Cienna Davis (Ph.D. ‘26). The idea grew out of the Transnational Feminist Network Symposium they organized in 2024, after which they wanted to keep surfacing voices that academic publishing tends to leave submerged.

“Our impetus was to develop a mode of publishing that felt not only more sustainable and careful with the voices of feminist authors, but also one that questioned the idea that feminist theory can only emerge in certain places or from certain intellectual traditions or practices,” says Rozas.

The first issue, “Resurfacing Feminist Currents,” includes reflections on audio letters exchanged among feminist activists across Peru, the making of a public art exhibit featuring testimonies from people detained in an ICE detention center in Tacoma, and a Spanish-language article mapping the global distribution of condom and menstrual hygiene machines.

“What strikes me most about this project is its confidence: forging ahead with imagining a different mode of knowledge-making,” says Aswin Punathambekar, director of the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication, which publishes the magazine. “One that doesn’t ask permission from all the gatekeepers we have of scholarly publishing.”

The collective’s call for proposals for Issue 2, “Disciplined Bodies, Transgressive Bodies, Transformed Bodies,” is open through October 31. Abstracts can be submitted in English, Spanish, Hindi, or Punjabi.

Read more: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/siren-navigates-waves-feminism-media-and-activism

10/28/2026

Recently, an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey found that 61% of Americans now oppose new data center construction in their area, up 12 points since the spring, including 69% of Democrats, 54% of Republicans, and 53% of Independents.

Data centers have become a flashpoint heading into the 2026 midterms, and opposition to them is one of the few things uniting Republicans and Democrats.

Matthew Levendusky, Professor of Communication and Political Science at the Annenberg School for Communication, breaks down why: rising electricity bills, local fights over land and water, and a backlash that has drawn in figures as far apart as Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis.

10/28/2026

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, October 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 109 for a screening of “Black Zombie,” followed by a discussion with director Maya Annik Bedward, joining virtually.

The documentary traces the zombie as a metaphor for slavery in colonial Haiti to its role in contemporary Hollywood horror, examining how Black spiritual traditions were distorted and how a figure of enslavement and resistance became one of pop culture’s most profitable monsters.

It draws on “White Zombie,” “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” along with archival footage and interviews with historians, artists, and genre legends.

The screening is part of The Philly Cinematheque, a new initiative housed in the Annenberg School for Communication that presents community-focused screenings of global film and television, co-organized with the Center for Experimental Ethnography, the Department of Cinema and Media Studies, and the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication.

Register:

Join us for a screening of “Black Zombie,” followed by a discussion with Director Maya Annik Bedward, who will be joining us virtually.

10/27/2026

In his new book, “Goodthink: The New Science of Collective Intelligence,” Damon Centola challenges the idea that social influence inevitably undermines good judgment. Drawing on two decades of research into collective intelligence, he explores how the structure of our social networks can shape the way we make decisions, solve problems, generate new ideas, and navigate political divides. We spoke with Centola about why “groupthink” gets group intelligence wrong, why some echo chambers can actually reduce polarization, and what we can do to create networks that help people think better together.

Read: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/science-making-groups-smarter

10/27/2026

TODAY in Room 500: Dhavan Shah, McLeod Professor of Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presents “AI Opinion Simulation in Political and Health Communication Research.”

Shah’s work bridges traditional media effects research with computational social science, taking on political polarization, civic erosion, and public health disparities.

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., 3620 Walnut Street. More info:

McLeod Professor of Communication Research, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin–Madison

10/26/2026

Homecoming is coming, and we would love to see you back at Annenberg! Here is what we have planned:

📖 Wednesday, November 11 | Virtual Book Conversation
Dean Sarah Banet-Weiserser and Sarah J. Jacksons discuss Jackson’s new book, “A Second Sight: How the Wonder and Vision of Black Mediamakers Push America Toward Freedom,” with time for audience questions.

📅 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Zoom. RSVP by November 4: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/events/homecoming-annenberg-virtual-book-conversation-annenberg-faculty-sarah-j-jackson-phd-and-dean-sarah

🍾 Friday, November 13 | Witty and Gritty Homecoming Reception
Join alumni, faculty, and friends for drinks and light snacks, and see our exhibition of editorial cartoons from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

📅5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Annenberg. RSVP by November 2: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/events/homecoming-annenberg-witty-and-gritty-homecoming-reception

Come catch up with faculty, alumni, and friends!

10/26/2026

“We’re in uncharted territory at this point,” says Presidential Professor Deen Freelon in The New York Times about how AI is reshaping what voters encounter ahead of the midterms:

The midterms are the first elections in which artificial intelligence is integrated into every major social media platform. Efforts to blunt its harms are uneven.

10/23/2026

Sarah J. Jackson, Associate Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, was elected president of the International Communication Association (ICA), the major professional association for communication researchers worldwide.

“I am deeply honored by the trust that my colleagues, students, and mentors across the field of communication have placed in me through this election,” says Jackson. She also praised her fellow candidate Christopher Ali of Penn State (Ph.D. ‘13), calling it “an honor to run alongside such an outstanding scholar and representative of the field.”

Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser called the election “a well-deserved recognition of her standing as a leading scholar of race, media, and social justice.”

“Sarah is also a generous colleague and mentor, deeply committed to supporting our students, especially our students of color, advising junior scholars, and teaching courses on relevant and urgent issues,” she said.

Jackson will serve as president-elect beginning on June 7, 2027 — the last day of the association’s annual conference in Glasgow, Scotland — and will move into the position of president a year later.

Join us in congratulating Professor Jackson!

Read more: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/sarah-j-jackson-elected-president-international-communication-association