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The MEDIA IMPACT PROJECT is the research and evaluation arm of The Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. We are a hub for collecting, developing and sharing approaches for measuring the impact of media in order to better understand the role that media plays in changing knowledge, attitudes and behavior among individuals and communities.
We study stories -- in film, TV, documentaries, games, art and news -- and their impact on audiences. And we help media makers, cultural change organizations and foundations understand audiences and how to engage them. |
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In 2019, the percentage of Americans who donated to charity was at an all-time low. To understand why, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned the Media Impact Project to analyze the narratives about charitable giving and philanthropy conveyed through mass media news and entertainment, as well as what types of media content are consumed by potential donor audiences.
We will present our findings at a special webinar on Friday, January 29 at 11 am PST. Register here. |
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Our second study with Define American, Change the Narrative, Change the World, finds that TV shows with nuanced immigrant characters and immigration storylines can shift attitudes and inspire people to real-life action. Viewers who saw the immigrant storyline had more inclusive attitudes towards immigrants, greater comfort meeting undocumented people and opposition to criminalizing undocumented immigrants. They were also more likely to take certain actions, like speaking to a friend about immigration issues or attending an immigration-related community event.
Read the report. PRESS: Los Angeles Times | Hollywood Reporter | The Guardian |
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We are excited to be part of an illustrious cohort of change makers who are recipients of 2020 grants from the advocacy organization The Pop Culture Collaborative. Our research team will develop an impact learning system: a coordinated set of research, evaluation, and learning projects that together will help the pop culture for social change field track and understand its collective growth, shifting ecology, and culture change impact.
Read our previous PCC study on media diets & political beliefs. |
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Our research team worked with the advocacy organization Color of Change on this edifying new study that looked at depictions of the U.S. criminal justice system on American television. Among the finding were that the crime TV genre advances distorted representations of crime, justice, race and gender. For people of color, this can lead to real-life consequences.
Read the report. PRESS: Los Angeles Times | New York Daily News |
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Do liberals enjoy the same TV shows as conservatives? Do they experience similar emotions while viewing their favorite shows? Our new study looks for connections between media diets and political beliefs, tracking changes from 2008 to 2018. We surveyed a national audience for their views on issues such as guns, abortion and the environment, as well as their news and entertainment preferences. Using statistical clustering techniques, we identified three ideological groups: The Blues, the Purples and the Reds. Check out the key findings here.
Read Johanna Blakley's analysis in The Conversation. |
