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. |
Mental Health
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Understanding MENA AudiencesAudience survey research in Egypt and Saudi Arabia reveals significant opportunities for content creators to connect with MENA audiences eager for expanded scripted programming across multiple genres and platforms.
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Caregiving and
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Lear Center at ATX
Our Hollywood, Health & Society program was once again partnering up with ATX Television Festival to host four health-related panels plus a tribute to Norman Lear in June 2024.
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Asian Representation in Streaming
Our study with Gold House dives into depictions of Asian characters in scripted streaming. There is progress in casting Asian actors beyond tokenized characters, but these roles emphasize proximity to whiteness over authentic cultural specificity.
Read the report. |
INCITE for Narrative Change Evaluators
How do you measure narrative impact? We partnered with the Pop Culture Collaborative to research and design a system for field members and funders working in narrative change to evaluate progress.
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The Norman Lear Center's Media Impact Project researches how entertainment and news influence our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and actions. We work with researchers, the film and TV industry, nonprofits, and news organizations, and share our research with the public. We are part of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
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