Myiah Hutchens

Lack of trust is a prevalent issue in modern news media. As of 2021, just 26% of American adults reported having trust in national media and scholars still don’t fully understand the impact of online comments on media trust. Why does this matter? Media trust is critical for democracies because…

A new study has found that emotions are inseparable from political decision-making and even negative emotions can be linked to positive outcomes. The findings by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) doctoral student Ekaterina Romanova and Public Relations Department Associate Professor and  Chair Myiah Hutchens, are featured…

What do Donald Trump, Al Gore, John McCain, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren all have in common? It’s pretty obvious: they’ve all been on “Saturday Night Live.” TV has long been a major source of political information for Americans, especially when election time nears. In fact, 74% of Americans reported…

Research Fridays features faculty and graduate students from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications presenting current research to their colleagues. On April 14, 2023, Public Relations Department Associate Professor and Chair Myiah Hutchens presented “Understanding Communication and Polarization.”

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Public Relations program has been named the 2023 PRWeek Outstanding Education Program. Public Relations senior Sarah Main was named Outstanding Student of the Year. The PRWeek Awards, now in its 24th year, is considered one of the most prestigious award…

Myiah Hutchens, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Public Relations Associate Professor, has been named chair of the Public Relations Department, after serving as interim chair since May 2022. During her tenure as interim chair, the department proposed two additional tracks: Public Interest Communications and Corporate Communication.…

By Michelle Holder, B.S. Journalism 2022 Two University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) students, Rebeka Smolka, senior Public Relations and Political Science major, and Augustus Hoff, sophomore Journalism major and Geography minor, spent their summers interning in South Africa. From social media campaigns to wildlife photography, Smolka…

Myiah Hutchens, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Public Relations Department interim chair and associate professor, is quoted in “MAGA Influencers Flock to Florida, Chasing Political Clout and Connections” published in the Tampa Bay Times on June 16. The article focuses on right-wing media personalities who are working…

Myiah Hutchens, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Public Relations Associate Professor, has been named Interim Chair of the Public Relations Department. She has served as Associate Chair since September 2021. Hutchens replaces former Department Chair Marcia DiStaso who was named UFCJC Associate Dean for Research. Hutchens…

Levels of political polarization continue to escalate in the U.S., causing an increasingly wide chasm between liberals and conservatives. Existing research suggests that this divide could be engendered in part because certain segments of the population rely heavily on partisan media outlets as a source of news. University of Florida…

University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Public Relations Assistant Professors Jay Hmielowski and Myiah Hutchens are the co-authors of a blog “Conservatives Are More Likely Than Liberals to Exist in a Media Echo Chamber” posted on the London School of Economics US Centre’s blog on American Politics and…

This article originally appeared on the London School of Economics US Centre’s daily blog. As partisan news networks like Fox News and MSNBC have risen in popularity, so has the polarization of many Americans’ political views. In new research, Jay Hmielowski, Myiah Hutchens, and Michael Beam find that while both liberal and conservative media contribute…