Calling Wonder Woman for Science: How Female Experts Engender Likability and Trust

Monday February 3, 2025

Public trust in science has been declining for decades, a challenge that may be exacerbated by pop culture and media portrayals of scientists as cold and disconnected. Could a female face give science communication the warmth it needs to succeed?

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“Don’t Believe Everything You Read Online”: How AI Fact-Checking Could Challenge Political Bias in Science Information Processing

Thursday December 12, 2024

As social media has grown into many people’s primary news source, so has its potential for misinformation. Facebook and X have both launched fact-checking tools to combat so-called fake news. Yet many users dismiss the fact-check itself as false, especially when it challenges their preexisting views. Could an AI fact-checker seem more objective and help change minds?

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The Like Economy: How Social Media Reshapes News Priorities

Monday March 11, 2024

In an era where more than half of American adults regularly get their news from social media sites, a recent study reveals fundamental changes in how news is consumed, shared and valued. The findings are particularly relevant to ongoing debates about the quality of news on web platforms and its impact on public discourse.

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Choose Your Words Wisely: The Role of Language in Media Trust

Thursday November 30, 2023

New research is identifying patterns of common language usage in coverage of potentially divisive subjects that could  further damage trust. Recoding words away from inherent biases and towards authentic language may be a pathway that engenders trust.

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Twitter Users Engage More with Factual Discourse than Misinformation

Thursday October 5, 2023

The problem of misinformation or disinformation being disseminated on social media has been well established and documented. But a new study suggests that users actually find factual posts more engaging than posts with misinformation.

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Hesitancy in the Home: The Relationship Between Family Communication Patterns and Willingness to Talk About Covid-19 Vaccination

Wednesday June 28, 2023

Family dynamic plays an important role in discussions about vaccination and the level of trust in sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Sylvia Chan-Olmsted and Amy Jo Coffey Will Present Research at European Media Management Association Conference

Friday May 26, 2023

Research from University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications scholars Sylvia Chan-Olmsted and Amy Jo Coffey will be presented at the European Media Management Association (EMMA) …

Exploring Trust in Media Brands Today: Definition, Dimensions and Cross-National Differences

Friday May 5, 2023

Today’s abundant content from linear media, tech companies, influencers and others presents a growing challenge in measuring the trust consumers place on these different media platforms/outlets. Researchers sought to define a media brand and its trust elements.

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Country Roads and Cityscapes: The Relationship Between Place-Based Identity And Feelings Toward Journalists

Thursday May 4, 2023

Current efforts to increase trust by fact-checking and increased transparency are respectable but minimally effective. They largely offer tactic over strategy, disregarding a major player in perspective-building: where people live.

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Janet Coats: The Implications of a Twitter Collapse

Friday November 18, 2022

With the reality of Elon Musk's hostile takeover of Twitter setting in, many individuals, news outlets and communities are left in the wreckage of the social media giant.

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In Support for the Supreme Court, Partisanship Trumps Concern Around Gender Equality

Tuesday October 25, 2022

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court such as the overturning of Roe. vs Wade have raised questions about the institution’s legitimacy in the eyes of the American public. A new study looks at whether the Roe decision has affected trust in the Supreme Court.

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How Conservative and Liberal Media Reinforce Political Beliefs

Tuesday September 7, 2021

Levels of political polarization continue to escalate in the U.S., causing an increasingly wide chasm between liberals and conservatives. New research explores whether liberal and conservative news outlets contributed to this political divide and increased polarization.

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Choice Matters: Responses to Political Information Vary in Randomized vs. Selective Exposure Contexts

Friday June 25, 2021

Why do we focus more on the bad than the good? Why do we seek out the more traumatic vs. feel good news stories? Researchers wanted to learn more about the factors that could affect one’s inclination to veer toward negative or positive information, including age, political uses and approaches, and the type of exposure to news.

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On-screen Stereotypes of Female Journalists Feed a “Vicious Cycle” of Sexism

Tuesday June 15, 2021

When a fictional female journalist appears on screen, chances are she’s about to sleep with one of her sources. It’s a trope that infuriates actual women in news media — and it can have real-life consequences, says University of Florida researcher Frank Waddell, Ph.D.

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Tom Kelleher Authors New Public Relations Textbook

Wednesday January 25, 2017

University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Advertising Department Chair and Professor Tom Kelleher is the author of Public Relations: Engagement, Conversation, Influence, …