Hamilton looks at how presidents – past and present – have navigated relationships with the White House press corps.
Communication in the News
53rd Carlos Kelly McClatchy Symposium
A conversation with Bob Woodward. Woodward discusses his reporting from Nixon to Trump and the challenges confronting the press, the presidency, and American democracy. Watch the video.
Virtual reality can help make people more compassionate compared to other media
Virtual Human Interaction Lab researchers found that people who underwent a virtual reality experience, called “Becoming Homeless,” were more empathetic toward the homeless and more likely to sign a petition in support of affordable housing than other study participants.
Stanford scholars are helping journalists do investigative journalism through data
The first project the Stanford Journalism and Democracy Initiative is initiating is “Big Local News,” an effort to help local newsrooms with the data collection and analysis needed for investigative reporting.
Social Robots and Deception
Prof. Jeff Hancock on the American Psychological Association’s “Speaking of Psychology” podcast.
Silicon Valley tech culture has roots in Burning Man
Prof. Fred Turner has been studying the role of art and countercultural movements – including the communal, participatory lifestyle celebrated at the annual Burning Man festival – that have had far-reaching influence in the workplace of tech firms.
Yes, Ordinary Citizens Can Decide Complex Issues
Prof. James Fishkin’s Op-Ed in The Wall Street Journal discusses how representative panels of the populace have helped choose energy policy in Texas, constitutional amendments in Mongolia, and other issues in 28 countries.
Public support for climate policy remains strong, according to new poll
A survey by Prof. Jon Krosnick shows Americans overwhelmingly want a reduction in global warming and support renewable energy development.
1960s Communes & Today’s Social Media
Prof. Fred Turner is a guest on Stanford Radio’s “The Future of Everything with Russ Altman”.
How experiencing discrimination in VR can make you less biased
What would it be like to live in the body of someone else? In this video Prof. Jeremy Bailenson describes how virtual reality experiences can increase empathy for others.
Rebele Symposium: The Journalism We Need
What kind of journalism do we need, and what are the ramifications of journalism not fulfilling this need? Eight scholars from six countries came together to discuss this question by addressing the intensifying connections between journalism, justice, and digital technologies.
Fear and Loathing in the Body Politic
Prof. Shanto Iyengar and Graduate School of Business Prof. Neil Malhotra discuss affective polarization. Interparty animus is clearly manifest in real-world behaviors — and the pervasiveness of these effects is astonishing.
JSK Fellowships names Class of 2018-19
A diverse group of journalism innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world will make up the 2018-2019 class of John S. Knight (JSK) Journalism Fellows.
Big little lies of mobile dating
Lying about availability is a common deception mobile app daters tell their potential partners, according to a new paper by Prof. Jeff Hancock and David Markowitz
A new report by Prof. Jeremy Bailenson and Common Sense Media examines the potential effect of virtual reality on children
As virtual reality rapidly expands into American households, it is critical that parents and educators be informed about its potential effect on kids.
Overload: How technology is bringing us too much information
Prof. Byron Reeves developed a way to accurately track our digital lives. How do those two-to-three hours a day spent on the phone break down?
What Prof. Angèle Christin learned about clickbait will surprise you
With real-time web analytics, journalists and editors now know more about traffic to their stories than ever before. But it doesn’t always result in the best stories. Prof. Christin explored the influence of these metrics in an American and a French newsroom.
How to create empathy in VR
Prof. Jeremy Bailenson discusses the growing body of scientific evidence showing that creating empathy in virtual reality is more successful if the headset wearer moves around.
Demystifying Media: Q & A with James T. Hamilton
University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication Q & A with Prof. James T. Hamilton. Topics range from the future of computational journalism and the benefits of investigative reporting. Watch the video.
52nd Carlos Kelly McClatchy Symposium
“Virtual Reality, Real Implications: How VR will shape people, business, and government” features Courtney Cogburn (Columbia University), Tom Wheeler (former head of the FCC), and Philip Rosedale (High Fidelity).
What Motivates Voters More Than Loyalty? Loathing
In “The Strengthening of Partisan Affect”, Professor Shanto Iyengar and colleague show that building strength of partisan antipathy — “negative partisanship” — has radically altered politics. Anger has become the primary tool for motivating voters.
Americans’ low opinion of elected officials tied to perceptions of decision-making
People believe that elected officials are not paying enough attention to the general public. This finding emerged from a study led by Professor Jon Krosnick about how Americans think legislators should and do decide to vote.
Comm graduates publish new study on the effects of election forecasts
Probabilistic forecasts can give potential voters the impression that one candidate will win more decisively and may even lower the likelihood that they vote, according to a new study by Sean Westwood of Dartmouth, Yphtach Lelkes of the University of Pennsylvania and Solomon Messing of Pew Research Center.
Rescuing Democracy: From Ancient Athens to Brexit
Professor James Fishkin discusses how an old idea from ancient Athens — selecting random citizens to deliberate — is making a difference around the world from bringing wind power to Texas to reforming the Mongolian constitution.
Professor Jeremy Bailenson’s book “Experience on Demand” featured in The New York Times, NPR and recode
Book gives and in-depth look at virtual reality and how it can be harnessed to improve our everyday lives.
Your phone really does make you feel good, study says
Social Media Lab researchers contend that you’re not necessarily addicted if you need to be with your phone all the time. The mere presence of your phone is a more pleasant and productive experience than the complete absence of that beloved device.
Professor Fred Turner named Bass University Fellow
The Bass University Fellows in Undergraduate Education Program recognizes faculty for their exceptional contributions to undergraduate education.
Jesmyn Ward wins MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’
Jesmyn Ward, MA Media Studies and Communication 2000, was awarded a 2017 MacArthur fellowship for exceptionally creative people.
La proposition de M. Macron de consulter les citoyens sur l’Europe est nécessaire et réalisable
Professor James Fishkin argues that the President of France could best realize his plan for a Europe wide dialogue about the future of the EU by using the Deliberative Poll.
Every J-School Should Teach Data, and Here’s How
Cheryl Phillips discusses how programs can incorporate data as a basic journalism skill that enables reporters, editors, graphic designers and others to do their jobs better.
Scholar analyzes responses to algorithms in journalism, criminal justice
In a research paper recently published in Big Data & Society, Professor Angèle Christin found a gap between the intended and actual uses of algorithms in the fields of web journalism and criminal justice.
New breed of VR pushes for social change
Jeremy Bailenson says “In VR you should do things that you couldn’t do otherwise, but I don’t believe in VR that you should do things you wouldn’t do otherwise.”
Communication students put newfound research skills to work
Students enrolled in Jennifer Pan’s Communication Research Methods designed small-scale research studies for a local nonprofit organization that offers one-on-one tutoring to children.
Dept. of Communication Commencement
Remarks by Fred Turner, Dept. of Communication Chair, and Felix Petermann, MA Class of 2017.
How We Became Bitter Political Enemies
“If you go back to the days of the Civil War, one can find cases in American political history where there was far more rancor and violence,” says Shanto Iyengar. “But in the modern era, there are no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ — partisan animus is at an all-time high.”
Ronald Alexander, professor emeritus of communication, dead at 94
Ronald Alexander was best known for his attention to detail and dedication to his students. The professor emeritus of communication had a distinguished career at the National Film Board of Canada before joining the Stanford faculty in 1970.
51st Carlos Kelly McClatchy Symposium
“Under Threat: The Future of Foreign Correspondence” features NPR Foreign Editor William Dobson, BuzzFeed International News Editor Miriam Elder, and New York Times Foreign Editor Michael Slackman. Moderated by the Communication Department’s Janine Zacharia.
Collaboration leads to Mongolian parliament passing law on public opinion polling
A meeting between James Fishkin and Gombojav Zandanshatar, a member of Mongolia’s parliament, inspired a new law that requires an in-depth method of public opinion polling to take place before an amendment to Mongolia’s constitution can be enacted.
JSK Journalism Fellowships awarded for 2017-18
JSK Director Dawn Garcia is excited to announce the 2017-2018 John S. Knight Journalism Fellows
Professor James T. Hamilton’s Democracy’s Detectives wins the 2017 Mott Book Award
Hamilton’s Democracy’s Detectives: The Economics of Investigative Journalism is the winner for the best book on journalism and mass communication based on original research published in 2016.