Center for Media Engagement - UT Austin

10/16/2026

📣 A new study found that partisan topics tend to circulate among like-minded users, while non-partisan topics were mostly shared by political moderates, emphasizing the need for strategies that promote diverse & constructive information exchange on social media platforms.

https://twp.ai/IlwVqh

10/16/2026

Research from Reuters Institute finds that most people think creators make news more accessible and entertaining, but find them less trustworthy and impartial than traditional journalists.

🤩 More than a quarter of people (27%) say they use creators for news weekly. But we find that creators usually don't replace traditional news, they complement it. https://f.mtr.cool/w4nl9813th

10/16/2026

Interesting findings from this new UC Berkeley research raise questions about how journalists can communicate complexity without losing important context.

A novel study by UC Berkeley scholars finds that when Americans are presented with complex decisions on immigration, climate change or political candidates, they often avoid difficult reasoning.

10/15/2026

As digital broadcasters gain influence, are accountability standards keeping pace? Nieman Reports examines how Brazil's CazéTV has challenged traditional sports media while raising concerns about advertising transparency, content moderation, and regulatory oversight.

CazéTV’s commercial success has brought major sponsors and growing scrutiny of its advertising practices. https://niemanreports.org/caze-tv-casimiro-miguel-fifa-world-cup-twitch-youtube-streamer-sports-journalism-tv-globo-brazil/

10/15/2026

"There is continued change in news consumption in favour of social media, video networks and, more recently, AI. At the same time, concerns about trust in news, about misinformation, and about the wider impact of these platforms are all increasing." 2026 Digital News Report from Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

Our 2026 report finds news audiences around the world reacting with growing unease to successive episodes of political, economic, and technological turbulence. Assumptions about the way the world works are being questioned as longstanding international alliances shift, the global trading system come...

10/14/2026

AI can make research more accessible, but evaluating its answers still requires critical thinking. The Conversation US shares practical ways to assess AI-generated information, from tracing claims to original sources to recognizing missing perspectives and potential biases.

AI is quickly changing. These tips from university librarians can help people keep pace with the shifts as they approach their research.

10/13/2026

An interesting examination from Columbia Journalism Review about how AI-generated pitches and writer impersonation are challenging newsroom verification and raising new questions about trust in journalism.

Editors are facing an influx of AI-written pitches, including at science publications like mine. What now?

10/13/2026

An important read exploring the principles and fundamental questions for AI governance:

“AI technologies are not inevitable… their development and widespread use are subject to democratic governance.” We’ve released a new joint report from UNC + .bsky.social: "AI Governance & Democracy: A Statement of Principles and Transatlantic Research Goals".

10/12/2026

🎧 When does personalization become surveillance?
Our new Media Ethics Initiative case study explores Spotify’s patented “MoodDJ” and the questions that emotion-based recommendations raise about privacy, consent, and autonomy.

The debate surrounding Spotify’s MoodDJ highlights the broader ethical tensions between innovation and surveillance. While supporters emphasize the potential for improved emotional regulation and well-being in additional to music discovery, critics raise concerns about autonomy, safety, data priva...

10/12/2026

As local news influencers become more prominent, how can audiences evaluate their credibility? This research from Center for Cooperative Media highlights the importance of looking for transparency, fact-checking, and responsiveness.

As New Jersey influencers fill the gap left by the downsizing of local newsrooms, a new study co-authored by Journalism Professor Carrie Brown offers insight into how to find trustworthy journalism on social media