Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 10h

Local news is the foundation of an informed public, and it’s encouraging to see new models emerging to rebuild trust and connection. This report highlights the kind of innovation that aligns with our mission at CME: strengthening how people engage with media that serves them.

American Journalism Project @theajp.bsky.social · Aug 21

How can nonprofit news, philanthropy and universities work together to rebuild local journalism?

A new report from Len Downie and ASU’s Knight Center explores emerging strategies — and includes perspective from AJP CEO @sarabethb.bsky.social.

New report spotlights real-world strategies for rebuilding local news | ASU News

Local news is in a transitional phase. Newspapers’ loss of revenue and audience to the internet combined with too many rapacious chain newspaper owners have left many millions of Americans with too li...

news.asu.edu

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Reposted by Center for Media Engagement

Drew Engelhardt @amengel.bsky.social · 14h

Working on a dissertation in American political behavior and need money for survey research? Apply for a grant worth up to $15,000 from the Rapoport Family Foundation. They’re planning on awarding up to 15 grants this cycle.

Deadline Oct. 22.

www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com/phdgrant

Rapoport Doctoral Dissertation Grants

Supporting projects for PhD students doing political science research, democracy and social justice.

www.rapoportfamilyfoundation.com

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 13h

Self-awareness never goes out of style!

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Reposted by Center for Media Engagement

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · 3d

8️⃣ How will AI change the news?

As with last year, many assume AI will make news cheaper to produce (+39 point net difference) and more up to date (+22), but less transparent (−8) and less trustworthy (−19). People in Japan and Argentina are more positive and people in the UK more negative

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 19h

🔗 Full report:

Quotes and Credibility: How Storytelling Approaches Shape Perceptions Across Party Lines - Center for Media Engagement

Given the diminishing trust in U.S. news media, especially among political conservatives, the Center for Media Engagement set out to examine whether certain storytelling approaches affect people’s perceptions of credibility and bias.

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 19h

Posts quoting only one party were perceived as biased in that party’s direction, and each side talked about news bias in very different ways.

These results highlight the importance for newsrooms to balance sources and carefully consider how reporting choices shape audience perceptions.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 19h

Findings show that Democrats rated all news posts as more credible than Republicans, both groups considered government-official quotes the most credible, and Republicans saw three storytelling approaches as more biased than Democrats.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 19h

We studied how different storytelling approaches in news posts affect perceptions of credibility and bias across party lines.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 1d

A look at “connective language” in political Facebook posts. 📊

People spent more time on the page with a connective post than a non-connective post, but they were not more likely to engage with it through likes, replies, or other actions.

🔗 Read more:

Connective Posts: A New Approach to Political Conversations on Social Media - Center for Media Engagement

Exploring the use of “connective language” as a way to help people better connect with each other and enjoy their online experience.

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 1d

An important reminder that technology doesn’t exist outside of culture. When AI misses social context, it risks misunderstanding, harm, and reinforcing bias — showing why cultural nuance must be part of responsible design.

Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 7d

New research shows how AI models default to Western-style directness, missing the cultural cues that govern everyday interactions for millions of Persian speakers worldwide — with the potential to derail negotiations, damage relationships, and reinforce stereotypes. arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/w...

When “no” means “yes”: Why AI chatbots can’t process Persian social etiquette

New study examines how a helpful AI response could become a cultural disaster in Iran.

arstechnica.com

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 2d

This reading list from @newpublic.org is a great resource for anyone thinking about the intersections of community, technology, and civic life. At CME, we know that the books and ideas we engage with shape the way we imagine healthier public spaces — both online and off.

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 8d

Introducing the New_ Public Canon: A non-exhaustive, in-no-particular-order selection of books about communities, technology, and civic life that our team loves and references (almost) every day.

What are we missing? Any recommendations?

Reading list titled 'The New_ Public Reading List Part 1: The Big Books' on purple background with coral section. Books listed: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom, The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser (obviously), and The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker. Decorative 3D geometric shapes in bottom right corner.

Reading list on coral background with purple footer. Title reads 'Let us know what we're missing!' Books listed: Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, Governable Spaces by Nathan Schneider, Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy by Audrey Tang & E. Glen Weyl, and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Decorative 3D geometric shapes in bottom right corner.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 2d

85% of Texans have heard of AI, but only half recognize they use it regularly.

📊 Two-thirds believe AI will have a positive impact on society and their lives, yet many underestimate how often they interact with it.

🔗 Read more:

Power Struggles: Texans’ Thoughts On The AI Data Center Boom and Its Environmental Impacts - Center for Media Engagement

While public opinion about AI is mixed, Americans’ primary concerns revolve around issues of displaced jobs and data privacy. This study is one of the first to explore public attitudes related to AI and its environmental impact.

mediaengagement.org

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 4d

Fascinating to see how VR and AI might help children build empathy and connection. Exploring how technology can support healthier ways of relating is a conversation worth having.

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 7d

Researchers are exploring how VR and AI can teach empathy, helping children recognize emotions, regulate feelings and build deeper connections.

How VR and AI could help the next generation grow kinder and more connected

Virtual reality might seem like an unlikely way to help kids develop empathy, but the right VR environment can do just that.

buff.ly

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 4d

Republicans and Democrats perceive news stories in very different ways.
Both groups found the most credible posts were those quoting only a government official.

🔗 Read more: mediaengagement.org/research/quo...

Quotes and Credibility: How Storytelling Approaches Shape Perceptions Across Party Lines - Center for Media Engagement

Given the diminishing trust in U.S. news media, especially among political conservatives, the Center for Media Engagement set out to examine whether certain storytelling approaches affect people’s per...

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 4d

Although these posts did not shift perceptions of political polarization, the findings suggest that both the public and platforms can encourage healthier discussions by incorporating and surfacing connective language.

🔗 Read the full report: mediaengagement.org/research/con...

Connective Posts: A New Approach to Political Conversations on Social Media - Center for Media Engagement

Exploring the use of “connective language” as a way to help people better connect with each other and enjoy their online experience.

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 4d

Connective language signals openness to other perspectives, using phrases such as “this is just my opinion” or “correct me if I’m wrong.” We found that people spent more time on pages with connective posts, enjoyed them more, and felt less manipulated by them.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 4d

Our research examined how “connective language” affects political conversations on social media.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 5d

This framing feels more relevant than ever in the age of AI-driven personalization. At CME, we’re asking similar questions: how do media technologies shape not only what we choose, but who we become?

Eli Pariser @eli.bsky.social · 9d

When I wrote the Filter Bubble in 2011, I portrayed an algorithmic tug of war between your impulsive, present-tense self and your more forward-thinking, aspirational self.

Now a big showdown between your long-term and short-term self is here. The question is, which side will your chatbot be on?

The era of hyperpersonalized content is here

Everyone needs to pay attention to the most recent AI products rolled out by OpenAI, Meta, and Google, because they tell us something important about the future of digital media. In the last week… Ope...

www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Center for Media Engagement

Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 7d

“AI isn’t really designed to be therapeutic,” says Stanford addiction scientist Dr. Anna Lembke. “It’s really designed to make people feel better in the short term, which also ultimately promotes continued engagement — which is the real agenda for these companies.” futurism.com/chatgpt-marr...

ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as Spouses Use AI to Attack Their Partners

Across the world, marriages are being destroyed as spouses use AI like OpenAI's ChatGPT to attack their partners.

futurism.com

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 7d

For researchers asking big questions about how AI shapes the way we connect, this is a great opportunity! @newpublic.org is doing important work at the intersection of media, tech, and civic life.

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 8d

How will technology continue to shape how we talk to each other? We’re seeking a researcher to help tackle big questions like this.

Working with Co-Director @eli.bsky.social, this is a chance to engage with experts, dive into the research, and contribute directly to the field and our strategy.

Job posting graphic with coral orange background featuring white text that reads "NOW HIRING Research Fellow - AI & The Future of Social Conversation" with an abstract geometric illustration of a door or archway. Details include 20-25 hours per week, $40/hour, remote position for U.S. or Canada, working through 2/28/26.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 7d

Health campaigns often use strong emotions to get their message across. But how much is too much? 🤔

Explore what our case study says about the ethics of using disgust and fear in public health messaging: mediaengagement.org/research/how...

@ethicsofmedia.bsky.social

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 9d

Newsrooms should:

• Add context, give background info, and link previous coverage
• Explain key terms and government processes
• Include footnotes in the article text that offer source material
Find out other ways to build trust within local communities here:

Build Trust Through Your Storytelling Process - Center for Media Engagement

Five actions newsrooms can throughout the storytelling process that can improve trust.

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 9d

🗞️News distrust is running rampant. By providing the complete story, newsrooms can work to build trust with local communities.

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Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 10d

- Superficial solidarity worries more about the optics, not the impact. It adds to the noise of low-risk declarations.
- Substantive solidarity requires a willingness to stand for change, even if it’s uncomfortable.
Read more here:

Superficial Solidarity vs Substantive Solidarity - Center for Media Engagement

Superficial solidarity prioritizes performative optics, while substantive solidarity pursues transformative impact.

mediaengagement.org

Center for Media Engagement @engagingnews.bsky.social · 10d

Often people claim to do their part by bringing awareness but don't address the root causes and commit to amplify communities of those affected.

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