May 28, 2020

By Fan Yang, University at Albany, SUNY, and Holly Overton, University of South Carolina

Why do people share misinformation, especially when they know it may not be true? How do companies’ efforts to combat misinformation impact individuals’ trust in media sources?

We conducted a series of studies about the psychology behind the spread of misinformation about environmental issues on social media. The results suggest that people share misinformation for self-protection and self-enhancement. Dispute messages, communication that points out… More

April 28, 2020

Editor's Note: Gene Foreman has been an ethical force in journalism for about half a century. He was honored with a Larry Foster Award at the Page Center Awards in February. In this article, he shares his journey to becoming a beacon of integrity, how it all began and why teaching was a natural fit after he left the newsroom.

By Alyssa DeLuca, Page Center intern

At the age of nine, Gene Foreman knew he was destined… More

December 8, 2019

By Ashley Smalls, Page Center graduate student

Social and mobile engagement with low-income individuals in a way that matches their needs is ever evolving. Findings suggest that traditional face-to-face dialogue and engagement may still be the best way to achieve an authentic relationship.

A Page Center-funded study titled “Exploring Digital, Social and Mobile Dialogic Engagement with Low-Income Publics” provides an analysis of interviews with 39 public relations and communications professionals. Interviewees conveyed that social media partnerships… More

December 4, 2019 • Jonathan McVerry

Women wearing a veil or headscarf in the United States may face harsher social judgement, according to a study by Penn State and Page Center researchers that found when given the same information in a news story, some people may consider a woman wearing a headscarf to be more likely to have committed a crime.

The findings — recently published in the journal Mass Communication and Society — suggest potential obstacles that women who wear hijabs may face… More

December 2, 2019

By Nahyun Kim, Page Center graduate student

Fake news has become a real concern for corporations. When fake news about a company goes viral, it is recommended that the company actively engages in refuting the fabricated information to defend its reputation.

To help prepare rapid and effective corporate responses to fake news, a recent study, “Listening In: Fostering Influencer Relationships to Manage Fake News,” investigated how public relations practitioners monitor fake news, and how they can… More

October 10, 2019

By Soyoon Kim & Queenie J. Li, University of Miami

College means a time of freedom and time to explore the future with excitement. However, the transition into college also means a time of intense challenge to students’ mental health. The significant challenge brings many college students overwhelming anxiety and unbearable depression.

The ongoing crisis in colleges across the nation shows that better and accessible professional services are critical to helping students with mental health issues move… More