USC Annenberg staff
Stories by USC Annenberg staff:

New USC Annenberg center empowers climate storytellers
The Center for Climate Journalism and Communication will provide critical training to media, public relations and communications professionals to be climate storytellers who advance a deeper understanding of the consequences of climate change.

In memoriam: Bryce Nelson, 84, former director of USC Annenberg School of Journalism
After two decades as a reporter at major news organizations, Nelson devoted the final 30 years of his career to training and mentoring future journalists while tirelessly serving the USC community.

Rachel Scott headlines USC Annenberg’s 2022 commencement ceremony
COMMENCEMENT 2022: The ABC News correspondent and USC Annenberg alumna will deliver the keynote address.

Study finds decade of insignificant change for women in popular music
In 2021, 23% of artists on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart were women — a far cry from the percentage of women in the U.S. population (51%).

ProPublica wins USC Annenberg’s 2022 Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting
The team’s work exposed how the wealthiest Americans avoid paying income tax.

In memoriam: Michael Parks, 78, former director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism
The news career of the Pulitzer Prize winner and former Los Angeles Times editor spanned nearly 40 years.

USC Annenberg and ViacomCBS establish scholarship to advance newsroom diversity
The new scholarship aims to advance a robust pipeline for Black students to both enter and lead in journalism.

USC Annenberg celebrates 50th anniversary
School benefactor and USC Trustee Wallis Annenberg joins Dean Willow Bay and former deans Peter Clarke, Geoffrey Cowan and Ernest J. Wilson III to commemorate the school’s remarkable history.

Associated Press team wins 2021 Selden Ring Award for uncovering exploitation in the palm oil industry
The annual investigative journalism award, which has been presented by USC Annenberg for 32 years, goes to an examination of abusive working conditions on palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia.

USC’s Crosstown project launches national data journalism partnership
Tools and training from USC will help newsrooms in Louisiana and North Carolina access and transform data into high-impact local journalism.

Expect political polarization and fake news to persist throughout 2021
New survey results from USC Annenberg’s Center for Public Relations deem it unlikely that a Joe Biden presidency will inspire national unity or limit the spread of conspiracy theories.

How immigrants are portrayed on TV has real-life ramifications
Research from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center found that, though many televised depictions involved crime or undocumented individuals, authentic immigration storylines can help foster inclusive attitudes.

Popular films aren’t making enough progress toward inclusion, report finds
A new report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examined thousands of characters from more than a decade of films and found that women, people of color and the LGBTQ community remain marginalized.

Most Americans not ready to resume daily life outside of home, COVID-19 study shows
Other findings from the USC Center for the Digital Future: There’s broad support for voting by mail, and Anthony Fauci continues to be the most relied-upon source about the coronavirus.

USC Annenberg alum Esmeralda Bermudez to be recognized by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists
The Los Angeles Times staff writer will receive the Sí Se Puede Award for her persistence and tenacity as a journalist.
Correcting grammar, one misplaced modifier at a time
A USC Annenberg breakthrough uses instant-messaging technology to put old-school stylebook information at journalists’ fingertips.

Nearly half of Americans cite Anthony Fauci as most trusted source on COVID-19
According to a new USC Annenberg study on the disruption caused by the coronavirus, 45% of Americans depend on Fauci while 20% rely on President Trump.

PR pros dissect what drives today’s activists
USC Annenberg’s Center for Public Relations surveyed more than 1,000 industry leaders and students on how to best work alongside this new generation of activists.

COVID-19 crisis reveals ‘digital divide’ for L.A. County students
The stay-at-home orders have forced 1.5 million K-12 students to online classes, but a new USC Annenberg analysis found that 1 in 4 households lack the necessary tech for learning at home.

Why do wealthy areas of L.A. have high rates of coronavirus cases?
The latest COVID-19 analysis from Crosstown, a joint data journalism project of USC Annenberg and USC Viterbi, investigates why Los Angeles’ richest neighborhoods have alarmingly high infection rates.

What does L.A. look like on lockdown?
Gas prices are down. Crime is down. Traffic is nonexistent. Research from USC’s Crosstown data project reveals how L.A. is responding to COVID-19.

Richard Reeves, longtime USC Annenberg faculty member and presidential chronicler, 83
He was an award-winning author and a prolific political journalist for The New York Times, New York magazine and Esquire.

Half of Mexican teens report feeling addicted to their phones
The latest phase of a global USC Annenberg study found that Mexican teens feel more addicted to their phones than teens in the United States, Japan or the United Kingdom.

New fellowship from USC Annenberg Innovation Lab supports diverse voices
The first two cohorts of the Civic Media Fellowship feature emerging leaders in leveraging popular culture, media and technology for social progress.