Back-to-School 2026 By: Michelle Amazeen It’s been a busy start to the fall semester at the Communication Research Center (CRC)! We kicked off our fall programming on September 10th with a joint Open House celebrating the CRC and MISI’s (Media Innovation & Social Impact) refreshed research hub and our goal to create a more collaborative […]
The construction of AI data centers has rapidly become a major issue in communities across the country–and a delicate topic for politicians and parties ahead of the midterm elections. It may become vexing for many, especially Republican leaders, who are caught between a President proclaiming unqualified support for the physical infrastructure needed by advanced AI […]
Americans are skeptical that the proposed purchase of Warner Bros.-Discovery by Paramount Skydance would benefit them, according to the latest Media & Technology Survey from the Communication Research Center at Boston University’s College of Communication. The $110 billion acquisition was approved in June by the U.S. Department of Justice but put on hold by Paramount […]
Perception vs. Reality By Michelle Amazeen As summer winds down, many scholars are closing out research projects and planning for the fall. The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference—held this year in New Orleans at the beginning of August—typically marks the beginning of the end of summer, at least for me. This […]
Communication and Inequalities in Context: Reflections from Cape Town By Michelle Amazeen On June 4-8, 2026, Boston University was well represented at the 76th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference with over a dozen faculty and graduate students in attendance. Held in Cape Town, South Africa, this year’s theme – Communication and Inequalities In Context […]
The Spring 2026 Semester in Review By Michelle Amazeen With the end of another semester, I have been reflecting upon the many activities in the CRC and among our fellows in 2026, thus far. At a time when external research funding continues to be difficult to attain (and retain), the CRC again provided two internal […]
The CRC Awards $140,000 in Research Grants for 2026 The Communication Research Center (CRC) at Boston University’s College of Communication is proud to announce this year’s research grant recipients. This cycle, we awarded $140,000 in funding across two grant programs, supporting seven faculty projects that explore how communication shapes, and sometimes distorts, the way we […]
How Three Minutes Can Make Research Matter By Michelle Amazeen I was recently invited by BU’s Office of Graduate Affairs to deliver the keynote address at the 2026 “Three Minute Thesis” (3MT) Competition.3MT is an internationally celebrated program in which graduate students learn to share their work with non- specialist audiences in only three minutes. […]
Americans are closely following news of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Minnesota and other cities across the country – and many want to take action against companies supporting it, according to a new opinion survey out today. Two out of three respondents to the latest Media & Technology Survey from the Communication […]
Access, Influence, and Visibility: Communication Research on the Epstein Story By Michelle Amazeen On February 4, 2026, BU’s The Daily Free Press published an article with the explosive headline, “BU COM dean corresponded extensively with Jeffrey Epstein in 2014 and 2015, files show.” The story notes that these contacts occurred after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea […]