December 2025 Newsletter
Research projects, Winter Solstice, and a Postdoc opportunity
As we head toward the end of the year, the Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact is closing out December with a series of exciting conversations, celebrations, and community collaborations. Here’s what’s been happening and what’s coming up next for MISI.
Book Talk with Michelle Amazeen
At the top of the month, COM faculty member Michelle Amazeen, who is a MISI Research Fellow, joined the Institute for Global Sustainability for a campus conversation on her book, Content Confusion: News Media, Native Advertising, and Policy in an Era of Disinformation. In a discussion moderated by Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, Amazeen detailed the blurred relationship between journalism and advertising, and how these practices drive today’s expanding environment of information disorder.
Amazeen explained the rise of native advertising, showing how sponsored content created by in-house “content studios” at major news outlets is deliberately crafted to look like editorial work. She shared examples from her research, including the moment when college students cited a Wall Street Journal branded post as though it were a reported article, to reveal how paid content can easily be mistaken as news.
The conversation tackles the broader consequences of these practices, such as the erosion of newsroom independence, the economic pressures on media outlets, and the leveraging of native ads by fossil fuel companies. Amazeen and Abramson discussed evidence on how these ads don’t just confuse audiences, but on how they can also shape newsroom agendas, leading to fewer critical stories about major sponsors.
Despite these concerns, Amazeen emphasized the importance of media literacy, journalism created for the public interest, and support for independent outlets. Her book aims not only to map out the problem, but to equip readers with tools to navigate an increasingly polluted information environment.
BU Spark! Demo Day
The BU Spark! Demo Day transformed the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) building into a bustling hub of student innovation, with teams presenting projects in technology, health, education, and community impact. The event celebrated the months of collaborative work, as students presented their projects to peers, faculty, and community partners.
Among the featured teams were three projects connected to the Center for Media Innovation and Social Impact, both spotlighting MISI’s commitment to applied research rooted in public service and social responsibility.
Led by MISI Director Eric Gordon, On the Porch is a student-driven public safety initiative developed for the Dorchester community. The project’s chatbot pipeline brings together official crime data and firsthand accounts from residents, addressing the disconnect between institutional reporting and lived experience. By centering community voices alongside quantitative data, On the Porch offers a more transparent and accessible approach to public safety information.
The second MISI-connected project, directed by MISI fellow Michelle Amazeen, advances the development of the Fossil Fuel Native Advertising Observatory – an initiative which tracks how fossil fuel companies use native advertising to shape public opinion. This project lays the foundation for an interactive platform, allowing researchers and advocacy groups to explore trends across news outlets and sponsored media in today’s polluted information environment.
Brooke Williams, a MISI fellow and Associate Professor of the Practice of Computational Journalism, is focused on completing the data picture. Using cutting-edge, localized satellite imagery as a means to fill in the gaps in environmental justice data, her project is a resource to measure the quality of water in and around New England. By doing so, activists, journalists, policymakers and citizens can prioritize their work with Satellite Mapping Environmental Justice as a source.
Winter Solstice Celebration
To mark the longest night of the year, MISI Co-Director of the Community Impact Fellowship and Eastie Farm Executive Director, Kannan Thiruvengadam, is hosting a Winter Solstice event at Eastie Farm. Inviting friends, families, and community members to come together in celebration, this event offers an opportunity to share warmth, food, and gratitude at the end of the year.
Eastie Farm, a community-centered urban farm in East Boston, supports local farmers, provides fresh food to neighborhood families, and serves as an important space for education and connection. The farm demonstrates how care for land, food systems, and community can meaningfully intersect
Kannan’s work with MISI centers on fostering relationships between people and nature, emphasizing local, collective care as a response to the climate crisis. The Winter Solstice gathering reflects this philosophy, creating a space for all friends and family to come together, sharing conversation, community, and well-wishes for the holiday season ahead.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity
The Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) at Boston University invites applications for a one-year Postdoctoral Fellowship, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. Working with Professors Eric Gordon and Chris Wells, the fellow will play a central role in a multi-year study of public trust across New England. Deadline: January 15th, 2026.