Federal funding of abstinence-only education is fiscally, politically and scientifically irresponsible, writes Amy Bleakley in a column published in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. Bleakley, a research scientist in the Health Communication Group of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, notes that studies confirm the programs are ineffective in preventing or delaying sexual activity among teens. They are losing political support among

The Annenberg Public Policy Center and FactCheck.org are sponsoring the first-ever conference on advertising in judicial elections on May 23 in Washington, D.C. Mudslinging in Judicial Campaigns: Beginning to Look a Lot Like Congress will bring together judges, campaign media consultants and close observers of the escalation in money spent on ads in state Supreme Court races. In 2006, spending

The Annenberg Public Policy Center is making its collected survey data on democratic institutions available to the research community. Any researcher or educator currently working in the field or in association with an accredited research institution may request a copy of the survey data. Any qualified researcher interested in obtaining the full data set for follow-up analysis

The increasing polarization of political debate was the subject of a Penn Conference on Civility and American Politics Monday on Capitol Hill. The event was sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute. Among those participating in the event were Penn President Amy Gutmann, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of

U.S.-style labels have little influence on tobacco sales Washington – Large, graphic warning labels on cigarette packages similar to those used in Canada would serve as an important deterrent for new smokers and would encourage current smokers to quit, according to a research study released here today. “There is no more efficient method of reaching

Joseph Turow co-authored an op-ed article published today in the San Francisco Chronicle. “Why Marketers Want Inside Your Medicine Cabinet” describes the potential threats to privacy if personal health records are posted online by a for-profit marketer of health information. WebMD, an online provider of health information, recently announced a free service that will allow

Texas Monthly, in its March issue, polled what it calls “15 of the smartest people in the room-presidential scholars, best-selling biographers and White House veterans of both parties,” asking them about the legacy of George W. Bush and if “there is anything he can still do to change it.” Joining historian Douglas Brinkley, biographer Robert

by Jeremy Quattlebaum, Student Voices Staff Writer February 28, 2007 – The students of Philadelphia’s Central High School spoke, and the men running for mayor listened. And responded. On Monday, February 26, five candidates seeking the city’s top job traveled to Central High to respond to student questions at a forum attended by Central seniors.

Capturing Campaign Dynamics, 2000 and 2004: The National Annenberg Election Survey, written by Daniel Romer, Kate Kenski, Kenneth Winneg, Christopher Adasiewicz and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, has been published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. The book analyzes the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, two of the most contested and dramatic in this nation’s history.

Despite no basis in fact, newspapers continue to report on the increased risk of suicide around the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays. An analysis of newspaper reporting over the past seven years released today by the Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that this story represents about half of all holiday-relevant suicide reporting. Stories linking