Michael Rozansky

Political reporter Brandon Rittiman of KUSA, 9News Denver, was awarded the 2015 Cronkite/Jackson Prize for Fact Checking for his work producing what the jury called "the best fact checking segments on local TV."

Speaking at the annual meeting of National Academy of Sciences, NAS President Ralph J. Cicerone cited the work done by a gathering of scientists last winter at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands on science communication issues.

The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement celebrated its relocation to the Annenberg Public Policy Center on May 4, in events that showcased their joint interest in civic education and judicial independence. The Rendell Center also sponsored a youth mayoral forum where 4th and 5th graders could question Philadelphia's mayoral candidates.

Annenberg Public Policy Center director Kathleen Hall Jamieson delivered the David Lecture on "Communicating the Value and Values of Science" before the National Academy of Sciences, looking at successes and failure in science communication in areas such as climate change, vaccines and GMOs.

FactCheck.org, the nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters, has been awarded the 2015 Webby for best Political Blog/Website by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. And thanks to its readers, it has also been awarded the People’s Voice Webby in the same category.

It’s known that Republican voters usually vote for Republican candidates, and Democrats vote for Democrats. Likewise, people who identify with the Tea Party often vote for Tea Party-backed candidates. But why do they vote that way? What is the psychological basis of their political preferences?

Excessive television viewing has been linked to childhood obesity, behavioral and attention issues, reading problems and poor educational achievement. A study suggests that one promising approach for parents to curb kids' excess viewing is to focus on curtailing TV time right before bed.

Five emerging artists have been named 2015 fellows by the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts, which awards $50,000 a year for up to two years to artists who have demonstrated great talent and are on the cusp of a professional breakthrough.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, will deliver the Henry and Bryna David Lecture at the National Academy of Sciences on April 28. Jamieson will discuss science communication, including examples of outstanding and problematic communication.

Although many public service announcements (PSAs) about sugar-sweetened beverages emphasize that the drinks are high in sugar and calories, most parents already know that, so PSAs that take this approach to curtailing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are likely to be ineffective, a study of Philadelphia parents has found.