The Center will bring together six schools at Penn with $10 million in support from Knight Foundation and the University.
Christopher S. Yoo, Imasogie Professor in Law and Technology, has been named co-principal investigator for the University of Pennsylvania’s new Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy, which brings together 6 Penn schools with $5 million in support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and $5 million from Penn.
The Center will be housed in the Penn School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering) and will operate in partnership with five other schools at Penn, including the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
“One of the Center’s primary goals is to promote empirical research into digital media’s impact on democracy,” said Yoo. “Without sound, evidence-based insights into what is really going on, arguments risk devolving into polarized positions, which in turn can lead to a breakdown of trust in media and institutions and our shared commitment to democratic processes. The health of our society depends on finding ways to prevent that from happening.”
From Penn Today:
The Center will benefit from a five-year, $5 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as well as an additional $5 million in combined resources from Penn Engineering, Penn Arts & Sciences, the Annenberg School for Communication, the Wharton School, Penn Carey Law, and the School of Social Policy & Practice.
“There is a critical societal need to better understand—and respond to—the way media and information technologies mediate and even influence global conversations,” said J. Larry Jameson, Penn’s Interim President. “Championing truth and upholding democracy are important elements of Penn’s strategic framework, In Principle and Practice. We are uniquely positioned to lead on this great challenge through our accomplished faculty in AI and data science who work across disciplines. We are deeply grateful to the Knight Foundation for partnering with us on this critical endeavor.”
At the outset, the Center will propel research involving media, technology, and democracy within Penn. Once established, however, the hope is for the Center to become a global hub for researchers, private sector leaders, and for policymakers—by sharing research findings and creating near real-time dashboards that provide a clear view of the current media landscape, informed by empirical research. Over the long term, the Center also aims to serve as a central repository for data sharing with the broader research community… .
Read more about the new Center for Media, Technology, and Democracy at Penn.