Media Highlights

The Hollywood Reporter
In an Historic First at the Movies, Female Actors Achieve Parity With Men in 2024 Roles
February 11, 2025

Findings from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's latest report, led by Associate Professor of Communication and Founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Stacy L. Smith, were highlighted in an article sharing the news that gender parity was reached in the 100 top-grossing movies in 2024, but a decrease was also seen in representation of people of color in these films.

Reuters
Hollywood boosts female leads but lags in people of color, report finds
February 11, 2025

Research findings from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's report, led by the Initiative's founder and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith, were featured in an article highlighting how gender equality has been reached in the 100 top-grossing films of 2024, but representation of people of color in those films decreased. 
 

The Guardian
Women achieve gender parity with men in US big screen lead roles for first time
February 11, 2025

Findings from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's report examining the 100 top-grossing films in 2024, led by the Initiative's founder and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith, were featured in an article focusing on the gender parity achieved in 2024, but also the lack of representation for people of color across the same films.

Forbes
Defying Gravity: Why 2024 Marked A Historic Year For Women In Film
February 11, 2025

Findings from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's latest report led by the Initiative's founder and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith were featured in an article highlighting gender equality achieved in 2024's 100 top-grossing films, but also the drop in representation for people of color in those same films.

TheWrap
Female Leads Finally Hit Parity With Men in Top-Grossing Films of 2024
February 11, 2025

Research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and its founder and Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith were featured in an article covering a key result from the report that demonstrated gender equality among the 100 top-grossing fillms of 2024.

Slate
What Happened to the Super Bowl Ad?
February 10, 2025

Clinical Professor of Communication Daniel T. Durbin was quoted in an article on how Super Bowl commercials have evolved from being major cultural events to extended ad cycles that are less impactful but still inescapable.

NBC 4 Los Angeles
NewsConference: President Trump is keeping his word
February 9, 2025

Adjunct Lecturer Daniel Schnur was interviewed in a story discussing President Trump’s various executive orders and how he is following through on his campaign promises, offering insight into the administration's early actions and policies.

Associated Press
Devoted nap-takers explain the benefits of sleeping on the job
February 6, 2025

Part-Time Lecturer of Communication Julianna Kirschner was quoted in an article abouthow many in the U.S. have embraced napping on the job, believing it boosts cognitive performance despite the lingering stigma, with research supporting its benefits for memory and focus.

Forbes
TikTok Owner’s New AI Tool Makes Lifelike Videos From A Single Photo
February 5, 2025

Clinical Associate Professor of Communication and Associate Director of the Digital Social Media (MS) program Freddy Tran Nager was quoted in an article on OmniHuman-1 AI-generated video footage. 

Forbes
What Research Can Tell Us About The Winners Of The Grammys
February 5, 2025

Research from Associate Professor of Communication and Founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative was mentioned in an article on data analysis of Grammys results.

Communications of the ACM
Disrupting Networks: Decentralization and the Fediverse
February 4, 2025

Professor of Communication Christina Dunbar-Hester was interviewed in an article about alternative social media platforms, specifically decentralized networks. 

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