Latest News

Television that Matters

Hosted by actor, comedian and musician Jay Pharoah, the 2026 Norman Lear Awards celebrate 10 outstanding television series that make a difference. Join Hollywood, Health & Society on October 29 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.

Changing the Narrative 2026

In our fourth research collaboration with Define American, their 2026 report examines how immigrants and their U.S.-born children are portrayed in scripted TV, demonstrating the power of authentic storytelling while identifying areas where representation can improve.

An American Life

Lear Center Director Marty Kaplan joins filmmaker Jon Boorstin to discuss The American, exploring the untold history that shaped Daniel J. Boorstin—and what it reveals about American identity today.

The Future of Medicine on TV

How are medical research and emerging technologies portrayed in entertainment? In partnership with the USC Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute, we explored how TV and film shape public understanding of the future of medicine.

Some Key Projects

Hollywood,
Health & Society

Providing the entertainment industry with accurate and up-to-date information for storylines on health, safety and security. We offer briefings and consultations with experts, case examples, panel discussions and an expanding list of tip sheets written for writers and producers.

Media
Impact Project

The research and evaluation arm of the Lear Center. We research how entertainment and news influence our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and actions. We work with researchers, the film and TV industry, and nonprofits and share our research with the public.

The Cronkite Awards for Excellence in TV Political Journalism honors outstanding journalism that debunks disinformation, promotes public health, advocates science, exposes inequities, empowers citizens and serves as a watchdog for voting rights and election fairness and transparency.

The Walter
Cronkite Awards

Popular Music Project

The Popular Music Project takes popular music seriously as an object of sustained critical inquiry through a mix of research projects, course development, public events, videos, publications and artists’ residencies.

Everett M.
Rogers Award

Presented since 2007, the Everett M. Rogers Award award honors the late USC Annenberg professor whose Diffusion of Innovations is the second-most cited book in the social sciences.

Image of the Journalist in Pop Culture

IJPC analyzes the conflicting images of the journalist in film, TV, radio, comics, video games, music, art and other aspects of pop culture to understand their impact on the public's perception of newsgatherers.

The Norman Lear Center is a nonpartisan research and public policy center that studies the social, political, economic and cultural impact of entertainment. On campus, from its base in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges between schools and disciplines whose faculty study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it helps bridge the gap between the entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. Through its scholarship, research and partnerships; its events, publications and outreach to the creative community; and its role in formulating the field of entertainment studies, the Norman Lear Center works to be at the forefront of discussion and practice -- and to illuminate and repair the world.

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