Is the $17.1B Meta settlement a First Amendment problem? BU COM's Dr. Morgan Weiland says no. As Meta leans on personalized rankings and AI moderation, it looks less like an "editor." New op-ed:

No, the Meta Settlement Isn’t a First Amendment Problem

Drawing on case history, Morgan Weiland pushes back on critics who say the landmark Meta settlement violates the free speech of the company.

techpolicy.press

#MeToo changed how millions of people talked about gendered violence online. New research from Shannon Pappas, Kathryn D. Coduto, and Jennifer Anderson looks at why; examining the connection between survivors' own experiences and their decision to speak out on social media.

Deindividuation Among Gendered Violence Survivors and Posting About #MeToo | Journal of Media Psychology

econtent.hogrefe.com

Quoted here about the New Mexico verdict against Meta and the broader litigation landscape: news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/n...

New Mexico, Going It Alone, Tallies Up Huge Wins Against Meta

Meta Platforms Inc.‘s fiercest legal foe this year has been New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D), who achieved a pair of historic trial victories while pursuing the tech giant on his own.

news.bloomberglaw.com

CRC Director, @commscholar.bsky.social, and @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social sit down to chat about Content Confusion and how advertising is now inextricably linked to the news we consume. 🎧 Listen here --> newbooksnetwork.com/content-conf...

Michelle Amazeen@commscholar.bsky.social · last mo.

Thanks to @stephenpimpare.bsky.social & @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social for the interview about #ContentConfusion. Curious about how to navigate media deception? Listen here: newbooksnetwork.com/content-conf... #commsky #booksky #academicsky

BU COM's Prof. Donovan (@bostonjoan.bsky.social) in the Washington Post: conspiracy theories about the WHCD shooting spread within minutes - even with firsthand reporting readily available. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

First came the shooting. Then, the conspiracy theories.

After the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner, online influencers quickly spread conspiracy theories that it was an elaborate hoax.

washingtonpost.com

BU COM's Dr. Katy Coduto (@katycoduto.bsky.social) in USA TODAY: better AI image tools also mean higher risk for deepfakes and non-consensual imagery. "Custom-generated anything" cuts both ways. www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2...

No more extra fingers? The good, bad and ugly of ChatGPT Images 2.0

ChatGPT Images 2.0 can search the web in real time, process up to eight image outputs at once and offer renderings in a wider range of languages.

usatoday.com

BU COM's Prof. Tammy Vigil calls last week's Epstein statement a rare "speech of self-defense" - and says what makes it stand out is that she did it without the president's approval. Full piece → www.eastwingmagazine.com/p/a-speech-o...

‘A Speech of Self-Defense’

The thoughts and opinions about Melania Trump’s surprising Epstein remarks

eastwingmagazine.com

BU COM's Dr. Michelle Amazeen @commscholar.bsky.social speaks with Columbia Journalism Review on how native advertising and sponsored content are eroding public trust in media - and what the news industry can do about it. Read below: www.cjr.org/the-intervie...

Coverage of the Fossil-Fuel Industry ‘Doesn’t Have to Be This Way’

Michelle Amazeen says oil and gas money is fueling conflicts of interest.

cjr.org

The COMversation is now available on Pocket Casts 🎧 You can now listen to all our episodes exploring media, communication, and culture on even more platforms.

“Tinder presents potential partners as a stack of cards. So you’re essentially looking at a card deck of people that you could potentially go on a date with," says @katycoduto.bsky.social. www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Swiping for love: How dating apps have changed romance both for better and for worse

From eHarmony to Hinge — BU assistant professor of media science Kathryn Coduto says the evolution of dating apps over time has changed how people view relationships.

wgbh.org

Content creators could be doing more harm than good, when sharing their ‘what I eat in a day’ videos. @katycoduto.bsky.social warns, “I think that’s a different kind of danger, where maybe you are seeing what they eat in a day, but that is also still very curated.”

The internet has always fueled eating disorders. Influencers could be adding to the harm.

Algorithms and seemingly innocuous posts like "what I eat in a day" videos are where dangerous eating behaviors begin, experts warn.

19thnews.org

“Universities play in their sandbox, and governments play in theirs […] and we want to avoid [that],” says Eric Gordon of @misibu.bsky.social. But, what happens when cities and universities finally stop working in silos? Read here: www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

It’s time for cities and higher education to join forces on effective AI, experts say

Local governments and academic institutions haven’t always aligned their goals and priorities. But for either sector to unlock artificial intelligence’s potential, they must work more closely together...

route-fifty.com

Interesting piece from @commscholar.bsky.social on how native advertising blurs the line between journalism and sponsored content - especially in energy and climate coverage. Worth a read ⬇️

Michelle Amazeen@commscholar.bsky.social · 7mo ago

With energy prices rising, renewables deserve our urgent attention—not dismissal. I explore how big oil has compromised legacy media's independence and why we need stronger oversight to protect public information. #climate #commsky #journalismsky caad.info/analysis/ins...

🎙️ New episode of The COMversation is live! Dr. Michelle Amazeen joins Dr. Charlotte Howell to discuss her book Content Confusion—exploring how native advertising blurs the line between journalism and ads in today’s media landscape. 🎧 Listen: [https://x.gd/nemqE] 📖 Learn more: [https://x.gd/V8Vax]

🎮 Can video games support mental health? A new article from Futurity highlights research from @comatbu.bsky.social, led by Jim Cummings and Tiernan Cahill, exploring how gaming can play a role in emotional regulation and stress management. 🔗 Read More:

Video games can help your mental health

Gaming can serve as an effective method of stress management and emotional regulation—and that may be why people game in the first place.

futurity.org

New coverage from GBH News highlighting insights from @comatbu.bsky.social professor Joan Donovan on how misinformation spreads during fast-moving global events. 🔗 Read the full piece: www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

GBH Daily: Telling truth from disinformation

From a disinformation expert.

wgbh.org

“You can’t become an effective leader without being an effective communicator,” says @comatbu.bsky.social's Assistant Professor, April Yue. In a new interview, following her latest book release, April explains how execs manage visibility, crisis communication, & more. 🔗

How closely are Americans following news about ICE operations? Very. A new @comatbu.bsky.social + IPSOS survey, led by Arunima Krishna, finds many Americans are paying attention, and some say they’re ready to act, including supporting boycotts. 🔗

Americans closely following news of ICE operations – and many moved to act, says survey

Americans are closely following news of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Minnesota and other cities across the…

tinyurl.com

Despite skepticism around trust and AI, Americans aren’t ditching dating apps. Use is up, and nearly half believe you can find a soulmate online, according to a new CRC x IPSOS survey led by @katycoduto.bsky.social. 👉 Read full story here: tinyurl.com/y9nrrde8

Despite skepticism, people sticking with dating apps, survey says

Reports of the death of dating apps, as Mark Twain might say, are greatly exaggerated. That’s one finding of the…

bu.edu

Roses are red Violets are blue Telling stories at COM Is more magical with you! Happy Valentine's Day to our #COMmunity!

New episode of The COMversation 🎙️ Migration, Media, and Memory features a conversation moderated by Dr. Charlotte Howell with Professor Roy Grundmann, Ph.D., and visual artist Julia Cumes. 🎧 Now streaming on Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/1veB... @comatbu.bsky.social

❄️In her last Director's Letter of 2025, Michelle Amazeen @commscholar.bsky.social gives a recap on all the past fall semester happenings at the CRC; including lecture series, research studies, podcast episodes, community-fostering, and more. Read the December 2025 Letter here 👉 tinyurl.com/566rd2wj

CRC Director Michelle Amazeen (@commscholar.bsky.social) 's November 2025 Director's Letter is here! 🍁 In the midst of a climate crisis, she discusses Americans' diminishing faith in corporations' climate promises and the role media plays. 🔗 Read it here: tinyurl.com/mrxb6n4j

The latest CRC x IPSOS survey finds that Americans’ trust in corporations to tackle climate change is declining. Only 48% believed that “corporate initiatives to address climate change will make a difference,” - a big drop from the 60% backing the statement in 2022 Read here 👉 tinyurl.com/52j2a6mt

Falling confidence that American businesses will help stop climate change, survey says

Americans’ understanding of the problem of climate change hasn’t changed, but their faith in corporations’ promises to address the issue…

tinyurl.com

In her October 2025 Director's Letter, Michelle Amazeen @commscholar.bsky.social shares the findings of a CRC survey concerning First Amendment protections against government censorship in private media. Read it here 👉 tinyurl.com/y7xpjpyd

Calling all 18-24 year-olds in Boston! 📢 Join our study on young adults’ media habits at @comatbu.bsky.social @bucomresearch.bsky.social. Your insights matter! See below to learn more & sign up. Please share with friends! #Boston #Research #MediaStudy

In my October Director's Letter from @bucomresearch.bsky.social, I talk with Drs. @tvbookstvbooks.bsky.social & @morganweiland.bsky.social about public views on navigating governmental pressure, protecting free speech, and the future of media freedom. #FirstAmendment sites.bu.edu/crc/2025/10/...

This interview with @katycoduto.bsky.social explores the adverse psychological effects true crime and compulsive social media usage has on consumers. "You’re getting people who are saying, 'I literally can’t help but post and engage'", observes Prof. Coduto. Read here: tinyurl.com/ms7uc4ym

Is Following True Crime Bad for Your Well-Being?

Researcher Kathryn D. Coduto has studied why it’s hard to disconnect from cases like those of Karen Read or Gabby Petito.

tinyurl.com

Trump has utilized recent A.I advancements and the meme-based online political landscape to boost his media presence. According to @commscholar.bsky.social, “He’s a master media manipulator, going way back...and it gives the illusion that this is the way things are now.” tinyurl.com/y2dhfj23

On Truth Social, Trump has embraced AI media to attack foes and boost his image

The president has posted dozens of pieces of synthetic media, including deepfakes, since he returned to the White House in January, according to an NBC News review.

tinyurl.com

The CRC's latest survey finds that government censorship of mass media is largely opposed by bipartisan majorities. 🎤 73% of Americans across political lines agree the First Amendment should protect media companies and talk show hosts from government censorship. Read it here 👉 tinyurl.com/563xjvke

Large, bipartisan majorities oppose government censorship of talk show hosts, media companies, survey finds

Almost three out of four Americans (73%) across political lines agree that the First Amendment should protect private speakers, like…

tinyurl.com