Latest News
‘The Pitt’ Makes an Impact
Our latest research shows The Pitt is sparking real-world action on organ donation and end-of-life planning. Nearly 90% of viewers said it exposes systemic issues like understaffing in healthcare.
The Norman Lear Awards
Hollywood, Health & Society celebrated the newly renamed Norman Lear Awards, honoring seven series that use storytelling to illuminate critical social issues. This year’s winners included The Pitt, Matlock, Paradise, Grey’s Anatomy, Shrinking, Chicago Med, and Dying for Sex, recognizing their powerful portrayals of real-world challenges and change.
Honoring Journalism That Protects Democracy
Tthe 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism recognize journalists whose work embodies the essential role of a free press—protecting democratic principles, defending the rule of law, and holding power to account. This year’s honorees include PBS Newshour, 60 Minutes, The Rachel Maddow Show, and The Daily Show.
Global Impact of Entertainment
This month, our Managing Director Johanna Blakley has convened with The World Bank and global partners in Nigeria for Entertaining Change—a powerful gathering that is exploring how storytelling and strategy can drive social impact at scale.
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.