The Arthur W. Page Center 2023-2024 Annual Report

Letter from the director

Over the past 20 years, the Page Center has provided frameworks for ethical and effective public communication. While trends and technologies change, the need for integrity remains constant. With this key principle at the forefront, our network of collaborators, fellows and scholars sets a solid foundation that allows us to evolve with the times and continue our work — for the next 20 years and beyond.

Research has always been at the core of our purpose. In 2025, we will focus on the ethical use of generative artificial intelligence in public communication. This follows the completion of projects on digital analytics and prosocial communication, many of which also address the challenges of AI. We also look forward to results from ongoing studies on ethics training, collaboration, and theory next year. That is a total of 36 projects by scholars worldwide. We are proud to support this research.

In March, we hosted the eighth annual Page Center Awards celebrating three inspiring honorees. New this year, we introduced an awards-centric ethics module with an accompanying integrity badge. More than 350 badges were issued.

We are also excited to welcome five new members to our advisory board: Margery Kraus, Patrick Parsons, Andy Polansky, Aimee Rinehart, and Michael Sneed. Their expertise will enhance the impact of our research and I am so grateful for their time and energy in support of the Center.

Celebrating 20 years highlights how far the Page Center has come. By driving bold, new initiatives that continue to promote ethical communication in practical ways, we also see how much farther we can go.

These is no doubt new and unexpected challenges will emerge over the next 20 years. We will continue addressing these challenges with a commitment to ethics, integrity and responsibility in public communication.

Denise Bortree,
Page Center director

Page Center publishes insights report on sustainability communication strategies

Enacting sustainability practices continues to be a key initiative for organizations. New research insights from the Page Center reveal ways companies can build stronger, more authentic connections with audiences by taking control of their sustainability messaging. These approaches can help shape effective strategies and drive behavior change across all levels of business.

According to the Page Center’s annual insights report — which features published work from 12 scholar-led projects — planning, being proactive, working with all stakeholders and understanding media coverage are just some ways companies can “take control.”

For example, evidence suggests proactively combatting, or “prebunking,” misinformation can increase an audience’s willingness to amplify a company’s true message. It also motivates potential customers to think critically about purchasing products that make misleading claims about environmental impact.

One study featured in the report reveals the power of using influencers to share personal stories to strengthen audience connection. The unique voices of influencers encourage willingness to engage in sustainability behaviors and share sponsored sustainability-related content on social media. Another project builds a foundation for a mobile app that encourages and tracks sustainable habits to promote eco-friendly behaviors.

The Page Center solicited proposals for research on sustainability communication in 2022.

Visit the Insights Report website

Scholar visit

Page Center scholars Courtney Boman, Alabama, and Luke Capizzo, Michigan State, visited Penn State's University Park campus during the spring semester to present their sustainability communication research to Page Center representatives, including advisory board members, senior research fellows and graduate students.

Research Roundtables

In June, scholars from the ethics training, collaboration and expanding theory research calls virtually presented their upcoming work as part of the Center's annual Research Roundtables.

In August, scholars from the 2023 digital analytics research call presented their complete projects in-person at the AEJMC Conference in Philadelphia. The half-day meeting was held at Brownstein PR headquarters. Later in August, board members and scholars met virtually for the prosocial communication Research Roundtables. The Page Center is grateful to the scholars who attended, the board members who logged on and to the Brownstein group for being gracious hosts.

The Roundtables continue to be an opportunity for advisory board members to get a firsthand look at current and upcoming Page Center research from the scholars themselves. The scholars also get a practical perspective from board members. The feedback and advice can help guide research direction and focus. Now in their fifth year, the Roundtables are a key piece in the Center's mission to integrate innovative research with the needs of the profession. The Center is able to do that thanks to the creative energies of the scholars and the unique expertise of its board members.

2024 Grants: Ethics education, practice and theory research

The Page Center announced the recipients of its 2024 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants on April 16. The 17 research projects will answer questions and offer insights from three important research areas – ethics education, practice and theory.

Out of many submissions, 17 projects featuring 39 scholars from 25 universities and six organizations were chosen to receive funding. The full list of funded projects is below.

The call on ethics training is being led by Marlene Neill, associate professor at Baylor University. Through these six projects, she hopes to provide guidance on developing ethics education in the professional ranks.

Page Center research director and associate professor at Penn State Holly Overton is overseeing the scholar/practitioner collaboration call. She hopes the partnerships will empower professionals with research-driven insights.

The call on expanding theory for integrity in public communication is being led by Colleen Connolly-Ahern, associate professor at Penn State. These six projects will evaluate foundational theories in public communications to see if they meet the needs of today’s communicators.

Completed manuscripts from the ethics training call will be considered for a special issue devoted to the topic in the Journal of Media Ethics. In a collaboration with the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, all funded researchers from the theory call will contribute an essay to a JMCQ invited forum.

Scholars participated in Q&As to discuss their upcoming research projects. Read about each of these projects on the Page Center blog.

2025 research call: Ethics of generative AI in public communication

The Page Center is seeking research proposals that address the pressing need for practical guidelines and ethical standards for the use of generative artificial intelligence in communication. The call is part of the Center’s Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grant program.

In a short time, generative AI technologies have transformed the landscape of public and strategic communication. As it evolves, identifying the ethical implications of AI and its short- and long-term impact on the industries of public communication is vital. This call invites academic proposals that explore the intersection of generative AI, public communication and ethics. Funding will prioritize proposals that address one or more of the Page Principles.

Heather Shoenberger, associate professor of advertising/public relations at Penn State, and Fuyuan Shen, professor of advertising at Penn State, are leading the call. A book featuring select projects from the call will serve as an initial collection of generative AI research among communication scholars.

All application materials must be submitted through Scholastica by Jan. 15, 2025.

Full call for proposals.

The Page Center ethics training modules

The Page Center’s ethics training modules include 16 public relations-based modules covering ethics in public relations, ethical decision making and many more important topics. The modules provide professors and students with a free way to incorporate hands-on public relations ethics learning into the classroom. Thousands of students have already completed the module with positive results and feedback from students and instructors.

Modules updates

The original 10 ethics modules were released in 2017. Unsurprisingly, a lot has changed. With help from teaching fellow Amanda Weed, the Page Center enlisted scholars to update or "refresh" the original lessons. To date, updates of Digital Ethics and Ethics in a Global Context are complete. Refreshed modules on Core Ethical Principles and Transparency will launch in January 2025. More refreshes are on the way along with new modules tackling new topics. Stay tuned!

The 8th annual Page Center Awards

This year’s recipients of the Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication covered many important topics at the 8th annual Page Center Awards. However, there was a common theme particularly relevant for students to hear — Be informed. Be authentic. Speak up.

Honorees Ursula Burns, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Kelly McGinnis participated in the online event on March 25. These respected leaders were recognized for their career-long commitment to honest and truthful communication with the public.

The three honorees joined 22 past recipients in a group of remarkable leaders representing business, journalism, public relations, and other areas. Once again, Bill Nielsen, Page Center advisory board chair, and Marie Hardin, dean of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, hosted the event. Board members Ellyn Fisher and Tom Martin, along with Nielsen, moderated discussions with this year's recipients. Hundreds watched the annual program, which was free and open to the public.

Senior research fellows

Senior research fellows are integral members of the Page Center team. Each year, senior research fellows use their Page Center funding to accomplish a variety of research-related tasks, including attending conferences, leading special projects and moderating annual Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar calls for proposals. The Page Center appreciates the creative and innovative minds of its fellows.

Holly Overton

Research Director Highlights

• Led the development of the Page Center’s Insights Report on Sustainability Communication. Overton created the report with Ph.D. alumna Cassandra Troy, now an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The report features insights from 12 grant-funded projects from the 2022 grant call on sustainability that Overton co-led with Page Center director Denise Bortree.
• Co-edited a special issue on sustainability communication in the Public Relations Journal (Vol. 17, Issue 3): https://instituteforpr.org/pub
• Co-directed Page Center Lab Group.
• Continued partnership with the Crisis Communication Think Tank's Crisis Insights & Analytics Lab at the University of Georgia to advance student research in digital ethics and crisis communication.
• Represented the Page Center as an invited keynote speaker at IMC Connect!, which was hosted by the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi in April 2024.
• Led a 2024 grant call on scholar/practitioner partnerships to continue advancing the Page Center’s goal of building a strong, practice-focused research agenda on ethics and integrity in public communication.
• Supported other Page Center initiatives and events, Research Roundtable sessions, and more.

Scholar Highlights

• Published a co-authored textbook, "Media ethics: Cases and moral reasoning" (12th ed.), as well as several journal articles.
• Co-editing "Sociopolitical advocacy and the role of public relations: Theoretical developments and emerging perspectives on corporate social advocacy and related constructs." Routledge.

Lee Ahern

• Continued to update undergraduate curriculum to reflect continuing changes in the digital media landscape.
• Attended the annual AEJMC conference in Philadelphia, August 2024.
• Supported by Invent Penn State and Ben Franklin Technology Partners for research on using AI qualitative market research.

Colleen Connolly-Ahern

• Working on two transnational studies comparing coverage of Syrian and Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
• Working on a study on the construction of "sanctuary" in U.S. media.
• Moderated research call on expanding theory for integrity in public communication.

Frank Dardis

• Led roundtable for 2023 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants on digital analytics at annual AEJMC conference in Philadelphia, August 2024.
• Coordinating effort to create edited book or special issue of academic journal based on the above findings/studies.
• Two Page-related manuscript revisions under review at academic journals.

Stephanie Madden

• Published research in the Journal of Public Relations Education and Public Understanding of Science.
• Launched a new Page Center-funded study on trauma-informed management in crisis communication.
• Presented on a panel about cultivating empathy in the public relations classroom at the AEJMC conference in Philadelphia, August 2024.
• Honorable mention for article of the year for co-authored work "Exploring Trauma-Informed Listening Among Public Relations Professionals" by the 2024 National Communication Association PRIDE Committee, Public Relations Division.

Brooke McKeever

• The prosocial communication scholars presented their research to Page Center board members, senior research fellows, and faculty/staff in August.
• An article published in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly in 2023, which was the result of the advocacy communications call for proposals, won the Article of the Year Award.
• Published an edited book titled, Public Relations for Public Health and Social Good, which includes many Page Center scholars as contributing authors.
• Spoke on a panel at AEJMC about public interest communications, how it relates to public relations and health communication, and how it can be included in undergraduate and graduate courses.

Marlene Neill

• Published book: (2024). Leadership Development in Public Relations: Exploring Crucibles of Experience Among Industry Veterans. Routledge.
• Journal Publications (Refereed)- Neill, M.S. (2024). The Influence of Crucibles of Experience in Moral Development & Psychology of Public Relations Exemplars. Journal of Media Ethics
• Neill, M.S., Bowen, S.A., & Bortree, D. (2024). Identifying & addressing gaps in public relations ethics education. Journal of Public Relations Education - AWARD - The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication Top Ethics in PR Pedagogy Award
• Guest spoke for PRSA National webinar, May 9, 2024, “PRSA Storytellers Series: Essential Ethics Competencies in Public Relations: Common Deficiencies and Helpful Resources”

Fuyuan Shen

• Co-leading the Page Center research call on generative AI, public communications and ethics with Heather Shoenberger
• Attended the annual conference of the American Academy of Advertising in April 2024.
• Co-presented two research papers on activist advertising and AI influencers during the annual conference of AEJMC in August 2024.
• Published a paper on green advertising effectiveness in International Journal of Advertising.

Heather Shoenberger

• Co-leading research call on the ethics of generative AI in public communication.
• Published work in the Journal of Advertising Research, The International Journal of Advertising, Communication Research, and the Journal of Health Communication.

The Page Center graduate student lab group

The Page Center Graduate Student Lab Group promotes student-led collaborative research in corporate and public communication. Lab group members lead innovative research projects that tackle real-world communication issues under the guidance of faculty members in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. The group frequently hosts training workshops that cover a variety of important topics such as grant writing, computational methods, and public relations curriculum development. Research that is conducted within the Page Center Lab Group is often shared with scholars, practitioners, and the public, and at conferences such as IPRRC, AEJMC,NCA and ICA.

The Page Center partners with the Crisis Communication Think Tank at the University of Georgia to support collaborative student research. As part of the partnership, the Page Center’s Graduate Student Lab Group and CCTT’s Crisis Insights & Analytics (CIA) Lab have joined forces to produce innovative and timely research on a number of topics within the areas of ethics, digital technology and crisis communication. Now in its second year, the collaboration annually supports two student-led research projects – one led by Penn State graduate students and the other led by students at Georgia.

Student visit

Communications report

New Page Center website launched

In October 2024, the Page Center updated its website. While still a hub for research opportunities, educational modules and information about the Page Center, the new updated design will help position the Center for future initiatives and increased interactivity with its audience.

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