The Polarization Problem: Media Perspectives on Bridging the Divide with Christina Bellantoni

While it seems like people with different political ideologies can’t agree on anything these days, one thing we can all agree on is that our nation is polarized; perhaps like it never has been before. As we enter into a new political era with messaging focused on reaching across the divide and restoring a sense of unity, we talked with Christina Bellantoni, an expert on all things politics and polarization who spent 12 years reporting in Washington, about the future of polarization. In this episode, Fred and Christina discuss how we can combat some concerning predictions for the future indicating an increase in fake news and conspiracy theories, how journalists and PR pros can work together to promote the return of honest communication, and ways we might be able to turn hope for the future as we navigate this pandemic into decisive action for change. This discussion is part of our series previewing the 2021 Global Communication Report, coming soon. View the preliminary results at https://center4pr.medium.com/usc-annenberg-study-finds-polarization-of-america-will-likely-increase-despite-calls-for-national-49c02ebb623fFeaturing:Christina Bellantoni (@cbellantoni), Director of USC Annenberg Media Center and former L.A. Times editor, D.C. reporter Host:Fred Cook (@fredcook), Chairman Emeritus of Golin, a global PR firm. Author of “Improvise - Unorthodox Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO” and Director of the USC Center for Public Relations Follow us: @Center4PR (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram)Newsletter: News from the USC Center for Public RelationsVisit our website: https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/center-public-relations Production CreditsA production of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations at the University of Southern California.Host: Fred CookExecutive Producer: Ron AntonetteSeason 7 Producers: Joe Carreon and Anvi MahajanProduction: Camille Culbertson, Jack Gisler, Toma BattinoEditorial: Joey Cha, Ivan Feng, Natalie Lopez, Grace AnSocial Content: Angelina Tran, Hailey Evans, Arushi Purkayastha, Chris ApyGrowth: Van Luu, Shaan DhaliwalLinksFollow the USC Center for PR (@usccenterforpr) on Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow Fred Cook on LinkedIn. Find all our reports at annenberg.usc.edu/cpr.Download the 2026 Relevance Report atannenberg.usc.edu/relevance