Center for Media Engagement

What Center for Media Engagement does

The Center for Media Engagement is a university-affiliated research center within the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin. Founded in 2017 as a standalone entity (evolving from the Engaging News Project launched in 2011), it conducts original research on journalism ethics, political divisiveness, and democratic exchange of ideas, working alongside newsrooms, social media platforms, and policy organizations. The center translates this research into a portfolio of free, practical resources: the Quiz Creator (an embeddable interactive quiz tool with A/B testing), 150+ downloadable Media Ethics case studies, Quick Tips research summaries, and the Engaging Buttons Plugin. Its core research initiatives include Civic Signals (joint with the National Conference on Citizenship, producing the largest global survey of social media superusers), Connective Democracy, Media Ethics, and Solidarity Journalism (including a book published by Columbia University Press).

The center's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams consist of institutional funding from foundations such as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Omidyar Network, supplemented by donations accepted through the UT Austin giving portal. All tools, case studies, and publications are provided free of charge; the organization does not operate a paid pricing tier. Its go-to-market motion is community-led: it disseminates findings through academic publications, the mediaengagement.org website, social media (Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn), email newsletters, SXSW panels, and partnerships with news organizations such as ProPublica, Trusting News, Resolve Philly, and Dallas Free Press. Customer segments are non-paying and include newsrooms, social media platforms, journalism educators and students, policymakers, and individual journalists, with no revenue-conversion friction.

Name

Center for Media Engagement

Legal name

Center for Media Engagement

Website

https://mediaengagement.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Media Engagement is a UT Austin research center that conducts original studies on journalism, political divisiveness, and democratic exchange, translating findings into free tools (Quiz Creator, case studies, Quick Tips) and initiatives (Civic Signals, Connective Democracy, Solidarity Journalism) for newsrooms, platforms, educators, and journalists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Research and Journalism Education Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Media engagement research
• Journalism ethics
• Newsroom training
• Civic journalism
• Democratic exchange research

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: The center is funded by a variety of organizations including foundations such as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Funding allows the center to conduct research that helps improve the media ecosystem for the benefit of democracy.
2. Donations: The center accepts donations through the University of Texas at Austin donation portal.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Media Engagement is a university research center that conducts academic research on media engagement, journalism ethics, and democratic exchange, and translates its findings into free tools, training modules, case studies, and initiatives for journalists, newsrooms, and educators. Its core deliverables include interactive web tools such as the Quiz Creator and the Engaging Buttons browser plugin, as well as research-backed resources like Solidarity Journalism, Civic Signals, Connective Democracy, Media Ethics Case Studies, and Quick Tips.

Product overview

The Center for Media Engagement is a research center at the University of Texas at Austin (Moody College of Communication) that translates rigorous academic research into practical tools for journalism and democracy. Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of research initiatives (Civic Signals, Connective Democracy, Solidarity Journalism) combined with practical tools including the Quiz Creator for creating embeddable interactive quizzes, the Engaging Buttons research plugin, Quick Tips actionable research summaries, and over 150 free Media Ethics case studies. The organization operates primarily as an academic research center rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Civic Signals Initiative: A project with the National Conference on Citizenship focused on public-friendly digital space design principles and 14 signals for thriving social media platforms.
• Connective Democracy Initiative
• Media Ethics Initiative
• Solidarity Journalism Initiative

Products and services

• Quiz Creator An interactive, web-based tool that allows journalists and newsrooms to build quizzes as a form of audience engagement. It is offered free of charge and is designed to help newsrooms increase reader interaction and time on page.
• Engaging Buttons Plugin A browser plugin / widget that lets readers access additional context or follow-up material related to an article, supporting deeper engagement with news content. Provided free to interested newsrooms.
• Solidarity Journalism A research-driven framework and accompanying toolkit that helps journalists cover marginalized communities with greater empathy, accuracy, and ethical care. Intended for journalists, editors, and journalism educators.
• Civic Signals Initiative An initiative that aggregates research and practical guidance on signals and conditions that strengthen civic and democratic life, aimed at journalists, newsrooms, and civic organizations.
• Connective Democracy A research and resource program exploring how media can foster connection and democratic exchange across divides. Designed for journalists, scholars, and civic practitioners.
• Media Ethics Case Studies A library of case studies used to teach and discuss media ethics in newsrooms and journalism classrooms. Available free of charge for educators and editorial teams.
• Quick Tips Short, actionable, research-backed guidance pieces for journalists on topics such as audience engagement, ethics, and inclusive coverage. Distributed free via the center's website.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and secondary.

• Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for Media Engagement is part of the Moody College of Communication at UT Austin, consisting of faculty, staff, post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers from the university.
• National Conference on Citizenship (NCOC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivic Signals is a project jointly led by the National Conference on Citizenship and the Center for Media Engagement. The initiative focuses on public-friendly design for digital spaces and includes the largest global survey of social media superusers.
• New_PubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew_Public is Civic Signals' media project and digital community space. CME collaborates with New_Public on understanding local digital spaces and community connections.
• Resolve PhillysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCME partnered with Resolve Philly to explore person-centered language for connecting with stigmatized audiences, including people in recovery from substance abuse disorder, people who have experienced homelessness, and people with disabilities.
• Trusting NewssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCME partnered with Trusting News and 27 local newsrooms to investigate how news organizations can help bridge the divide between media and conservative audiences.
• Spaceship MediasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerErica Anderson, Engagement Journalist and Moderator from Spaceship Media, served as a panelist at SXSW on connecting with diverse communities.
• Free PresssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlicia Bell, Organizing Manager at Free Press, served as a panelist at SXSW on bridging divides through connective democracy.
• Dallas Free PresssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCME partnered with the Dallas Free Press to explore how Dallas residents perceive local media and how media can better serve their communities.
• ProPublicasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCME partnered with ProPublica to determine if news story headlines and images can be crafted to appeal to both liberals and conservatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MIT Media Lab: Broader academic research lab at MIT studying media, civic engagement, and emerging technology; comparable in academic rigor but covers a much wider research portfolio beyond journalism.

Direct peers

• Reynolds Journalism Institute: University of Missouri institute funding research and innovation in journalism; comparable university-based center producing academic research and applied tools for newsrooms.
• Nieman Foundation for Journalism: Harvard-based journalism fellowship and research foundation producing reporting, research, and ethics programming; directly comparable academic journalism center.
• Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy: Harvard Kennedy School research center focused on media, politics, and democratic engagement; comparable academic research center producing scholarship and practitioner tools on journalism and democracy.
• Poynter Institute: Nonprofit journalism education and research organization providing training, ethical guidance, and resources to newsrooms; comparable mission of translating research into journalism practice.
• American Press Institute: Nonprofit advancing journalism through research, training, and best practices; comparable mission of using research to improve newsroom performance and audience trust.
• Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Columbia Journalism School research center studying digital journalism and platform-press dynamics; closely comparable academic research center targeting newsroom practice and technology.
• Trusting News: Nonprofit that partners with local newsrooms to research and implement trust-building strategies; highly comparable applied research partner focused on news credibility.
• First Draft (now incorporated into Information Futures Lab): Research and training organization focused on misinformation, verification, and trust in news; comparable applied research mission on journalism credibility and democratic discourse.

Others

• Knight Foundation (News/Media program): Major journalism funder (and CME funder) running its own media-trust research and grantmaking programs; thematically aligned ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MediaEngagement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-university-of-texas-at-austin-center-for-media-engagement
• Instagraminstagram.com/engagingnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Media Engagement