Jennifer Hoewe

Jennifer Hoewe serves as an Associate Professor at Purdue University's Brian Lamb School of Communication with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Political Science. She co-directs the Purdue Research in Media Effects (PRIME) Lab and holds affiliations with the Center for American Political History and Technology (CAPT) and the Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement (CCSE).

• Ph.D. in Mass Communications, Penn State University (2015)
• M.A. in Journalism, Michigan State University
• B.A., Grand Valley State University

Her research examines how political issues and demographic groups are portrayed in media content and how these depictions influence cognitive processing, attitudes, and identity formation among consumers. She employs experimental, survey, and content analysis methodologies to investigate the intersection of political communication and media psychology, with particular focus on news enjoyment's impact on political engagement and polarization.

Dr. Hoewe has published over 50 scholarly works in top journals including Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Media Psychology. Her forthcoming book The News We Enjoy (MIT Press, 2026) analyzes evolving news environments and their societal implications.

• Early Career Award (2025) from Penn State
• EIDCE Award (2021) - Purdue's highest scholarly honor
• AEJMC ComSHER Article of the Year (2017)
• Top 20 Article Recognition (2024) by American Library Association
• W. Charles Redding Teaching Award (2022)

As former Head of AEJMC's Communication Theory and Methodology Division and current advisory committee member for CCSE, she actively shapes disciplinary discourse. Her work bridges academic research and practical applications through collaborations with media organizations and public engagement initiatives like the Mary Junck Research Colloquium lecture series.

Dr. Hoewe leads the PRIME Lab, which conducts experimental research on media effects, and contributes to CAPT's mission of examining technology's role in political history. Her current projects include analyzing news consumption patterns and developing interventions for information literacy.