Events
AFI DOCS in Washington DC
AFI DOCS (formerly SILVERDOCS) will take place June 19-23, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The festival is one of the leading celebrations of documentary films around the world. For more information and tickets, visit their website! Read more and reserve tickets here!Making Media Matter
Designing for Impact
Over the past decade, a lively debate has emerged around questions of how best to assess the rising impact of social issue documentaries. In a new report, Social Justice Documentary: Designing for Impact, Center for Social Media (CSM) Fellows Jessica Clark and Barbara Abrash examine the state of the debate through the lens of six in-depth case studies of high-impact documentaries.
Read more...Fair Use
Set of Principles in Fair Use for Journalism
Fair use gets even more useable with the release of the Set of Principles in Fair Use for Journalism.
Read more...Future of Public Media
Future of Public Media
The Future of Public Media project tracks the evolution of media for public knowledge and action in a digital, participatory era.
AU SOC
School of Communication at American University
The Center for Social Media is a part of the School of Communication at American University (AU SOC) in Washington, DC.
Visit the school's website.CSM Blog
Helping People Make Media That Matters
We investigate, showcase and set standards for socially engaged media-making. We organize conferences and convenings, publish research, create codes of best practices, and incubate media strategies. More...





Webisodes, defined as media series with online distribution sharing methods, are expanding beyond internet television and proving to be a valuable accompaniment to feature length documentary films. Whether webisodes are released before a film, as follow up to a finished film, or as a standalone project, they are becoming a viable way of starting and continuing public discourse.
How are important scientific topics translated and understood by the public, and how are they translated into meaningful public policy? What is the social impact of translating and framing crucial science topics -- including climate change and food safety -- in media, social science, and communication? A new group aims to find out.
We are all looking forward to the AFI DOCS Film Festival (formerly SILVERDOCS International Documentary Film Festival). The