Projects per year
Personal profile
Personal profile
Benjamin Toff is an associate professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Director of the Minnesota Journalism Center. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Center for the Study of Political Psychology and of the Department of Political Science. He studies media audiences and political engagement, public opinion, and changing journalistic practices.
His work has been published in the Journal of Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Communication, the International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism, Journalism Studies, Digital Journalism, among other venues. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and a BA in social studies from Harvard in 2005. Prior to entering academia, he worked as a journalist and researcher at The New York Times.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Wisconsin
Award Date: May 14 2016
BA, Harvard University
Award Date: Jun 3 2005
External Positions
Senior Research Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Jul 1 2020 → …
Research Associate, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Aug 1 2017 → Jun 30 2020
Research Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Aug 1 2016 → Jul 31 2017
Research Interest Keywords
- journalism studies
- political communication
- public opinion
- news audiences
- political psychology
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Avoiding the News: Vanishing Audiences for Journalism
Toff, B. J. (PI), Nielsen, R. K. (PI) & Palmer, R. A. (PI)
8/1/16 → …
Project: Research project
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The Blind Scorekeepers: How Public Opinion Gets Defined in American Politics
Toff, B. J. (PI)
4/15/14 → …
Project: Research project
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Evaluating Differences in Trust Toward Audio- versus Text-based Modes of News
Toff, B. J. (PI)
ASSOC FOR EDUC IN JOURN & MASS COMM
1/18/24 → 5/15/25
Project: Research project
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Counting on Diversity: Approaches to Tracking Sources in U.S. News Organizations
Grannan, C., Toff, B. & Searles, K., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Journalism Practice.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The link between changing news use and trust: longitudinal analysis of 46 countries
Fletcher, R., Andl, S., Badrinathan, S., Eddy, K. A., Kalogeropoulos, A., Mont'Alverne, C., Robertson, C. T., Arguedas, A. R., Schulz, A., Toff, B. & Nielsen, R. K., Feb 1 2025, In: Journal of Communication. 75, 1, p. 1-15 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Scopus citations -
Who Wants Impartial News? Investigating Determinants of Preferences for Impartiality in 40 Countries
Mont’Alverne, C., Arguedas, A. R. A., Badrinathan, S., Toff, B., Fletcher, R. & Nielsen, R. K., 2025, In: International Journal of Communication. 19, p. 1581-1603 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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“Or They Could Just Not Use It?”: The Dilemma of AI Disclosure for Audience Trust in News
Toff, B. & Simon, F. M., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: International Journal of Press/Politics.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Exposure to Partisan News and Its Impact on Social Polarization and Vote Choice: Evidence From the 2022 Brazilian Elections
Mont’Alverne, C., Arguedas, A. R., Banerjee, S., Toff, B., Fletcher, R. & Nielsen, R. K., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: International Journal of Press/Politics.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Datasets
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ReadMe.txt
Toff, B. & Toff, B., Harvard Dataverse, 2019
DOI: 10.7910/dvn/x7nksl/aua1me, https://dataverse.harvard.edu/file.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/X7NKSL/AUA1ME
Dataset
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Effects_of_Polls_H3.r
Toff, B. & Toff, B., Harvard Dataverse, 2019
DOI: 10.7910/dvn/x7nksl/mafjig, https://dataverse.harvard.edu/file.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/X7NKSL/MAFJIG
Dataset
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Effects_of_Polls_H2log.txt
Toff, B. & Toff, B., Harvard Dataverse, 2019
DOI: 10.7910/dvn/x7nksl/ctnvbx, https://dataverse.harvard.edu/file.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/X7NKSL/CTNVBX
Dataset
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Effects_of_Polls-1.tab
Toff, B. & Toff, B., Harvard Dataverse, 2019
DOI: 10.7910/dvn/x7nksl/yjkbza, https://dataverse.harvard.edu/file.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/X7NKSL/YJKBZA
Dataset
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Replication Data for: Exploring the Effects of Polls on Public Opinion: How and When Media Reports of Policy Preferences Can Become Self-Fulfilling Prophesies
Toff, B. & Toff, B., Harvard Dataverse, 2019
DOI: 10.7910/dvn/x7nksl, https://dataverse.harvard.edu/citation%3FpersistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/X7NKSL
Dataset
Press/Media
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Columbia Journalism Review: Does the Way Journalists Present Themselves on Social Media Reduce Audience Trust in News?
12/3/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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Euronews Tonight: News media across the world face dwindling public trust, new report finds
9/10/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
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El País: Combatir la indiferencia del público es el gran desafío de los medios para ganar credibilidad, según un estudio
9/9/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
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Journalism.co.uk: Indifference, not hostility, is the main barrier to building trust in news
9/9/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment or Interview
Fellowships, Honors, and Prizes
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Thomas Patterson Dissertation Award
Toff, B. J. (Recipient), 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)