Patricia Moy

Patricia Moy is a political communication scholar who focuses on communication and citizenship, specifically, how mediated and interpersonal communication can shape public opinion, citizens’ social and political trust, and political behavior. Her research addresses communication content, processes and effects across myriad issues in multiple continents. Moy’s scholarship has been published as books and articles in leading refereed journals including Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Communication Research, Political Communication, and the International Journal of Public Opinion Research. Her book With Malice Toward All? examines the prevalence of media negativity and the process by which it shapes knowledge and attitudes about key institutions that govern society. Her edited volume Communication and Community examines communication processes and effects within geographical, online, epistemic, and a host of other communities.

At the UW, Moy teaches courses in communication theory, public opinion, political communication, statistics and methodology, and the graduate professional development proseminar series. She has held teaching appointments at Hebrew University, the University of Milan, and the University of Mannheim’s Department of Media and Communication Studies and the Mannheim Center for European Social Research.

In her capacity as the UW’s Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Student Affairs, Moy coordinates the institution’s accreditation process, represents the Provost’s Office in specialized accreditations and academic program reviews, and addresses tricampus collaborative efforts and issues.

Professional activities

Moy’s extensive contributions to the discipline include serving as president of the International Communication Association, American Association for Public Opinion Research, World Association for Public Opinion Research, and Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research. She was editor of the flagship journal Public Opinion Quarterly and currently is editor-in-chief of Oxford Bibliographies in Communication. She sits on the editorial board of leading journals in the field, including Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Political Communication, and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. Moy is a former head of the Communication Theory and Methodology Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and has held leadership roles in the American Political Science Association.

Honors and awards

• Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research, Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (2019)
• Harold L. Nelson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mass Communication Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication (2019)
• Fellow, International Communication Association (2016)
• David Swanson Award for Service to Political Communication Scholarship, International Communication Association and the American Political Science Association (2014)
• Fellow, Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (2013)
• Krieghbaum Under-40 Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (2008)

Selected publications

• Waismel-Manor, I., Moy, P., Neumann, R., & Shechnick, M. (2021). Does corruption corrupt? The effects of mediated exposure to corruption. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, doi: 10.1093/ijpor/edab031.
• Doll, M. E., & Moy, P. (2021). Mapping peace journalism: Toward a shared understanding of success. Journalism Studies, 23(2), 263-280.
• Beckers, K., & Moy, P. (2021). Public opinion in the news: Examining portrayals and viewpoint heterogeneity.” Journalism Practice, doi:10.1080/17512786.2021.1984282.
• Moy, P. (2020). The promise and perils of voice. Journal of Communication, 70(1), 1-12.
• Moy, P., & Matheson, D., eds. (2019). Voices: Exploring the shifting contours of communication. New York: Peter Lang.
• Neumann, R., & Moy, P. (2018). You’re (not) welcome: The impact of symbolic boundaries, intergroup contact, and experience with discrimination on immigration attitudes. American Behavioral Scientist, 62, 458-477. doi: 10.1177/0002764218760370
• Moy, P., & Murphy, J. (2016). Problems and prospects in survey research. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 93, 16-37.
• Reedy, J., Gastil, J., & Moy, P. (2016). From the secret ballot to the public vote: Examining political discussion in the context of vote-by-mail elections. Political Communication, 33, 39-58.
• Moy, P., Bimber, B., Rojecki, A., Xenos, M. A., & Iyengar, S. (2012). Shifting contours in political communication research. International Journal of Communication, 6.
• Moy, P., & Rinke, E. M. (2012). Attitudinal and behavioral consequences of published opinion polls. In J. Strömbäck and C. Holtz-Bacha (Eds.), Opinion Polls and the Media: Reflecting and Shaping Public Opinion. Palgrave-Macmillan.
• Moy, P., & Hussain, M. M. (2011). Media influences on political trust and engagement. In L. Jacobs and R. Y. Shapiro (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of American Public Opinion and the Media (pp. 220-235). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Moy, P. (2008). The political effects of late night comedy and talk shows. In J. C Baumgartner and J. S. Morris (Eds.), Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Age (pp. 295-313). New York: Routledge.
• Xenos, M. A., & Moy, P. (2007). Direct and differential effects of the Internet on political and civic engagement. Journal of Communication, 57, 704-718.
• Moy, P., & Gastil, J. (2006). Predicting deliberative conversation: The impact of discussion networks, media use, and political cognitions. Political Communication, 23, 443-460.
• Moy, P., Xenos, M. A., & Hess, V. K. (2006). Priming effects of late-night comedy. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 18, 198-210.
• Moy, P., McCluskey, M. R., McCoy, K., & Spratt, M. (2004). Political correlates of local news media use. Journal of Communication, 54, 532-546.
• Nisbet, M., Scheufele, D. A., Shanahan, J. E., Moy, P., Brossard, D., & Lewenstein, B. V. (2002). Knowledge, reservations, or promise? A media effects model for public perceptions of science and technology. Communication Research, 29, 584-608.
• Moy, P., Domke, D. S., & Stamm, K. (2001). The spiral of silence and public opinion on affirmative action. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78, 7-25.
• Moy, P., Scheufele, D. A., Eveland, W. P., Jr., & McLeod, J. M. (2001). Support for the death penalty and rehabilitation: Question order or communication effect? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 31(11): 2230-2255.
• Moy, P., & Pfau, M. (2000). With malice toward all? The media and public confidence in democratic institutions. Westport, CT: Praeger.
• Moy, P., Scheufele, D. A., & Holbert, R. L. (1999). Television use and social capital: Testing Putnam’s time displacement hypothesis. Mass Communication & Society, 2, 25-43.
• McLeod, J. M., Scheufele, D. A., & Moy, P. (1999). Community, communication, and participation: The role of mass media and interpersonal discussion in local political participation. Political Communication, 16, 315-336.