International Media Center

The International Media Center (IMC), a not-for-profit research and education center, has been established by FIU's School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC).

Several international programs are operating under the center's auspices, including the Latin American Journalism Program, a nine- year project to strengthen journalism in Central America and the Andean region of South America.

The purpose of the IMC is to strengthen the free flow of information through education, training and research. Most of the IMC activities are focused on Latin America because of the IMC's location in Miami, but the center is capable of working in almost any part of the world.

The Latin American Journalism Program, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has undertaken more than 350 seminars, workshops and training activities for more than 5,600 participants from 14 countries. It also publishes Pulso del Periodismo, a journalism magazine which circulates throughout the hemisphere.

The Institute for Public Opinion Research

The Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) is a research arm of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University. IPOR was founded in 1983 to provide decision makers with reliable and timely information on how a scientifically-selected sample of the public stands on important issues, and to enhance the dialogue on major issues among decision makers, the media, and the people of Florida.

IPOR provides professional services in all aspects of survey research including study and sample design, questionnaire development, interviewing, data entry, data analysis, and report writing.(br)

IPOR has conducted over 40 surveys, interviewing over 43,000 respondents. These projects include seven years of the FIU/Florida Poll, one of the most comprehensive public opinion surveys conducted in the country. The FIU/Florida Polls ask Floridians how they feel about the important issues facing them -- crime and drugs, education, transportation, health, taxes, politics, etc., and tracks these questions year after year to determine whether and how views are changing.