Research
How messages move people
My projects ask what makes a message believable, relevant, or worth acting on for a particular audience. Most of them are set in Bangladesh, where I have done fieldwork with smokers, rural social media users, and coastal journalists.
Health persuasion
4 works
Which health messages change beliefs and intentions, and for whom. I test anti-tobacco campaign messages, numeric risk framing in health ads, and the actionable information in health news.
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2025
Mobilizing information in cancer news: How Bengali and English newspapers deliver actionable health messages in Bangladesh
Biswas, A., Khan, M. A., Ahammed, K., Ahmed, S., & Nobel, S. K.
News Research Journal
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Nov 2026
When campaigns move people: Message presence, health beliefs, and quit intentions in South Asian tobacco control
Khan, M. A., Biswas, A., Ferdoushi, L., Sultana, N., Khan, R., & Hossain, M. S.
National Communication Association 112th Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA
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Nov 2026
Numbers in movement: Numeric risk framing in health advertising messages, perceived personal relevance, and the role of numeracy
Khan, M. A., Ferdoushi, L., Sultana, N., & Biswas, A.
National Communication Association 112th Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA
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2025
Framing health news: A comparative analysis between DC and LDC countries
Pinky, F. T., Biswas, A., Razib, M. H., Sultana, N., Khan, M. A., & Ahmed, S.
Canadian Communication Association Conference, Toronto, ON
AI, platforms & politics
5 works
How AI-made content, influencers, and social feeds shape trust, identity, and engagement, from deepfake election videos to AI health characters aimed at rural users.
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2026
Breathing through the feed: A pilot study of HRV biofeedback and emotion regulation during exposure to emotionally charged social media content
Biswas, A., Sultana, B. C., Salman, S., Islam, A., Khan, M. A., & Cooley, S.
PLOS Mental Health
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Nov 2026
Moving through the feed: Rural social media users' reception of anthropomorphic AI health characters and the movement of health information in Bangladesh
Khan, M. A., Biswas, A., Sultana, N., & Ferdoushi, L.
National Communication Association 112th Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA
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Mar 2026
AI at the ballot: Deepfake campaigns, framing, and voter engagement. Evidence from South Asia
Sakib, S., & Khan, M. A.
Idaho State University Research and Creative Works Symposium, Pocatello, ID
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Mar 2026
The credibility of social media political influencers and their impact on political consumption: Evidence from Bangladesh
Sakib, S., Sharma, N., Bashar, K., Kabir, M. R., & Khan, M. A.
AEJMC Midwinter Conference, Norman, OK
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Mar 2026
From self-branding to belonging: Political identity formation and narrative framing on social media
Kabir, M. R., Hasan, R., & Khan, M. A.
AEJMC Midwinter Conference, Norman, OK
News, crisis & environment
4 works
How journalists work under constraint and how organizations speak to the public in a crisis, with a focus on environmental reporting in coastal Bangladesh.
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2026
Environmental journalism under constraint: Literacy, normative pressures, and institutional gaps in Bangladesh
Khan, M. A., Islam, M. S., & Biswas, A.
Journalism Practice
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2026
Comments on vs off: How audiences evaluate corporate crisis apologies on social media
Khan, M. A., Tomal, M. M. H., & Islam, M.
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
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Nov 2025
The state of environmental journalism in Bangladesh: Exploring journalists' literacy, challenges, and potential solutions
Khan, M. A., Islam, M. S., & Biswas, A.
National Communication Association 111th Annual Convention, Denver, CO
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2024
Portrayal of teenage gangs in Bangladeshi media: A frame analysis
Research assistant on the project, advised by Farzana Tasnim Pinky, Khulna University
Southwest Symposium, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Methods
Experiments
Between-subjects message tests of framing, numeric risk, and source effects.
Surveys
Health belief and intention measures with smokers and social media users.
Content analysis
News coverage, campaign videos, and platform content in Bengali and English.
Interviews
In-depth interviews with journalists and rural audiences, coded in NVivo.