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Global Journalism: A fancy concept of wishful thinking or a news style on the rise?

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The ethics of global disaster reporting: Journalistic witnessing and the challenge to objectivity

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Glenda Cooper

This research discusses how disaster reporting has changed since the 2004 tsunami and how a duet – aid agencies and the media – has become a trio with the introduction of user-generated content into the lexicon.

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Natural and human-caused disasters pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of people. Journalists and news organisations can fulfil multiple roles related to disasters, ranging from providing warnings, assessing disaster mitigation and preparedness, and reporting on what occurs, to aiding long-term recovery and fostering disaster resilience. This paper considers these possible functions of disaster journalism and draws on semi-structured interviews with 24 journalists in the United States to understand better their approach to the discipline. A thematic analysis was employed, which resulted in the identification of five main themes and accompanying sub-themes: (i) examining disaster mitigation and preparedness; (ii) facilitating recovery; (iii) self-care and care of journalists; (iv) continued spread of social media; and (v) disaster journalism ethics. The paper concludes that disaster journalism done poorly can result in harm, but done well, it can be an essential instrument with respect to public disaster planning, management, response, and recovery.

Dhiraj Murthy

This article examines the role of blogs during the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Using a blog created by South Asian journalists as a case study, the article argues that new media has the potential to be a democratizing agent in lesser developed countries. The article argues that some tsunami-related blogs give regional, subaltern journalists a medium to transcend exploitative accounts of the tsunami's aftermath. The article is also able to use tsunami-related blogs to help highlight questions surrounding new media and disaster reporting in lesser developed countries in general, including discussions of the digital divide.

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Humanitarian journalism can be defined, very broadly, as the production of factual ac­ counts about crises and issues that affect human welfare. This can be broken down into two broad approaches: “traditional” reporting about humanitarian crises and issues, and advocacy journalism that aims to improve humanitarian outcomes. In practice, there is overlap between the two approaches. Mainstream journalists have long helped to raise awareness and funds for humanitarian crises, as well as provide early emergency warn­ ings and monitor the treatment of citizens. Meanwhile, aid agencies and humanitarian campaigners frequently subsidize or directly provide journalistic content. There is a large research literature on humanitarian journalism. The most common focus of this research is the content of international reporting about humanitarian crises. These studies show that a small number of “high-profile” crises take up the vast majority of news coverage, leaving others marginalized and hidden. The quantity of coverage is not strongly correlated to the severity of a crisis or the number of people affected but, rather, its geopolitical significance and cultural proximity to the audience. Humanitarian journal­ ism also tends to highlight international rescue efforts, fails to provide context about the causes of a crisis, and operates to erase the agency of local response teams and victims. Communication theorists have argued that this reporting prevents an empathetic and equal encounter between the audience and those affected by distant suffering. However, there are few empirical studies of the mechanisms through which news content influ­ ences audiences or policymakers. There are also very few production studies of the news organizations and journalists who produce humanitarian journalism. The research that does exist focuses heavily on news organizations based in the Global North/West.

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Is “Global Journalism” truly global? Conceptual and empirical examinations of the global, cosmopolitan and parochial conceptualization of journalism. (Upcoming) Journalism Studies

• September 2018
• Journalism Studies

• Akita International University

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• General Communication & Media Studies

Global Journalism Research: Theories, Methods, Findings, Future

ISBN: 978-1-405-15331-7

February 2008

Wiley-Blackwell

Martin Löffelholz , David Weaver , Andreas Schwarz

Global Journalism Research offers a diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches for studying journalists and journalism around the world. It charts the opportunities and challenges facing journalism research in an increasingly global field.

• Brings together an elite team of contributors to create a comprehensive overview of journalism research and its different approaches, methods, and paradigms around the world
• Examines the impact of developments in journalism that have resulted in it becoming an international phenomenon with global networks, no longer able to operate solely within national or cultural borders
• Considers the theoretical frameworks necessary for journalists to embrace recent economic, political, and cultural changes - impacting on our basic definitions of journalism
• Explores the issue of the increasingly blurring line between entertainment and news, as well as the formerly clear division between journalism, public relations and business communication
• Draws on examples of journalism research from Asia, Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, and North and Latin America

David Weaver is the Roy W. Howard Research Professor in the School of Journalism at Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, where he has taught since 1974. He has published numerous books, book chapters, and articles on US journalists’ backgrounds and opinions, the agenda-setting role of the news media in political campaigns, public opinion about investigative reporting, newspaper readership, foreign news coverage, and journalism education.

Global investigative journalism in the network society

Gearing, Amanda A. (2016) Global investigative journalism in the network society. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology.

Description

Digital technologies are threatening the business model of newspaper journalism. However, digital technology also offers enormous potential for journalists to be able to connect with news sources and audiences around the world. The researcher interviewed Walkley Award finalists to find out what technologies and techniques are being used by leading investigative reporters in Australia. The findings reveal that social media platforms and web based communications are being used creatively to report stories that would not otherwise have been possible. Journalists are also collaborating with other reporters; and media outlets are collaborating with each other, increasing the socio-political impact of their work.

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Global Journalism

Explore this course:.

Applications for 2024 entry closed at 5pm on Friday 6 September. Applications for 2025 entry open on Monday 16 September.

School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences

Course description

This research-based course combines study of themes such as globalisation, misinformation and media freedom with some practical newswriting experience. 

You’ll cast a critical eye over journalism within an international context, comparing and contrasting media theory and practice around the world. Our academics will also involve you in vital discussions around their pioneering research on media, society and government at a hugely critical moment for freedom of expression.

In the first semester, you will be placed front and centre at International Journalism Week - a unique opportunity to engage with dozens of high-profile academics and media practitioners from around the world. This annual programme of lectures, seminars and workshops allows our students to immerse themselves in a huge range of subjects, from war reporting to issues of representation. All students from the department are welcome, but the event is especially tailored to the interests of our MA  Global Journalism students. 

Some of our graduates go on to practice journalism. The majority of our students, however, use this course as the launching pad for a career in academia, and go on to conduct significant research on subjects that lie at the heart of the global media landscape.

We use a staged admissions process to assess applications for this course. You'll still apply for this course in the usual way, using our Postgraduate Online Application Form.

An open day gives you the best opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and staff about our courses.

You may also be able to pre-book a department/school visit as part of a campus tour. Open days and campus tours

1 year full-time

We teach through lectures, seminars, workshops and research exercises.

You’re assessed by essays, examinations, presentations and a research portfolio.

Your career

Our graduates launch straight into work in roles like Broadcast Journalist, Assistant News Editor, Producer, Video Content Production Executive, Video Journalist and more within just 15 months of graduation. Many of them find work in huge news organisations like the BBC, Daily Mail, Bauer and ITN, whilst others go on to launch careers as freelance broadcasters (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/1). 

Thanks to our industry connections, we offer a huge range of work experience opportunities to students on our practical journalism programmes. To see what our students get up to during these placements, check out the #JUSPlacement hashtag on X or read the #JUSPlacement Blog.

You can also find out more about our graduates and where they go on to work.

School of Journalism, Media and Communication

Here at the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, we've been training extraordinary journalists and conducting pioneering research since 1994, when our department was launched by Observer Editor Donald Trelford at our first home in Minalloy House.

After 30 years in the industry, we've learnt a thing or two about networking. Study with us, and you'll have exclusive access to our unrivalled contacts and alumni network, situated in newsrooms across the world.

We’ll also provide you with award-winning employability support  in the form of one-to-one support sessions, weekly masterclasses and an array of placement opportunities to help you get your foot in the door. 

You’ll learn to ace the basics on our practical courses, including how to spot big stories and make them shine; edit engaging audio, video and podcasts in our state-of-the-art facilities ; become an expert in social media; and even ace those shorthand exams. We’re the only Russell Group University to be accredited by the NCTJ, BJTC and PPA, so you know you’re learning from the best of the best.

For those with an eye for Journalism’s bigger picture, our research-led programmes will help you piece together the epic social narratives of global journalism, mass media and political communication. You’ll be rubbing shoulders with experts in media law, mis/disinformation, propaganda and freedom of the media - taking full advantage of the research excellence we have to offer as a Russell Group institution.

Our graduates go on to achieve great things and remain part of our legacy forever. They change the world through the power of storytelling - be they journalists, documentarians, PR experts, novelists, or teachers.

Student profiles

A diverse course with an international perspective

Chi Zhang PhD Student at the University of Leeds, MA Global Journalism

Before studying an MA in Global Journalism, Chi worked at a university in China. She is now studying for her PhD at the University of Leeds.

I mastered journalism theory by analysing news reports

Siyu Chen's precious year at Sheffield gave her the knowledge and experience to continue her studies at PhD level and win scholarship funding.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree.

If you're an international student who does not meet the entry requirements for this course, you have the opportunity to apply for a pre-masters programme in Business, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Sheffield International College . This course is designed to develop your English language and academic skills. Upon successful completion, you can progress to degree level study at the University of Sheffield.

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school/department .

Fees and funding

There are a number of bursaries for students on the journalism, magazine and broadcast courses, from the Scott Trust (owner of The Guardian), Journalism Diversity Fund and others.

Funding opportunities for MA degrees in journalism

More information

[email protected] +44 114 222 2500

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Global Journalism

Understanding world media systems, edited by daniela v. dimitrova.

Global Journalism: Understanding World Media Systems provides an overview of the key issues in global journalism today and traces how media systems have evolved over time in different world regions. Taking into account local context as well as technological change across media industries, the book offers an up-to-date, thorough overview of media developments in all world regions embedded in their unique political, cultural and economic context.

Covering theoretical foundations of global journalism, from the classic Four Theories of the Press to more nuanced media models, this text proposes a framework for studying world media systems. Contributed chapters cover a wide range of topics, including media freedom, global news cultures, professional ethics and responsibilities, and education of global journalists, as well as the role of technology and issues such as fake news, soft power and public diplomacy, foreign news reporting and international news flow.

Visit Globaljournalism.org to access additional class materials, case studies, and multimedia.

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Global Journalism: Understanding World Media Systems Paperback – August 10, 2021

Global Journalism: Understanding World Media Systems provides an overview of the key issues in global journalism today and traces how media systems have evolved over time in different world regions. Taking into account local context as well as technological change across media industries, the book offers an up-to-date, thorough overview of media developments in all world regions embedded in their unique political, cultural and economic context.

Covering theoretical foundations of global journalism, from the classic Four Theories of the Press to more nuanced media models, this text proposes a framework for studying world media systems. Contributed chapters cover a wide range of topics, including media freedom, global news cultures, professional ethics and responsibilities, and education of global journalists, as well as the role of technology and issues such as fake news, soft power and public diplomacy, foreign news reporting and international news flow.

Visit Globaljournalism.org to access additional class materials, case studies, and multimedia.

• Reading age 1 year and up
• Print length 258 pages
• Language English
• Dimensions 7 x 0.59 x 10 inches
• Publisher Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date August 10, 2021
• ISBN-10 1538146851
• ISBN-13 978-1538146859
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

The book provides an overview of selected discourses in international journalism research and offers insights into central characteristics of media systems worldwide, and thus complements the corpus of introductory literature quite usefully

The new and more nuanced media model that the book offers relies on synthetizing various media theories and empirical data, which can hopefully help researchers to understand more about the peculiarities of the world’s media systems. At the end of each chapter the authors set questions based on their studies, which clearly indicates that this book is not only a textbook for scholars and researchers but it is also an object to trigger the critical thinking of students learning about global journalism and media systems.

At last, here is a global journalism textbook that accounts for the worldwide ascendance of digital platforms and the spread of populism and authoritarianism. What a fantastic collection!

One of the key challenges for journalism research is to identify, map and articulate issues that cut across national boundaries while keeping our eye on local particulars. This book provides an essential roadmap for navigating such a truly global journalism studies.

This excellent volume provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-world examination of global journalism’s practices and characteristics. An explication of key concepts and topics is combined with more context-specific perspectives from all regions of the world to provide a multi-perspectival view.

There is no one work that provides the breadth and depth of understanding the technological changes and their impact on all aspects of global journalism as Dimitrova does here. Global Journalism generates a fresh and complex view of timely case studies and theoretical models featured by contributors from 12 different countries. This book will arouse interest and provide a scholarly foundation for understanding world media systems and key issues facing international communication today.

This inspiring book takes the reader on a world tour of journalism practices, touching on theories and current issues that describe, explain and predict the evolution of global journalism cultures from the local perspective. It is a must-read for journalism students in higher education.

A robust and breath-taking look at global journalism practices, this book showcases diverse views from more than 20 global media experts from 12 different countries unpacking pivotal issues snatched from today's headlines. Topics range from the refugee crisis, press freedom to journalism culture, and media ethics. Scholars and students alike benefit from this panorama rooted in the classical theories but fresh with new ideas and insights. Excellent as a textbook it belongs on every global news scholar's shelf.

While conceptions of "global journalism" may be relatively new, journalism has long been globalising in its ambitions to forge communicative networks across national borders. This excellent volume disrupts Western, ethnocentric assumptions in media research, its impressive range of chapters affording important insights into questions of power, influence and social change recurrently denied the attention they deserve. Highly recommended for scholars, students and journalists alike.

It’s not easy to capture the rich diversity of contexts in which journalism exists. This book does so brilliantly, providing an accessible, up-to-date and truly global analysis of the key questions and issues that confront journalism at a time of fundamental transformations. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of journalistic cultures and practices.

Global Journalism is an exceptional volume, offering both a broad scope and nuanced detail. It takes digitalization seriously and fundamentally revisits how to think about global journalism in the digital age. It promises to set the agenda for the field by highlighting key themes while also exploring overlooked but important topics.

In this era beset by misinformation, quality journalism has never been more important. Dimitrova and colleagues convincingly show that there is more than one definition of quality and more than one way to achieve it. This cosmopolitan compendium will open some eyes!

It's widely acknowledged that finding journalism books that truly take an international focus has long been a remarkable challenge. Thanks to extensive and innovative dispatches masterfully put together by Daniela Dimitrova, this book is to become the go-to volume for anyone interested in theoretical, methodological and epistemological developments in international journalism or broadly, international communication. The editor has the world-leading, sought-after track-record to speak about these issues.

Global Journalism is the textbook global communication scholars have been waiting for.

Its truly global approach, clear-cut language, success placing complex processes into non-judgmental context, and seventeen well-chosen, comprehensive chapters makes it an ideal text for upper-level undergrads and grad students alike.

Admirably global in its reach and approach, Daniela Dimitrova has put together an excellent collection of essays which should be essential reading for students and researchers interested in journalism and its globalization.

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; First Edition (August 10, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538146851
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1538146859
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.59 x 10 inches
• #1,328 in Journalism Writing Reference (Books)
• #1,586 in Communication Reference (Books)
• #3,690 in Communication & Media Studies

About the author

Daniela v. dimitrova.

Dr. Daniela V. Dimitrova is Professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University and Editor-in-Chief of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the flagship journal of AEJMC. As an established media scholar, Dimitrova has published peer-reviewed research articles in the area of global journalism and political communication in leading journals such as Communication Research, Press/Politics, New Media & Society and the European Journal of Communication. She is recipient of multiple awards, including AEJMC Senior Scholar and LAS International Service Award, and grants from the International Research Exchange Board and the Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. Growing up under a communist media system, Dimitrova has a unique interest, appreciation, and ability to compare media systems around the world from a critical cross-cultural perspective.

You can follow Dr. Dimitrova on Twitter: @Prof_Dimitrova and watch her introductory video here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lUq2o0lF-6Y&t=21s

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Master's projects and theses.

Columbia University Libraries maintains copies of projects, theses, and dissertations deposited with the library by students at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Dissertations are available electronically via  Academic Commons  and  ProQuest dissertations & theses global .

Master's projects and theses are available in print at the Journalism Library and Lehman Libray. Electronic access is negotiated on a case-by-case basis under the guidance of the copyright owner/author. Projects and theses are compiled and bound semi-annually. Bound volumes are arranged alphabetically by graduating class and publication type. The Journalism Library retains the most recent four years, Projects deposited more that four years ago may be found on the lower level of  Lehman Library . Bound volumes do not circulate—they must be read at the library. Reproduction all or part of a project or thesis via scanning or photographing is prohibited, unless permission has been given by the copyright holder/author.

Projects with media or data components are available at the Journalism Library Reserves Collection and circulate for 2 days. Projects from earlier years may be requested at the Lehman Library Reserves Desk. To request a radio or television project, you must know the author's name and year of graduation.

If you are an alum and would like a copy of your printed master's project, please email the Journalism Library with your name, year you graduated, format and title of your project or theses. Copies are only available by the request of the author. Requests for projects with audio, video, or digital components are governed by the policies and fees established by P reservation & Digital Conversion Division of Columbia University Libraries.

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Media Studies Theses and Dissertations

This collection contains theses and dissertations from the Department of Media Studies, collected from the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

Networks of Resistance: A Regional Analysis of Extractive Conflicts in Central America , Giada Ferrucci

Construction of Political Subjectivity: Media Representation of Muslims in Lynching Violence of India in Three Cases 2015-2017 , Sananda Sahoo

Arts-Informed Storytelling: How Arts-Informed Research was Used with Six Indigenous Peoples in London, Ont. , Percy Sherwood

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Witnessing Conspiracy Theories: Developing an Intersectional Approach to Conspiracy Theory Research , David Guignion

Canadians Redefining R&B: The Online Marketing of Drake, Justin Bieber, and Jessie Reyez , Amara Pope Ms.

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Instagram Influencers and their Youngest Female Followers , Amanda Jenkins

A descriptive analysis of sport nationalism, digital media, and fandom to launch the Canadian Premier League , Farzan Mirzazadeh

Influencer Engagement Pods and the Struggle Over Measure in Instagram Platform Labour , Victoria J. O'Meara

Radiant Dreams and Nuclear Nightmares: Japanese Resistance Narratives and American Intervention in Postwar Speculative Popular Culture , Aidan J. Warlow

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

More barriers than solutions: Women’s experiences of support with online abuse , Chandell E. Gosse

Heavy Metal Fundraisers: Entrepreneurial Recording Artists in Platform Capitalism , Jason Netherton

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Resistant Vulnerability in The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America , Kristen Allison

Unwrapping the Toronto Christmas Market: An Examination of Tradition and Nostalgia in a Socially Constructed Space , Lydia J. Gibson

Trauma, Creativity, And Bearing Witness Through Art: Marian Kołodziej's Labyrinth , Alyssa Logie

Appropriating Play: Examining Twitch.tv as a Commercial Platform , Charlotte Panneton

Dead Men Walking: An Analysis of Working-Class Masculinity in Post-2008 Hollywood Film , Ryan Schroeder

Glocalization in China: An Analysis of Coca-Cola’s Brand Co-Creation Process with Consumers in China , Yinuo Shi

Critiquing the New Autonomy of Immaterial Labour: An Analysis of Work in the Artificial Intelligence Industry , James Steinhoff

Watching and Working Through: Navigating Non-being in Television Storytelling , Tiara Lalita Sukhan

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Hone the Means of Production: Craft Antagonism and Domination in the Journalistic Labour Process of Freelance Writers , Robert Bertuzzi

Invisible Labour: Support-Service Workers in India’s Information Technology Industry , Indranil Chakraborty

Exhibiting Human Rights: Making the Means of Dignity Visible , Amy J. Freier

Industrial Stagecraft: Tooling and Cultural Production , Jennifer A. Hambleton

Cultural Hybridity in the Contemporary Korean Popular Culture through the Practice of Genre Transformation , Kyunghee Kim

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Regarding Aid: The photographic situation of humanitarianism , Sonya de Laat

The Representation of the Canadian Government’s Warrantless Domestic Collection of Metadata in the Canadian Print News Media , Alan Del Pino

(Not) One of the Boys: A Case Study of Female Detectives on HBO , Darcy Griffin

Pitching the Feminist Voice: A Critique of Contemporary Consumer Feminism , Kate Hoad-Reddick

Local-Global Tensions: Professional Experience, Role Perceptions and Image Production of Afghan Photojournalists Working for a Global Audience , Saumava Mitra

A place for locative media: A theoretical framework for assessing locative media use in urban environments , Darryl A. Pieber

Mapping the Arab Diaspora: Examining Placelessness and Memory in Arab Art , Shahad Rashid

Settler Colonial Ways of Seeing: Documentary Governance of Indigenous Life in Canada and its Disruption , Danielle Taschereau Mamers

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Finding Your Way: Navigating Online News and Opinions , Charlotte Britten

Law and Abuse: Representations of Intimate Partner Homicide in Law Procedural Dramas , Jaime A. Campbell

Creative Management: Disciplining the Neoliberal Worker , Trent Cruz

No hay Sólo un Idioma, No hay Sólo una Voz: A Revisionist History of Chicana/os and Latina/os in Punk , Richard C. Davila

Shifting Temporalities: The Construction of Flexible Subjectivities through Part-time Retail Workers’ Use of Smartphone Technology , Jessica Fanning

Becoming Sonic: Ambient Poetics and the Ecology of Listening in Four Militant Sound Investigations , David C. Jackson

Capital's Media: The Physical Conditions of Circulation , Atle Mikkola Kjøsen

On the Internet by Means of Popular Music: The Cases of Grimes and Childish Gambino , Kristopher R. K. Ohlendorf

Believing the News: Exploring How Young Canadians Make Decisions About Their News Consumption , Jessica Thom

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Narrative Epic and New Media: The Totalizing Spaces of Postmodernity in The Wire, Batman, and The Legend of Zelda , Luke Arnott

Canada: Multiculturalism, Religion, and Accommodation , Brittainy R. Bonnis

Navigating the Social Landscape: An Exploration of Social Networking Site Usage among Emerging Adults , Kristen Colbeck

Impassioned Objects And Seething Absences: The Olympics In Canada, National Identity and Consumer Culture , Estee Fresco

Satirical News and Political Subversiveness: A Critical Approach to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report , Roberto Leclerc

"When [S]He is Working [S]He is Not at Home": Challenging Assumptions About Remote Work , Eric Lohman

Heating Up the Debate: E-cigarettes and Instagram , Stephanie L. Ritter

Limitation to Innovation in the North American Console Video Game Industry 2001-2013: A Critical Analysis , Michael Schmalz

Happiest People Alive: An Analysis of Class and Gender in the Trinidad Carnival , Asha L. St. Bernard

Human-Machinic Assemblages: Technologies, Bodies, and the Recuperation of Social Reproduction in the Crisis Era , Elise D. Thorburn

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Evangelizing the ‘Gallery of the Future’: a Critical Analysis of the Google Art Project Narrative and its Political, Cultural and Technological Stakes , Alanna Bayer

Face Value: Beyond the Surface of Brand Philanthropy and the Cultural Production of the M.A.C AIDS Fund , Andrea Benoit

Cultivating Better Brains: Transhumanism and its Critics on the Ethics of Enhancement Via Brain-computer Interfacing , Matthew Devlin

Man Versus Food: An Analysis of 'Dude Food' Television and Public Health , Amy R. Eisner-Levine

Media Literacy and the English as a Second Language Curriculum: A Curricular Critique and Dreams for the Future , Clara R. Madrenas

Fantasizing Disability: Representation of loss and limitation in Popular Television and Film , Jeffrey M. Preston

(Un)Covering Suicide: The Changing Ethical Norms in Canadian Journalism , Gemma Richardson

Labours Of Love: Affect, Fan Labour, And The Monetization Of Fandom , Jennifer Spence

'What's in a List?' Cultural Techniques, Logistics, Poeisis , Liam Cole Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Distinguishing the 'Vanguard' from the 'Insipid': Exploring the Valorization of Mainstream Popular Music in Online Indie Music Criticism , Charles J. Blazevic

Anonymous: Polemics and Non-identity , Samuel Chiang

Manufacturing Legitimacy: A Critical Theory of Election News Coverage , Gabriel N. Elias

The Academic Grind: A Critique of Creative and Collaborative Discourses Between Digital Games Industries and Post-Secondary Education in Canada , Owen R. Livermore

We’re on This Road Together: The Changing Fan/Producer Relationship in Television as Demonstrated by Supernatural , Lisa Macklem

Brave New Wireless World: Mapping the Rise of Ubiquitous Connectivity from Myth to Market , Vincent R. Manzerolle

Promotional Ubiquitous Musics: New Identities and Emerging Markets in the Digitalizing Music Industry , Leslie Meier

Money, Morals, and Human Rights: Commercial Influences in the Marketing, Branding, and Fundraising of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch , Danielle Morgan

If I Had a Hammer: An Archeology of Tactical Media From the Hootenanny to the People's Microphone , Henry Adam Svec

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Watching High School: Representing Disempowerment on Teen Drama Television , Sarah M. Baxter

Will Work For Free: Examining the Biopolitics of Unwaged Immaterial Labour , Brian A. Brown

Social Net-working: Exploring the Political Economy of the Online Social Network Industry , Craig Butosi

Watching the games: Critical media literacy and students’ abilities to identify and critique the politics of sports , Raúl J. Feliciano Ortiz

The Invisible Genocide: An Analysis of ABC, CBS, and NBC Television News Coverage of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. , Daniel C. Harvey

It's Complicated: Romantic Breakups and Their Aftermath on Facebook , Veronika A. Lukacs

Keeping Up with the Virtual Joneses: The Practices, Meanings, and Consequences of Consumption in Second Life , Jennifer M. Martin

The (m)Health Connection: An Examination of the Promise of Mobile Phones for HIV/AIDS Intervention in Sub-Saharan Africa , Trisha M. Phippard

Born Again Hard : Transgender Subjectivity in Paul Chadwick's Concrete , Justin Raymond

Communicating Crimes: Covering Gangs in Contemporary Canadian Journalism , Chris Richardson

Online Social Breast-Working: Representations of Breast Milk Sharing in the 21st Century , Cari L. Rotstein

Because I am Not Here, Selected Second Life-Based Art Case Studies. Subjectivity, Autoempathy and Virtual World Aesthetics , Francisco Gerardo Toledo Ramírez

Day of the Woman?: Feminism & Rape-Revenge Films , Kayley A. Viteo

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

"Aren't They Keen?" Early Children's Food Advertising and the Emergence of the Brand-loyal Child Consumer , Kyle R. Asquith

Immediacy and Aesthetic Remediation in Television and Digital Media: Mass Media’s Challenge to the Democratization of Media Production , Michael S. Daubs

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Ph.D. Dissertations

Okhyun Kim Potential Negative Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility Advertising in the Context of a Socially Stigmatized Industry Advisor: Jisu Huh   

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer attitudes toward CSR advertisements in the stigma industry. Stigmatized industries' CSR effectiveness may be limited because the source of their negative perceptions lies in the core characteristics of their products. As a result, this study first looked at the differences in CSR advertising effectiveness between stigmatized and non-stigmatized industries. Following that, we investigate the mechanisms underlying the disparities in CSR effectiveness between stigmatized and non-stigmatized industries. This paper investigate how perceived appropriateness of persuasion tactics mediates industry and CSR. Finally, we investigate how the fit between the CSR cause and the company's core business influences the effectiveness of CSR advertising in both stigmatized and non-stigmatized companies.An experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of advertiser type (stigmatized versus non-stigmatized industry) and product-cause fit (high versus low) on consumer attitudes toward the company. The experiment used a two-by-two full factorial design with advertiser type (stigmatized versus non-stigmatized industry) and product-cause fit level (high versus low). Three pilot tests were carried out in order to develop the experimental stimuli. The first and second pilot tests were used to select appropriate stigmatized and non-stigmatized industries for manipulating advertiser type, while the third pilot test was used to manipulate product-cause fit. Participants rated CSR in non-stigmatized industries more positively than CSR in stigmatized industries, indicating that the perceived appropriateness of the PKM was discovered to be an important factor. The perceived appropriateness was a significant factor influencing consumers' attitudes toward the industry. Finally, participants in non-stigmatized industries rated a company’s CSR campaign more positively when the fit between the company's business area and the topic of the CSR ads was high, whereas participants in stigmatized industries rated the company’s CSR advertisement more favorably when the fit between the company's business area and the topic of the CSR advertisement was low.This study is valuable because it explains how consumers interpret socially stigmatized industries based on the appropriateness of persuasion tactics. This study is significant because it empirically applies theories on the appropriateness of persuasion tactics to provide insights into consumer attitudes. It also compares the effectiveness of CSR in stigmatized versus non-stigmatized industries, as well as the impact of the fit between the core industry and the CSR cause in stigmatized versus non-stigmatized industries. This raises awareness of the fact that CSR in stigmatized industries may be less effective than it should be, highlighting the importance of carefully examining CSR strategies in stigmatized industries.  

Danford Zirugo  Reconceptualizing Journalists Under Captured Patrimonial Media Systems as a Fractured Interpretive Community: The Case of Zimbabwe Advisor: Matt Carlson  

Journalists within a nation are often described as members of the same interpretive community, especially in liberal Western democracies where their working environments are characterized by stable democratic conditions. This is helped by a sense of cooperation between the news media and the state. Conditions are different in post-colonial nations of the Global South, however, where the relationship between the news media and democracy is not fully developed. In fact, most of the Global South countries are at various democratization stages. They do not have the same levels of press freedom and autonomy as found in North America and Western Europe. As a result, not only are debates about press freedom fierce, but journalistic roles and ethical orientations are also hotly contested. These different journalistic conditions offer an opportunity to examine how journalists in the Global South operate as an interpretive community. Zimbabwe is one such country where journalists have been polarized for the past two decades, amidst press freedom contests. The study examines this debate by looking at Zimbabwean journalists as a fractured interpretive community rhetorically engaged with social interlocutors during key moments like World Press Freedom, newspaper closures, media policy debates, obituaries, and anniversary commemorations. Guided by theories of metajournalistic discourse, post-colonial theory and ubuntuism, textual analysis and interviews are used to examine points of convergence and divergence among Zimbabwean journalists and non-journalists on their conceptualization of press freedom and journalistic roles. This analysis advances general propositions not only about how journalistic interpretive communities operate, but also about how they operate in various contexts and what factors must be considered in understanding how journalistic interpretive communities come into being or get disintegrated.

Hao Xu  Companies Getting Political: Examining the Influence of Public-Company Identity Congruence on Publics' Reactions to Corporate Social Advocacy Advisor: Hyejoon Rim

Eunah Kim  Consumer Responses to Ads on Digital Video-Sharing Platforms: The Phenomenon of Intentional Ad-Viewing Behavior Advisor: Jisu Huh

With the popularity of digital videos, digital video-sharing platforms have been receiving attention as a medium that may surpass traditional TV in terms of viewership and as a powerful medium for advertising. Interestingly, on digital video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, consumers sometimes choose to view rather than skip ads in order to support content creators, even if the ads are not relevant to them and they can easily avoid them by clicking on the ‘skip ad’ button. This is a very unique phenomenon that has been hardly observed in any other media platforms, nor has been examined in prior studies. The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: (1) to investigate whether and to what extent intentional ad-viewing to support content creators is indeed happening on digital video-sharing platforms; and (2) to explore why and when consumers choose to not skip ads for the sake of content creators.A three-phase study using a multi-method approach was performed. In Phase 1, a preliminary survey was conducted (N = 265) to inform and guide the study design and measurement developments of the next two phases. The results demonstrated that consumers sometimes choose to not skip ads in order to support content creators, which confirms the existence of such a novel ad-viewing behavior. In Phase 2, a series of in-depth interviews were conducted to further probe: (1) the motivations driving such behavior and (2) potential influencing factors (N = 20). The Phase 2 in-depth interviews suggest three different but interrelated motivations driving intentional ad-viewing as a way of supporting content creators: gratitude to content creators, extrinsic helping motivation with the expectation of reciprocity, and intrinsic helping motivation from empathy. In Phase 3, which is the main study of this dissertation, an online survey (N = 499) was conducted to formally address the research question and test the hypotheses posed based on the findings of Phase 1 and Phase 2. The results show that amateur content creators and influencers are more likely to generate intentional ad-viewing to support content creators than are professional creators. While helping motivation was not a significant mediator of the relationship between creator type and intentional ad-viewing to support content creators, it was shown to be another significant antecedent of such ad-viewing behavior. This study contributes to advancing ad avoidance research by establishing the previously unknown phenomenon of intentional ad-viewing to support content creators, and by adopting the perspective of helping behavior that has been hardly used in advertising research. This study also provides important practical implications for advertising practitioners and digital media platform companies: the comparative value of placing ads on digital video-sharing platforms, and the consideration of independent and amateur channels.

Nick Mathews Our News, For Us, From Us: Social Identity and Rural News and Information Advisors: Valerie Belair-Gagnon and Matthew Carlson

This dissertation explores how rural residents obtain news and information that is salient in their everyday lives and what guides their evaluations of their choices. Utilizing 40 in-depth interviews with residents of Nelson County, Virginia, this study finds, participants express a rejection of the weekly newspaper that has covered the county for almost 150 years and an acceptance of a location-based Facebook group that serves as a supplement, if not an outright replacement, to the traditional news organization. The participants perceive the weekly news organization to be “not local” on three levels — the organizational level, the content level and the journalist level. Participants express that they want their news and information to be about them and from them, meaning from a person who lives in the county, is engaged in the county and cares about the county. Alternatively, participants turn to a location-based Facebook group, created by county residents, moderated by county residents and sourced by county residents. Participants perceive the Facebook group content is useful news and information, meaning real-time, immediate tools for daily living. They also value the democratic nature of the platform, how everyone potentially can have a voice. Theoretically, drawing from social identity theory, rural social identity and collective psychological ownership, I argue that participants perceive “local” as “ours,” or a “shared sense of ownership.” In this vein, the participants do not perceive the county news organization is “ours.” In response, I conclude that news organizations should strive toward a theoretical notion of Our Good Neighbor.

Allison Steinke  The Institutionalization of Solutions Journalism Advisors: Matthew Weber and Valerie Belair-Gagnon

This dissertation provides a theoretically driven empirical investigation of the emerging institution of solutions journalism. Solutions journalism is a journalistic approach defined as rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. This project uses a triangulated qualitative methodology comprising 52 in-depth interviews; netnography of solutions journalists, editors, and practitioners’ digital communities; and qualitative content analysis of solutions-oriented journalistic texts. This dissertation presents three major arguments. The first argument is that solutions journalism is a journalistic approach that functions globally as a networked organizational form with a central mission and decentralized hubs and spokes that carry out the practice worldwide. The second argument is that emerging institutions gain legitimacy through shared support for a codified set of rules, norms, and values, as seen in the legitimation of solutions journalism. The third and final argument is that solutions journalism is in a moment between theorization and diffusion worldwide, with various factors contributing to and constraining its success. Drawing from foundational roots in sociological and managerial literature, this dissertation project expands the applicability of new institutional theory to empirical questions about emerging news practices. This dissertation also answers calls for clarity of the theorization and conceptualization of solutions journalism.

Clara Juarez Miro  Who are “The Pure People”? Populist Supporters and the Role of Media in the Populist Imagined Community Advisor: Giovanna Dell'Orto 

This dissertation conducts a comparative analysis of right-wing and left-wing populism in the United States and Spain to uncover how populist supporters (RQ1) use online media to engage with like-minded people, (RQ2) interpret the populist message defining “the people’s” leaders and enemies, (RQ3.1) characterize their imagined community of “the people,” and (RQ3.2) satisfy specific social-psychological needs through their membership in said community. Research on fandom, political talk and the hybrid media system informs an analysis of populist supporters’ interviews and online interactions. Findings reveal that populist supporters engage with online communities of politically like-minded users to validate and strengthen their political and social identities. Additionally, populist supporters use markers of community membership in their collective interpretations of leaders and perceived enemies, with users expressing intense emotions and mutually reinforcing their viewpoints. Finally, the overwhelmingly positive attributes associated with “the people” suggest that populist supporters satisfied individual (e.g. improved self-esteem) and social (e.g. sense of belonging) needs through their membership in their imagined community. Populist supporters appear to obtain a sense of belonging by imagining themselves as members of “the people” and, then, by connecting with fellow members in online spaces. These experiences appear to be highly rewarding and crucial for populist supporters’ political mobilization.

Weijia Shi The roles of perceived conflict and self-relevance in processing contradictory health information Advisor: Rebekah Nagler 

A growing body of research has shown that media exposure to contradictory health information can produce public confusion, generate negative beliefs about scientific research, and lower intentions to perform recommended health behaviors. To mitigate such adverse effects, effective communication and public health interventions are needed. However, less scholarly attention has been paid to the information processing of contradictory health messages. This dissertation furthers our understanding of the mechanisms of contradictory health information processing by asking two questions: (1) Are cognitive and affective effects of exposure to contradictory health messages mediated by perceived conflict, and (2) does the level of self-relevance prompt differential processing of contradictory health messages?

To address these questions, I conducted a two-wave survey experiment. To test the potential moderating effects of self-relevance, it is important to select an appropriate health topic which allows variances in the level of self-relevance. Wave 1 survey (N = 1944), therefore, asked participants to report how frequently they performed eight routine health behaviors and rate how important it was to perform each behavior. I identified coffee consumption as the health context for Wave 2 because it had an approximately equal number of participants with varying levels of self-relevance. Wave 2 Study 1 (N = 649) tested whether exposure to contradictory health messages is linked to perceived conflict, and whether relatively high self-relevance prompts defensive processing of contradictory health messages. Results showed that perceived conflict was significantly greater among participants in the contradictory messages condition than those in comparison conditions with one-sided, convergent messages. Additionally, both high self-relevance (i.e., heavy coffee drinkers who think drinking coffee is important) and low self-relevance (i.e., non-routine coffee drinkers who think drinking coffee is unimportant) individuals engaged in defensive processing of the dissonant message that contradicted their strong prior beliefs and/or behaviors. Study 2 (N = 846) tested whether perceived conflict leads to subsequent adverse cognitive and affective responses of exposure to contradictory messages, and whether these responses differ by self-relevance. Results demonstrated that perceived conflict induced by exposure to contradictory messages was overall associated with greater topic-specific confusion, general confusion, ambivalence, anger, and fear; but not backlash, media skepticism, or surprise. Also, these effects did not vary by self-relevance.

Taken together, due to empirical inconsistencies across the outcomes, it is difficult to reach a clear conclusion whether perceived conflict always functions as a mediator in contradictory health information processing. Additionally, those holding strong priors are more likely to engage in defensive processing of contradictory messages, but such processing does not result in differential effects of exposure to conflict. The implications of these findings for addressing potentially adverse effects of exposure to contradictory health messages are discussed. 

Fernando Severino Diaz  I mmigration News in the Global South: A Comparative Analysis of Media Content and Journalistic Decisions and Practices in Latin America Advisor: Giovanna Dell'Orto

This dissertation analyzes the news media representation of intraregional immigration in Latin America in connection with the journalistic decisions that partially shape this content.

Based on an analysis of 1,690 news articles from 16 print and web outlets in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico (sampled from a database created uniquely for this dissertation), this project examines frames, word choices, sources, and other elements of news stories from 2014-2018. It also uses twenty interviews with journalists in these countries ––working for the news outlets analyzed here–– to establish relationships between the coverage produced in these newsrooms and the approach reporters take to write about immigration.

Overall, the findings show a predominant presence of two frames in the way news media decides to tell the story about immigration: A victim – humanitarian/human rights frame and a political responsibility–policy solutions and debates frame. These frames are heavily influenced by governmental voices and official messages that are the sources most used by reporters. News articles about the benefits of immigrants and immigration are minimal. The lack of specialization in newsrooms about reporting immigration, limited resources, and the context of violence negatively impact the presence of counternarratives to the official discourse. However, there is an agreement among journalists on writing about immigration in ways that avoid promoting xenophobia and stereotyping. Thus, the storytelling does not use charged labels about the newcomers, and concepts such as "illegality" are virtually absent.

From a theoretical perspective, this dissertation provides arguments about the role of professional journalism and journalists in developing countries as a crucial institution for democracy. From a more practical perspective, this project's results could benefit the work of reporters writing about immigration across newsrooms in the Global South

Chuqing Dong Judge a nonprofit by the partners it keeps: How does cross-sector partnership disclosure influence public evaluations of the nonprofit? Advisor: Hyejoon Rim

Cross-sector partnerships between nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the government have become a popular strategy for nonprofits to secure economic support, acquire scarce resources, advance their missions, and address larger and more complex problems in society. Despite these merits, these collaborative efforts are also controversial given the inherent distinctiveness and incompatibility between cross-sector partners. Under careful public scrutiny and confronted with consistently declining public trust, it is critical for nonprofits to strategically communicate about their cross-sector partnerships. However, current research on cross-sector partnership communication has not paid adequate attention to the nonprofit’s perspective, and rarely has it focused on publics’ reactions to nonprofits’ partnership disclosures. Taking a network approach, this study considers a nonprofit’s partnership portfolio as its egocentric network, which includes multiple partners that are simultaneously supporting the nonprofit. How a portfolio is configured, such as how many and with whom the nonprofit works, reflects the nonprofit’s discretion in partner selection and its embeddedness in alliance networks. When the nonprofit publicly communicates about the partnership portfolio, it becomes visible and can function as informational cues that influence publics’ perceptions of the nonprofit. To understand the effect and effectiveness of the partnership communication, this dissertation project is centered on two overarching questions: How does a nonprofit’s disclosure of different portfolio configurations (size, industry diversification, and organization type diversification) influence individual publics’ evaluations of the nonprofit? How do such portfolio communication strategies interact with nonprofit cynicism to affect publics’ evaluations of the nonprofit? To address these research questions, this dissertation conducted two experiments. Study 1 adopted a between-subject design to examine the main and interaction effects of portfolio size and industry diversification on individual publics’ trust, attitude, and intention to support the focal nonprofit. In addition, it tested the interaction effects between nonprofit cynicism and these two portfolio configurations on the communication outcomes. Study 2 adopted a between-subject experimental design to examine the main and interaction effects of portfolio size and organization type diversification, as well as how nonprofit cynicism influences the effects of these portfolio strategies. The key findings from the two studies revealed that having a small number of partners compared to a large number did not lead to a significant difference in publics’ evaluations of the nonprofit. Inclusion of partners within the same business industry compared to diverse industries also did not affect publics’ evaluations. However, displaying partners of the same organization type, as compared to different organization types, led to stronger intention to support the nonprofit. Both industry diversification and organization type diversification showed a significant interaction effect with nonprofit cynicism, but the effects were in opposite directions. As for industry diversification, as the level of nonprofit cynicism increased, individuals had more positive evaluations of the nonprofit when exposed to a heterogeneous portfolio than a homogeneous one. When it comes to organization type diversification, as the level of nonprofit cynicism increased, individuals evaluated a nonprofit less positive when exposed to a heterogeneous portfolio than a homogeneous one. The results also indicated an interaction effect between portfolio size and organization type diversification. The focal nonprofit was more favored when it disclosed a small number of partners that were in the same organization type than in different organization types. This dissertation advances the current literature on cross-sector partnership communication by providing empirical evidence on the effect and effectiveness of partnership portfolio communication from an individual public’s perspective. The findings also offer useful practical implications for nonprofits’ partner selection and portfolio development that can effectively respond to an increasingly cynical fundraising environment.

Scott Memmel Pressing the police and policing the press: The history and law of the relationship between the news media and law enforcement in the United States Advisor: Jane Kirtley

Amidst urbanization, immigration, industrialization, and rising crime in the United States in the 1830s-1840s, the modern conceptions of both the press and police were born. From early historical antecedents in the American colonies through the present, the news media and law enforcement have been, and continue to be, fundamental institutions in the United States. However, both parties face significant political, economic, social, and technological tension, pressure, and scrutiny, signifying the need for further research. Although past literature has covered some aspects of the press-police relationship, its history and law remain understudied. Through a new and original theoretical framework, in-depth literature review, three-part content analysis, and two-part legal analysis, this dissertation provides the most complete and comprehensive study of the history and law of the press-police relationship to date. It also aims to understand, analyze, and address how the history and law of the interactions between both parties inform the present and future of their relationship, including key implications on the press, police, and American public, as well as how the press-police relationship can be improved. This study therefore provides a series of important, tangible recommendations for the press and police to improve their relationship and better serve the public moving forward.

Simin Michelle Chen The Women's March movement on Facebook: Social connections, visibility, and digitally enabled collective action Advisor: Sid Bedingfield

Since the Arab Spring of 2011, scholars have debated the efficacy of social media in facilitating offline collective action. This dissertation seeks to fill a gap in that literature by examining the role of social ties in determining intention to participate in collective action. Using a mixed methods approach involving statistical analysis of survey results and in-depth interviews, this study examines how the Minnesota chapter of the Women's March in opposition to President Donald Trump used Facebook to engage and mobilize supporters. Findings show that aspects of tie strength such as reciprocity, duration, affect have different impact on intention to participate in high- and low-cost political actions. Similarly, the publicness of supporters' political action on Facebook has differing effects on intention to participate in collective action depending on supporters' tie strength with the chapter. Findings from this study have practical implication for social movement organizers seeking to energize, grow, and mobilize supporters using social media.

Hyejin Kim The role of trust in rumor suppression on social media: A multi-method approach applying the trust scores in social media (TSM) algorithm Advisor: Jisu Huh

Commercial rumor about an organization or brand, especially on social media, presents a special challenge for marketers and communication practitioners because of the fast flow and exchange of information among peers. Despite the importance of refuting rumors quickly and effectively, research on the effects and effectiveness of refuting rumor messages has been limited. To advance the literature in this emerging research area, the current project examines the impact of an interpersonal relational factor on the dissemination and effectiveness of rumor-refutation communication. The role of interpersonal relational factors is particularly important given that rumors spread through word-of-mouth (WOM) communication. Rumor-refutation communication should also utilize the same communication conduit for rapid and effective refutation. To advance rumor-refutation research and address the rising problem of commercial rumors, this dissertation project aimed to examine 1) how interpersonal influence among peers affects the belief and retransmission of rumors and rumor-refutation messages, and 2) potentially influential message characteristics that could help enhance interpersonal influence on readers’ belief of the rumors and rumor refutation messages, and the retransmission of rumor-refutation messages. To achieve these research goals, this study adopted a multi-method approach. Study 1 is a between-subjects repeated-measures experiment with a 2 (high-trustworthy vs. low-trustworthy source) x 2 (presence vs. absence of a trust cue) design that examines how the trustworthiness of the message source and a trust cue designed to induce message trustworthiness affect the belief and retransmission intention of rumors and rumor-refutation messages. Study 2 utilizes a computational research approach using the Trust Scores in Social Media (TSM) algorithm to test how mathematically captured trustworthiness scores of the sources of rumor-refutation messages influence actual message retransmission and how such an effect is moderated by the presence of trust cues included in the messages. The key findings in Study 1 revealed that a high-trustworthy source compared to a low-trustworthy source led to higher levels of rumor-refutation message belief and retransmission intention, but source trustworthiness did not affect the extent of reduction in the rumor belief and retransmission intention. Inclusion of a trust cue also did not moderate the impact of source trustworthiness on the belief and retransmission intention for both the rumor and rumor-refutation messages. Instead, it showed main effects in increasing the rumor-refutation message belief and retransmission intention, and a decreasing rumor belief and retransmission intention. The findings in Study 2 further confirmed the effects of the trustworthiness of the source on rumor-refutation message retransmission. However, inclusion of trust cues did not augment the source trustworthiness effects. The results indicated that the influence of source trustworthiness was stronger when the rumor-refutation message had no embedded trust cue. This study advances the rumor and electronic word-of-mouth research field by revealing how interpersonal influence among peer social media users can contribute to the effects and effectiveness of rumor-suppression communication. The findings also offer useful practical implications for identifying effective rumor-refutation dissemination hubs and refutation message-crafting strategies for a successful rumor-suppression campaign.

Jisu Kim Effects of incorporating citizen-eyewitness images into the news on audience trust in news organizations and news engagement Advisor: Jisu Huh

Recently, news organizations have actively been requesting and endorsing private citizens’ contributions to the news production through eyewitness images so as to circulate up-to-minute information and draw more audience attention to the news. Despite anecdotal evidence of growing numbers of citizen-eyewitness images in the news, there has been little systematic research on the extent of using citizen-eyewitness images by news organizations and the impact of incorporating citizen-eyewitness images into news content. In order to fill this gap in the research on citizen-eyewitness images, this study aims to examine: (1) the extent to which U.S. newspaper organizations incorporate images captured by private citizens into their news articles, and (2) the effects of incorporating citizen-eyewitness images in the news on audience trust in the news organization and audience engagement with the news. To achieve the goals, this study first conducted a machine-coded content analysis of news images published by 71 U.S. newspaper organizations to calculate the percentage of citizen-eyewitness images out of all news images with identifiable and classifiable sources (Study 1). This study then collected and analyzed user behavioral data on Twitter to compute a proxy measure representing trust in the news organizations using the Trust Scores in Social Media (TSM) algorithm and audience engagement with news (Study 2). The effects of the extent to which a news organization uses citizen-eyewitness images on audience trust in the news organization and audience engagement with news articles published by it were tested. The results showed that U.S. newspapers tended to incorporate a rather small number of citizen-eyewitness images in their news reports, and there were some variations in the degree of using citizen-eyewitness images in news reports among different groups of news organizations. In addition, the findings demonstrated that the extent to which a news organization incorporated citizen-eyewitness images in its news articles was positively related to the level of audience engagement with its news posted on Twitter. In contrast, there was no significant effect of incorporating images captured by private citizens into the news on audience trust in the news organization. This study contributes to advancing the participatory journalism research by providing systematic data depicting the current state of the newsroom practice using citizen-eyewitness images in the U.S. and examining the effects of citizen-eyewitness images in the news on audience trust in news organizations and engagement with news. Additionally, this study offers useful practical implications for news organizations as they develop strategies to deal with audience’s participation in the news production.

Xinyu Lu The effects of consumers’ affect on attention and reaction to ads Advisor: Jisu Huh

This dissertation examined (1) the influence of affective states on consumers’ selective attention to different types of ads that are categorized based on theoretically-derived attention-inducing characteristics; and (2) the influence of affective states on consumers’ ad processing style and evaluation of the ads that received attention. A computational research approach was used cross-analyzing proxy measures of real-time affective fluctuation of TV viewers during the 2018 and 2019 Super Bowl broadcast and their tweets regarding the ads aired during the Super Bowl broadcast. The results demonstrated some supports for the linkage between consumers’ temporary affective states, induced by the performance of the team they cheer for, and their selective attention to different types of ads even when they are exposed to the same set of ads during commercial breaks. Consistent with Mood Management Theory and prior psychology research evidence connecting affective states to visual attention, consumers in a negative affective state tend to pay more attention to positive ads and ads with emotional appeals than do those in a positive affective state. Furthermore, consumers in a positive affective state tend to pay more attention to exciting ads, compared to those in a negative affective state. However, this study’s data did not show significant relationship between consumers’ affective state and their selective attention to ads with different semantic affinity levels, nor any significant effects of affective state on ad processing style or evaluation of ads. The study contributes to advancing the ad attention and mood management research by testing the largely untested effects of consumers’ temporary affective states on selective attention and reactions to ads. The computational research approach developed in this study also offers significant methodological contributions to advertising scholarship, opening new avenue of research to apply the computational research approach to advertising theory building, especially theory regarding the role of consumers’ affective factors. Additionally, this study provides useful practical implications for ad targeting and ad placement strategies based on consumers’ temporary affective states. This study’s findings suggest a new promising way to target consumers and personalize ads based on individual consumers’ real-time, temporary affective states that can be captured by appropriate proxy measure data.

Lauren Gray The effects of temporal distance on health behavior intention formation Advisor: Rebekah Nagler

The aim of my dissertation is to understand how people make decisions about their health. Decision-making is a complex psychological process. Health behavior change theories have suggested a number of factors that inform decision-making and lead to behavior change. One of the factors that influences the decision-making process is the time at which behavioral performance is relevant, but this has not been tested and replicated in a health behavior context. Time refers to when we are asking people to engage in a health behavior (i.e. exercise this week or a year from now). It is essential to explore the role of time reference, because any systematic differences time reference produces in the decision-making process will affect whether and how we address time references in designing persuasive health messages. Alternately, if it produces no systematic differences, this will affect persuasive message design as well in that we may not have to consider it when designing health messages. We can use theory to guide us in understanding and predicting health behavior. The more we understand about how people make decisions about engaging in certain health behaviors, the more accurately we can predict these health behaviors. Accurately predicting health behaviors has implications for communication research and health message design. Using a theory-based approach helps us better understand and predict health behavior decision-making, which is a necessary first step to persuasive health message design. In the present research, I use reasoned action theory and construal level theory. Reasoned action theory is a behavioral theory that has proven efficacy in identifying factors that underlie any given behavior. Construal level theory is a social cognitive psychological theory that argues that people construe a behavior abstractly when framed in distal, far future terms and concretely when framed in proximal, near future terms. These theories are being used in concert to test how temporal distance affects intention formation. To this end, my research is a series of three nested studies, beginning with formative research on my target audience and several health behaviors and ending with suggestions for persuasive message design. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Alexander Patrick Pfeuffer The effects and underlying mechanisms of sponsorship disclosure in eWOM Advisor: Jisu Huh

Using a set of two experimental studies, this dissertation’s objectives were twofold. The first study examined the effects of sponsorship disclosure modes (written-only, spoken-only, and written-and-spoken disclosure) in sponsored online consumer product reviews on consumers’ attention to and perceived persuasive intent of sponsored eWOM. The second study explored the level of detail (low vs. high) and extent of disclosed commercial gain (general sponsorship, free product, payment for review, or sales commission) on attitudes toward the reviewer and a brand via proposed competing mechanisms of cue-based trust and persuasion knowledge. In both studies, effects were explored for search goods and experience goods. Study 1 found that, consistent with limited cognitive capacity theory and the Limited Cognitive Capacity Model of Mediated Message Processing, the spoken-only and written-and-spoken conditions generated incrementally higher attention when compared to written-only. However, perceived persuasive intent was not affected by disclosure mode. Key insights from Study 2 furthermore identified that, for experience goods, high detail level disclosures led to a more favorable attitude toward the reviewer, while the level of detail did not affect attitudinal responses for search goods. The results also showed that, in terms of extent of disclosed commercial gain, only the disclosure of receipt of a free product affected persuasion knowledge, trust, and attitude toward the brand. The receipt of a free product condition emerged as the only condition that did not exhibit lower trust and less favorable attitude toward the brand. Furthermore, persuasion knowledge, not trust, emerged as the indirect mediator facilitating extent of disclosed commercial gain effects on attitudes toward the brand and the reviewer for the disclosures of the receipt of a free product or a sales commission. The study contributes to the understanding of limited cognitive capacity, sponsorship disclosure effects, and to persuasion knowledge model and trust literature. Practical implications for eWOM stakeholders including advertisers, content creators, and policy makers are also discussed.

Susan LoRusso Beyond the "Angelina Effect": A longitudinal analysis of celebrity breast cancer disclosures' impact on news media and public online breast cancer information seeking outcomes, 2005-2016 Advisor: Rebekah Nagler

A long research tradition exists investigating the content of news coverage of celebrity breast cancer disclosures and, to a greater extent, the impact these personal health narratives have on public cancer-related outcomes. However, the bulk of this research focuses on specific, large-scale media events, such as Angelina Jolie’s 2013 BRCA disclosure. The attention to individual disclosures provide insight about the specific media event, but does not further knowledge about the larger phenomenon of celebrity cancer disclosures. To go beyond the Angelina effect, this dissertation addresses three overarching research questions: 1) What breast cancer-related messages are present in media coverage of celebrity breast cancer disclosures; 2) do these messages impact public cancer-related behavioral outcomes (i.e., online breast cancer information seeking); and 3) are there attributes of the celebrity that predict media and public outcomes? To address these questions, first, 110 individual celebrity breast cancer disclosures between 2005 and 2016 were systematically identified. Then, two longitudinal studies were conducted. To address the first question, Study 1 used computer assisted and hand coded procedures to assess the presence of episodic frames (defined as containing information specific to the celebrity and her experience with breast cancer) and thematic frames (defined as including population and subpopulation breast cancer information [e.g., prevalance, risk, survial rates]). In addition, the presence of seven content categories classified as misinformation (defined as information which is innaccurate, misleading, or oversimplified) in news coverage was assessed. Results demonstrated that 80% of the news articles were written with an episodic frame, and 20% were written with a thematic frame, indicating very little information beyond the celebrity’s own experience with breast cancer was conveyed to the public. However, misinformation was largely absent in the news coverage—only misinformation pertaining to early breast cancer detection and mastectomy decisions was present in 10% or more of the news coverage. Study 2 attempts to determine if news content impacts information seeking by using the framing outcomes from Study 1 to predict Google Trends search query outcomes. Due to the disparate rates in the presence of episodic and thematic frames this dissertation is unable to provide support linking content and online breast cancer information seeking outcomes. However, time series models suggest that media coverage of celebrity breast cancer disclosures in the aggregate have a distal impact on the public’s breast cancer information seeking outcomes. For example, some analyses suggested effects happened as late as 17 months after news coverage of the disclosure. Yet the nature of these trends may be a function of the data. Establishing if celebrity attributes can predict media and public outcomes was done through a moderation analysis of the results of Study 1 and Study 2. Specifically, the extent to which the presence of episodic and thematic and misinformation were present and statistically significant information seeking models were examined as a function of the celebrity’s age, career type, breast cancer-event type, and level of celebrity status (defined as the degree of fame the celebrity achieved at the time of disclosure). Eighty-seven percent of thematic frames present were in news coverage of celebrities at the highest levels of fame. Specific categories in the age, career-type, and level of celebrity status variables predicted the presence of misinformation. Some preliminary evidence suggests level of celebrity status may predict online breast cancer information seeking outcomes. The implications of the dissertation’s findings for health communication research, mass media effects research, and professional health communicators are discussed.

Chelsea Reynolds Casual encounters: Constructing sexual deviance on Craigslist.org Advisor: Kathleen Hansen

Despite the prevalence of dating websites and hookup applications, mass communication scholars have largely ignored news coverage of sex in the digital age. Research about online sexuality has built on early theories of cyber identity, in which the Internet was conceptualized as a great emancipator. Online, it was argued, people could explore “disembodied” sexualities with little interference from offline reality. This dissertation builds a research line that investigates journalistic discourse about online sexuality using more than a decade of coverage of Craigslist sex forums as a case study. It also examines user activity on Craigslist sex forums, testing dominant theories of online identity. For journalists, Internet-mediated sexuality represents a compound moral threat. Since 2003, national U.S. newspapers have consistently identified the classified ads website Craigslist as a hotbed for sexual deviants — people whose sexual interests mainstream culture deems immoral or even illegal. Newspaper journalists call on police and government sources to frame Craigslist users as prostitutes, violent criminals, and cheating politicians. By relying on elite sources, news media surveil social deviance for the public. This is an outcome of normative reporting practices. Representational scholars have argued that media made by marginalized groups will provide more nuanced narratives than the mainstream press. But in stories about Craigslist sex forums, alternative media reproduce stigma about online sexuality. Popular LGBTQ and feminist online magazines describe Craigslist sex forums as catalysts for illegal and immoral activity. They sometimes privilege sex workers’ voices and cover the experiences of sexual minorities, but they contribute to the same deviance-defining discourse about Craigslist sex forums as does the mainstream press. Media across the ideological spectrum police social deviance and reinforce cultural norms — online and off. Mass media surveillance of online sexuality encourages people to surveil their own behavior online. Ads on Craigslist sex forums reflect dominant cultural norms about sex despite posters’ attempts to explore their “unusual” fantasies. The Craigslist Casual Encounters forum provides a productive outlet for people to fantasize about kink, non-monogamy, race, and sexuality. But it also reflects the politics of its white male user base. Sexism, homophobia, and gendered logics saturate the forums. Offline stigmas about sexuality bleed into online sexual expression. This dissertation theorizes the role of normalizing judgment in determining media representations of online sexuality. It offers perspectives from journalism sociology and cultural studies to help explain why media paint Craigslist sex forums as spaces that foster illegal and immoral sex. The dissertation concludes that online sexuality must be added to definitions of deviance in news. It problematizes theories of representations of sexuality by alternative media, and it demonstrates that online sexuality is deeply intertwined with offline identity.

Whitney O. Walther-Martin Happily ever persuaded? A look at the influence of character involvement, transportation, and emotion on perceived threat, reactance, and persuasion Advisor: Daniel Wackman

Narratives have been proven to be an effective means by which people are persuaded. However, the exact psychological mechanism(s) that is/are responsible for persuasion have been debated. Some argue the process of transportation is necessary in determining whether or not the persuasive message will succeed (e.g., Green &amp; Brock, 2000; Green &amp; Clark, 2013; Murphy et al., 2011). Others have found character involvement to influence attitudes (Banerjee &amp; Greene, 2012; de Graaf, Hoeken, Sanders, &amp; Beentjes, 2011; Igartua &amp; Barrios, 2012), behavioral intentions, and actual behaviors in the context of narratives (Moyer-Gusé, Chung, &amp; Jain, 2011). Other say it is a combination of psychological mechanisms that is responsible for attitudes message consistent and behavioral intentions (Slater &amp; Rouner, 2002). Theories such as the entertainment overcoming resistance model (EORM) posit that narratives reduce consumers’ reactance, which then makes persuasion possible. This dissertation draws upon theories in both reactance (psychological reactance theory (PRT)) and narrative persuasion literature (EORM) in order to fulfill three objectives. First, this work uniquely identifies and distinguishes the role(s) transportation, character involvement, and/or emotional involvement play(s) in overcoming reactance. Second, this work distinguishes between perceived threat to freedom and reactance – a mediated process yet to be studied in narrative persuasion literature. Last, this dissertation explores the influence of reactance proneness as a moderating variable in the context of narratives. Results suggest a model that explains the relationship amongst the three psychological mechanisms and adds to reactance literature. Reactance was found to have direct effect on persuasion, though it is not a mediator of perceived threat and persuasion (as has been suggested in most PRT studies). Last, reactance proneness was, indeed, a moderating variable of the relationship between perceived threat and reactance. Suggestions for future studies in the area of reactance and narrative persuasion are offered.

Xuan Zhu Can self-affirmation reduce defensive responses to health communication messages? - The role of self-esteem Advisor: Marco Yzer

This dissertation tested whether people’s strength of self-esteem moderates self-affirmation effects on health message processing. The findings from three studies (Study 1: N = 115, Study 2: N = 294, Study 3: N = 426) with three different behavior contexts (sunscreen use, flossing, and alcohol consumption reduction) suggest that individuals’ strength of self-esteem can moderate self-affirmation effects on health message processing: people with high and low levels of self-esteem may respond differently to self-affirmation based health communication interventions in certain situations. However, despite the theoretical coherence, evident inconsistencies exist across the three studies. Therefore, at this point, a clear conclusion regarding when self-affirmation benefits people with high versus low levels of self-esteem cannot yet be reached and specific suggestions on how self-affirmation should be used in health communication practices cannot be provided. Nonetheless, this research has shown that individuals’ self-esteem levels can influence the effectiveness of self-affirmation-based health communication interventions, and sometimes not in a desirable direction. Interventionists therefore should use caution when incorporating self-affirmation elements in health communication interventions as it may have positive effects for some, but weak or even adverse effects among others.

Master's Theses

Ting He  Paid to Play: Gender, Intersectionality, and Labor Control in Platform-Mediated Game Gig Work Advisor: Colin Agur   

Using data from 27 game companions working on a gaming freelancer platform E-Pal, this study explores the nature of their work, how workers’ intersectional identities relate to their work experiences, and how the platform manages its gig workers. The findings suggest that their work is a type of playbor where the boundaries between “work” and “play” have merged. Gaming companionship work is highly affective as producing or manipulating relationships and emotional responses is more important than gaming in the labor process. This type of work is also precarious and gig workers view their work and income as unstable. There are six forms of labor control on the site: setting exclusion criteria, creating unique identifiers, performance management mechanism, centralizing payment, filtering search results, and gamification. But the platform also provides space for labor’s autonomy and resistance, such as communicating outside of the platform, setting prices, and choosing customers. Finally, this study analyzed the labor practice using a gender and intersectional perspective. Findings show that female workers, especially Asian and Latina females, are more successful but they experience more gender-related stereotypes and objectification. Consistent with previous research on platform economy, findings suggest that the Black group is the most marginalized. As an international labor platform, languages, time zones, and local political economy also matter in the labor process.

Kendal Aldridge From the Victorian Internet to Section 230: Journalistic Discourse, Government Regulation, and New Communications Technology Advisor: Sid Bedingfield 

This study explores the role of mainstream media commentary in reflecting and shaping public opinion on the regulation of interactive communication online. It uses textual analysis to examine newspaper commentary on Section 230 leading up to the only two Supreme Court cases to challenge this controversial statute. The cases are ACLU v. Reno, argued in 1997, and Gonzalez v. Google, argued in 2023. This study analyzes six months of commentary, leading up to oral arguments in each case, from three major publications: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Widely considered the first draft of history, journalistic discourse offers insight into how public perception of online communication has shifted over time. A qualitative textual analysis of newspaper commentary focused on the Section 230 statute of the reformed 1934 Communications Act found three dominant themes: a collective recognition of content harms, polarization on content moderation policy, and an overall politicization of First Amendment jurisprudence. Debate over the decision to keep or revoke Section 230 touches each of these three themes. This study also situates the current debate over online communication into the long history of government regulation of new media technologies. From its regulation of the telegraph to the internet, U.S. telecommunications law remains the pre-eminent legal framework governing each iteration of communications technology. Revisiting this history is important to understanding modern debates around the sufficiency of this old law to govern new technology.

Serena Armstrong  Do They Care Anymore?: Examining Effects of Exogenous Shocks on Political Interest and News Avoidance Advisor: Emily Vraga  

The COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 election, police brutality, and Black Lives Matter protests led to a heightened, and divisive, political environment in the US. Collectively these events served as an exogenous shock, a prolonged and widespread crisis that made it difficult to reconstitute life, to Americans. This study examines impacts and perceived effects that exogenous shocks can have on political interest and news engagement levels of young adults. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, this research provides insight that the level of importance that young adults attribute to holding a high political interest is high, even when not engaged themselves due to perceived negativity and aggression associated with politics and news. Many of those who previously held high levels of interest and engagement before the exogenous shock hit a ceiling and then the floor in terms of their interest due to becoming overwhelmed, while many who had not been previously involving themselves had a wake-up call and steadier rise in terms of their interest and engagement with news and politics. These findings can inform the current state of politics in the eyes of young adults, how to approach news and politics with young adults, and the possibilities of mitigating related effects.

Tracy Gunapalan The Impact of Ethnic and Mainstream News Media Collaboration on Immigrant News: A Content Analysis of the Sahan Journal/Star Tribune Partnership Advisor: Matt Carlson   

This thesis uses a quantitative content analysis of the Star Tribune’s coverage of immigrant communities and immigration between the year prior to its partnership with Sahan Journal and the year during it. With the goal of examining how patterns of coverage shifted with the partnership, this work considers the visibility of immigrants and immigration coverage across two years as well as the types of frames that were most often deployed in these types of news stories. Considering the complexities of race in this discourse, differences across European and non-European immigrant communities were also examined. Findings reveal that the partnership saw decreased coverage of immigrants and immigration but that it also resulted in the utilization of more positive frames in these stories, regardless of whether subjects were European immigrants or not. However, results also demonstrate that the criminalization of immigration remains a significant issue in mainstream coverage of immigrant communities. This research suggests that while ethnic/mainstream partnerships may be helpful for creating more positive coverage of immigrant communities, further efforts are necessary to address persisting news values and norms that misrepresent and neglect communities of color.

Jacob Gustin Does News Coverage of Partisan Polarization and Issue Polarization Specifically Further Divide an Already Divided Public? Advisor: Benjamin Toff  

Democrats and Republicans in the United States are increasingly polarized; not necessarily only because of where they stand on policy issues, but particularly in light of the way they appear to loathe each other as human beings (Iyengar et al., 2019; Iyengar & Westwood, 2015; Kalmoe & Mason, 2022). Partisan discrimination exceeds even racial discrimination in the United States (Iyengar & Westwood, 2015), with studies finding that party identity is used to screen others on dating apps (Huber & Malhotra, 2016) and job applications (Gift & Gift, 2015).

Americans are increasingly told by the news media about the phenomenon of polarization within the country, labeling it as a problem that needs fixing (Levendusky & Malhotra, 2016; Robison & Mullinix, 2016). Likewise, a number of studies in the past decade have sought to identify ways in which to depolarize the electorate (Huddy & Yair, 2021; Levendusky, 2018; Levendusky & Stecula, 2021). 

Christina Harisiadis  From What Made the “Red Man Red” to Moana: Exploring How BIPOC Members of Generation Z Interpret Disney’s Corporate History Advisor: Amy O'Connor

This thesis investigated how BIPOC members of Generation Z understand corporate racial diversity statements and how their understanding is informed by organizational history. Focus groups were conducted at a large Midwestern university with questions exploring participant sentiments surrounding corporate racial diversity statements and organizational history, broadly as well as looking Disney’s initiatives specifically. Findings demonstrate that people hold a critical but understanding attitude towards racial diversity statements and organizational history. Furthermore, people are still willing to engage with companies if it suits their needs. 

Frank Funwi Make Y(our) Money and Keep Your Mouth Shut: A Closer Look at Social Media Use in Modern College Sports Advisor: Christopher Terry

The compensation of college athletes outside of athletic scholarships has long been the subject of furious debate, with a balance being found between maintaining the amateur status of the athletes while also ensuring they have a chance to get their slice of the pie in the ultra-lucrative collegiate sport landscape. The passing of the interim NIL policy by The Board of Governors and the three divisions of the NCAA in the summer of 2021 gave college athletes an opportunity to capitalize on the value of their names and likeness, provided they stay within the grounds set by their schools and the NIL laws specific to their states. However, what does this increase in player self-determination, mean for the athlete’s ability to express themselves on social media while also using those accounts as advertising medium for their personal brands? This study attempts to observe and analyze the effect the NIL has had on the social media policies for student-athletes in Power 5 universities nationwide. The policies of numerous reputable Division 1 universities were studied alongside the inaugural NIL policy to determine whether the two sets of regulations were of optimum benefit for the athletes.

Tania Ganguli  Repairing trust: How newspapers responded to diversity, equity and inclusion discourse in the summer of 2020 Advisor: Danielle Brown

After George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, the transnational conversation about racism and anti-blackness caused the newspaper industry to consider its past behavior with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This thesis uses a textual analysis of DEI statements published by top U.S. newspapers, which include metajournalistic discourse about race, and case studies of two U.S. newspapers to analyze how U.S. newspapers responded to calls for improved DEI in the summer of 2020. Newspapers often attempted to defend their past behavior even as they communicated a desire to build trust with marginalized audiences. Although the amount of metajournalistic discourse about a newspaper’s DEI initiatives was not predictive of DEI actions, public discussions of a newspaper’s failings might serve as a precursor to real, concrete change.

Trevor Zaucha  Gaming the Systems: Non-Fungible Tokens and the Blurring of Gambling and Finance in Play-to-Earn Games Advisor: Colin Agur

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a form of digital asset that functions as a receipt or other representation of ownership. In more technical language, NFTs are a string of characters logged on a blockchain. NFTs’ relationship to artworks, gaming items and avatars, music, films, digital trading cards, and more suggests a direct relationship to media artifacts while broadening the parameters of what might be considered media through a process of digitization and further mediation. Applied to gaming software, NFTs act as a new form of monetization and further gambling’s role in the design of interactive media. This study examines two different NFT projects, developer Sky Mavis’ “Axie Infinity” and developer Virtually Human Studio’s “ZED Run”, to better understand the nature of NFT applications and their users. This study analyzes user activity in the applications’ associated Discord servers, public-facing platform documentation, and the applications themselves. This work examines the increasingly complex, marketized, commodified, ambiguous, volatile, and gamified reality of NFT applications. This work is less concerned with what users do or will do next and instead considers the experiences, feelings, and beliefs that inform user actions and reflect contextualizing factors explored in the literature review. Although gaming, gambling, and financial investment share similar motivations, they do exist as different topics of interest, necessitating the inquiry into users’ feelings and motivations with attention towards the extent with which those feelings align with the expressed purposes of the applications central to this study. Additionally, this work posits that the interests of capital (private property, accumulation, consumption, etc.) act as a form of external pressure or contextualizing factor that informs the actions of users of NFT games and applications. This study’s findings indicate a cultural climate defined by characteristics such as distrust, uncertainty, inequalities of power, exploitation, educational interest, financial desire, and the intertwined nature of systems and communities that may entertain, enrich, or extort.

Haoyi Lu Donation Engagement: The Effect of Message Construal Level and Agent Knowledge Advisor: Hyejoon Rim 

Donation-matching program is increasingly receiving attention for its ability to generate more gift by matching the individual’s donation with a company’s donation. Previous studies have demonstrated the effect of matching structure on the donation engagement, yet little is known about the influence of the donation message frames and the company’s role in donation-matching. Based on previous literature on construal level theory, this study proposes the concept of message construal level to refer to the message frame that intends to cast the mental construal level. Guided by construal level theory and persuasion knowledge model, this present study employed 2*2*2 between-subjects experimental design and examined the effects of message construal level (i.e.,  why  vs.  how  frame) and agent knowledge (i.e., corporate social responsibility history) on the donation desirability evaluation, donation attitude, and donation participation intention. The results showed that there were no significant effects of message construal level and agent knowledge, or the interaction effect of message construal level and agent knowledge, on the donation engagement. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Ran Ma Narratives may not be as powerful as rumored: The persuasive impact of narrative types in the context of colorectal cancer screening Advisor: Emily Vraga and Marco Yzer

Narratives are found to be a promising tool of persuasion in health communication. Yet it is unclear what type of narratives function best. The primary objective of this study is to experimentally examine the effects of a narrative with a positive outlook, i.e. restorative narrative, and a narrative with a negative outlook, i.e. negative narrative, on colorectal cancer (CRC) knowledge, intention to seek CRC information and get CRC screening. I also tested whether exposure to CRC facts following a narrative can moderate narrative effects. Participants (N = 600 before screening, n = 359 after screening) read one of the narrative or nonnarrative messages with or without a fact sheet about CRC. The results indicated no difference in persuasive effects among different types of narratives, no moderation effect of exposure to CRC facts, but a positive influence of factual information on CRC knowledge. Implications of the results are discussed.

Nicole Zhang  War of Words: Constructing National Images and International Relations in U.S. and Chinese News Discourses of Domestic and Foreign Protests  Advisor: Giovanna Dell'Orto

In the third decade of the 21st century, the relationship between the United States and China as two economic superpowers is at its most tense since the normalization of their ties in 1979. This project examined two U.S. newspapers,  The New York Times  (NYT) and  The Wall Street Journal  (WSJ), and two Chinese news media,  The Global Times  (GT) and  Pengpai , and analyzed their discourses about the Hong Kong (HK) and Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests. The purpose is not only to compare coverage, but to learn how news media in the U.S. and China constructed each other’s national images when the two countries were in crises. Also, it looked at how national interests and international relations, as well as the different journalism fields in the U.S. and China, were reflected in their news coverage of the domestic protests and the overseas protests. This project analyzed a total of 582 news articles by using constructivism and Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) social construction of reality as the theoretical framework, and discourse analysis as the research method, and found that the national images the U.S. and Chinese formed of each other are not only negative but also similar. The images they constructed not only echoed their strained relations, but also their competition for a global reputation and status as a world leader. Tense Sino-U.S. relations were mirrored in the selected U.S. news coverage of the domestic and international protests, as the overseas protesters were portrayed more positively than domestic protesters, while overseas police were portrayed more negatively than domestic police. Nonetheless, the chosen Chinese news media’s negative portrayal of the overseas protesters did not merely break the ancient proverb that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but suggested that apart from international relations, a country’s news discourse about protests might also reflect its cultural and racial background. 

Yansheng Liu “After All They Don’t Know Me” - Examining the Psychological Mechanisms of Toxic Behavior in  Honor of Kings Advisor: Colin Agur

Toxic behavior is commonplace in online games and has a series of negative consequences for players. Although previous studies have illustrated common types and themes of in-game toxic behavior, it remains unclear what psychological mechanism can explain why toxic behavior emerges and evolves in gaming environments.To fill in this research gap, guided by Online Disinhibition Effect theory, this current study applies a mixed-method approach to understand how and why people engage in toxic behavior in the game  Honor of Kings , a popular Chinese mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, and it also examines potential predictors of frequency of in-game toxic behavior. Specifically, using a qualitative interview approach, Study 1 illustrates the evolving process of both verbal and behavioral in-game toxic behavior, and identifies five major types of toxic players by motivations and three theoretical explanations for how the online gaming environment facilitates players’ toxic behavior. Using a quantitative survey approach, Study 2 examines how frequency of in-game toxic behavior is associated with age, gender, time spent playing, big-five personality traits and dark tetrad personality traits, as well as gaming motivation. Anonymity also plays a key role in facilitating in-game toxic behavior, and it is associated with more favorable attitudes and perceived norms towards in-game toxicity, less perceived consequences of toxicity and less impression management intention. Implications of this study on future research are also discussed.

Landon Graham "Is this All A Joke to You": Metacommunication, Advocacy, and the Serious Side of Satire during the 2020 Election  Advisor: Matt Carlson

Political satire assumes that politicians are serious and earnest. The establishment of political norms allows comedians to level critiques through irony and laughter, providing unique perspective and questioning the status quo. But Donald Trump disrupted political and democratic norms during his presidency, relying on an entertainment aesthetic and using an insult-comic style to mock his opponents. This nonseriousness from the president disrupted the traditional process of political humor. This study examines how five U.S. television satire shows—Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert—balanced seriousness and nonseriousness in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election. Comedians contextualized Trump as a threat to democracy and focused on the election as a moment for potential political change. With an underlying sense of outrage, comedians engaged in earnest advocacy against Trump while also engaging in metacommunication about their social role. This shift toward discourses of outrage and earnest advocacy has implications for the role of detached irony as the main mode of political humor.

Hanjie Liu  Delay or Right Away? Synchronicity of Social Media Use and Its Impact on State Social Anxiety Arising from Social Media Use, State Rumination and Offline Social Anxiety  Advisor: Sherri Katz 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the pervasive use of social media made huge influences on young adults’ psychological well-being, especially those with social anxieties. Guided by online disinhibition effects and response style theory, the current research conducted a between-subject online experiment (N = 193) with an even split of gender on Amazon MTurk. Findings show that asynchronous social media use increases individuals’ state interaction anxiety on social media compared to synchronous social media use. While state rumination does not mediate the relationship between synchronicity of social media use and state social anxiety arising from social media use (SASMU), it is a significant predictor of individuals’ state SASMU. In addition, findings show that offline social anxiety still matters most in online social interactions, with an overriding effect compared to the impact of one-time social media use. The present investigation sheds light on the relationship between the synchronicity of social media use and social anxiety.

Le Wang The effects of lexical and discourse-based hedging in news stories of cancer screening and treatment on cancer-related behavioral beliefs and trust towards cancer scientists Advisor: Rebekah Nagler 

Hedging, a way to convey scientific uncertainty, could manifest in two different ways: lexical hedging (expression of uncertainty through linguistic elements such as “might,” “may,” and “likely”) and discourse-based hedging (expression of uncertainty through disclosing experimental weaknesses, lack of generalizability of study results, and so forth). Previous studies in cancer communication documented some positive effects of hedging on variables pertaining to cancer prevention and control, but they focused on discourse-based hedging. To assess and compare the effects of the two different types of hedging on people’s cancer-related behavioral beliefs and trust towards cancer scientists, an online survey experiment was conducted. No significant effects of hedging on beliefs or trust were found. The associations among variables of interests, including behavioral beliefs, trust, attitude, and behavioral intention, were examined, and the potential moderating role of research literacy was explored. Implications of the study’s results are discussed.

Ida Darmawan Unbranded Vs. Branded Direct-To-Consumer Advertising (Dtca) Using Social Media Influencers: Examining The Effects Of Message Type And Disclosure Advisor: Jisu Huh

Social media influencer (SMI) advertising is a recent tactic conducted by pharmaceutical companies to promote a disease or a prescription drug directly to consumers. This study examined the effects of unbranded and branded direct-to-consumer (DTC) SMI advertising along with the effects of sponsorship disclosure on consumers’ attitude toward the ad and behavioral intentions. The Persuasion Knowledge Model was used as theoretical framework to understand the underlying mechanism of these effects. An online experiment with a 2 (unbranded vs. branded) x 2 (disclosure absence vs. presence) between-subject factorial design was conducted. Results showed that the unbranded message led to a higher attitude toward the ad than the branded version, and this effect was mediated by persuasion knowledge activation. Similarly, the absence of disclosure resulted in a higher attitude toward the ad than the presence of disclosure. A significant interaction effect between message type and disclosure on persuasion knowledge activation was also found. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Marisa Erickson Corporate Sociality: An analysis of Twitter post directionality, functionality, and reciprocity of Fortune 100 companies Advisor: Sherri Jean Katz

This study discusses the use of the social media platform Twitter by Fortune 100 companies. A random sample of the 2019 Twitter posts of 20 Fortune 100 companies over 30 days are collected. These posts are analyzed using a new theoretical model, titled The Three Faces of Corporate Social Media Use, as adapted from Grunig’s (1984) Four Models of Public Relations. According to Grunig (1992), the best model for companies to utilize is a two-way symmetrical model that promotes openness, trust, and understanding between organizations and their audiences. Contrasting that idea, this research found that companies most often use posts that are self-promotional, in that the posts carry messages that are promoting aspects of the company or are marketing a product or service.

Joshua Jordan Self-affirming values: Defensive processing of information about human embryonic stem-cell (hESC) research Advisor: Rebekah Nagler

Self-affirmation research suggests that affirming important values can reduce defensive responses to threatening information. However, whether this holds in the context of information about the life sciences is not clear. Integrating self-affirmation and values drawn from science communication research, the objective was to better understand core values associated with hESC research and to exclude these values from a subsequent self-affirmation intervention focusing on information about hESC research; and to test the hypothesis that self-affirming a value unrelated to hESC research would reduce defensive processing of information about it. Data were obtained from a pretest study survey and a main study experiment. In the pretest study (n = 315), several values were found to correlate with a favorable view of hESC research, but not opposition to it, since the sample was primarily individuals with a favorable view. A new list of values was thus adopted for the main study, which focused specifically on individuals opposed to hESC research. The main study (n = 113) showed that affirming a value unrelated to hESC research does not reduce defensive processing of information about it. The implications of these findings for science communication are discussed.

Lanhuizi Gan Actors, partisan inclination, and emotions: An analysis of government shutdown news stories shared on Twitter during Dec 2018 and Jan 2019 Advisor: Colin Agur

Scholars have recognized emotion as an increasingly important element in the reception and retransmission of online information. Because of existing divergence in ideology, both in the audience and producer of news stories, political issues are prone to spark a lot of emotional contents online. This present study takes the 2018-2019 government shutdown as the subject of investigation. The results show the prominence in journalistic and political figures in leading the discussion of news stories, the nuance of emotions employed in the news frames, and the choice of pro-attitudinal news sharing.

Yunxin Liu Emotional outcomes of social media multitasking during academic tasks Advisor: Marco Yzer

Focusing on the population of college students, the current study investigated the effects of synchronicity in social media multitasking on emotional outcomes (valence and arousal) in a laboratory experiment. Additionally, sensation seeking was proposed as a moderator between synchronicity and emotional outcomes. The results demonstrated that the synchronicity in social media multitasking impacts valence but not arousal levels. Additionally, no moderating effects of sensation seeking between synchronicity and emotional outcomes were found. Results of this study contribute to the understanding of media multitasking, a complex phenomenon with a great variety of tasks that can be involved. Future research should continue to advance the definition of synchronicity in media multitasking scenarios and understand its potential influences on emotional outcomes.

Yifan Tian Mitigating the reactance to choice-restricting health messages through interdependent self-construal priming Advisor: Sherri Jean Katz

This study examined the possibility of mitigating psychological reactance to health messages through interdependent self-construal priming. With a 2 x 2 experiment, we manipulated (1) whether or not the health message restricts choice, and (2) whether or not a participant was primed with interdependent self-construal before seeing the message. Results showed that the choice-restricting message elicits greater perceived threat to freedom and psychological reactance. Participants who received an interdependent self-construal prime respond with lower levels of perceived threat to freedom when the message has low restriction to choice. However, the process did not increase message effectiveness. As the first research that focuses on the effects of situational self-construal priming in the context of psychological reactance theory, this study suggests the possibility to mitigate reactance through interdependent self-constual priming. Implications for future research and health message strategies are discussed.

Clara Juarez Miro The dialogue of the Deaf: A discourse analysis on the construction of the Catalan and Spanish identities in news media Advisor: Giovanna Dell'Orto

This study analyzes the role of the media in the relationship between Catalonia and Spain, a prototypical case study for secessionism among developed countries. Framing and discourse theory inform a content analysis to answer the following research questions: (1) How do national media construct Catalan identity in Spain? (2) How do national media construct Spanish identity in Spain? (3) How do Catalan regional media construct Spanish identity in Catalonia? (4) How do Catalan regional media construct Catalan identity in Catalonia? (5) How is the secessionist movement framed in both nation-wide and Catalan media? The analysis focuses on news at three milestones in Spain’s history: The autonomic pacts in 1981, which informed the current distribution of central and regional powers; the secessionist demonstration in 2012, which resulted in the Catalan government’s taking a pro-independence stance; and the ISIS terrorist attacks in Catalonia in 2017, which elevated the political tension between administrations.

Meghan Erkkinen The Role of activists in the news coverage of the case of Philando Castille  Advisor: Amy O'Connor

This paper examines the role of activists and social media in the news coverage of the controversial death of Philando Castile at the hands of police. Using the agenda-building framework, this paper found that no relationship existed between news coverage and the tweets of Black Lives Matter activists. The results of this paper suggest that journalists continue to use elite and official sources in constructing news narratives. This paper also supports previous research that suggests that journalists use social media in their news reporting, signaling a change in norms and routines. The implications of these findings for journalism, news consumers, and activist movements are discussed.

Nathan Leding Facebook and television news: A qualitative analysis using Napoli's Theory of Engagement Advisor: Kathleen Hansen

In an effort to gain viewership, television stations put a lot of resources into the promotion of their newscasts. One way the stations reach the audience is through social media which has had a large impact on the way television news organizations connect with viewers. This qualitative analysis examines Facebook users' responses with regard to Facebook posts generated by television news stations. This study looks at how the audience uses media messages generated on Facebook.

Magdalene Lee Exploring the intermedia agenda-setting relationships and frames in the high-choice media environment Advisor: Sid Bedingfield

This study seeks to better understand the role of intermedia agenda setting in the current “high choice” media environment. Going beyond traditional news providers, it examines agenda-setting influences during the 2016 presidential campaign across three distinct types of media: mainstream news media consisting of national newspapers, digital native news sites, and late-night comedy programs. Quantitative and qualitative content analyses were conducted to examine the issue agendas and the specific news frames used by the three media types. Spearman rank-order correlations revealed that the three issue agendas converged. Findings also showed an association between media types and frames used. Therefore, this study suggests that mainstream news media still play a dominant agenda- setting role despite the fragmenting of audiences. By ignoring the usual distinction between news and entertainment and focusing instead on what Williams and Delli Carpini refer to as politically relevant media, this study seeks to extend agenda-setting theory in the digital age.

Scott Memmel Police body cameras: Historical context, ongoing debate, and where to go from here Advisor: Jane Kirtley

Calls for greater use of police body worn cameras (BWCs) gained widespread support after several unarmed black men were killed by law enforcement between 2014 and 2017. However, BWCs are being asked to solve problems far more complex than they appear on the surface. This paper begins by establishing the historical roots of distrust between the black community and police. Next, the paper proposes a theoretical framework and examines key issues, including (1) ideals of BWCs as an instrument of the search for truth and a means of greater police accountability, (2) potential limitations, including questions of reliability/accuracy, privacy, and costs, and (3) questions over access to footage. Finally, this paper uses recommendations by the American Civil Liberties Union and Minneapolis Police Conduct Oversight Commission to argue that although BWCs are not a panacea, they can still be part of the solution for the concerns they are meant to address.

Keonyoung Park Effects of instant activism: How social media hoaxes mobilize publics on GMO labeling issues Advisor: Hyejoon Rim

This study explored how people publically engage with a politicized science issue in a social media environment. In exploring this engagement, this studied identified new types of pseudo-activism phenomena generated by participants and proposed the concept of instant activism. Instant activism suggests that sensational cues initiate heuristic information processing in the lay public. This study suggested that instant publics perform supportive actions as a reaction to instant activism. Further, this study examined the effect of social media hoaxes as a non-profit organization's wicked tool. For purposes of this study, GMO (genetically modification organisms) labeling in the US was explored as the politicized science issue. Grounded in two different theories, this study empirically examined both the perceptual and behavioral consequences of the new type of activism for the publics involved. Using motivated reasoning theory, Study 1 explored the development of instant activism by following the individuals’ cognitive process. Results demonstrated that exposure to a hoax strategy had a significant impact on motivating participants to quickly process and respond to GMO labeling issues. Study 2 addressed the behavioral aspects of the instant public, building on the situational theory of problem solving. Results indicated that exposure to a hoax increased an individual’s active communicative actions but had no effect on that individual’s passive actions and embedded principles regarding GMO labeling issues. This early attempt to empirically examine social media hoaxes and GMO labeling issues discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the results.

Kendall Paige Tich Tweeting the storm: A SCCT approach to NPOs' Twitter communications during Hurricane Matthew Advisor: Colin Agur

Hurricane Matthew, one of recent history’s most devastating natural disasters, had a severe impact on parts of the Southeastern U.S. and Haiti. This research looked at how four non-profit organizations, The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army USA, Hope for Haiti, and World Vision Haiti, used Twitter to communicate crisis response strategies with the public. Guided by the SCCT, this study implemented a qualitative textual analysis of the organizations’ Tweets in the pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis phases of the disaster. The research findings indicated a disconnect between theoretical response recommendations and Twitter communication. Recommendations for practical implications of this research included a need for greater consideration, on the part of practitioners, organizations, and others involved in crisis communication, of SCCT response recommendations, Twitter as a unique and growing communication outlet, and target audience of response strategies and crisis communication.

Sarah Wiley Algorithms, machine learning, and speech: The future of the First Amendment in a digital world Advisor: Jane Kirtley

We increasingly depend on algorithms to mediate information and thanks to the advance of computation power and big data, they do so more autonomously than ever before. At the same time, courts have been deferential to First Amendment defenses made in light of new technology. Computer code, algorithmic outputs, and arguably, the dissemination of data have all been determined as constituting “speech” entitled to constitutional protection. However, continuing to use the First Amendment as a barrier to regulation may have extreme consequences as our information ecosystem evolves. This paper focuses on developing a new approach to determining what should be considered “speech” if the First Amendment is to continue to protect the marketplace of ideas, individual autonomy, and democracy.

Master in Global Journalism

Qualification awarded.

Master's degree

Journalism is becoming increasingly global, both as a profession and as an area of study. More than ever, media production is a transnational undertaking where journalists and media content cross cultural and geographical boundaries. In the global exchange taking place, journalists could be viewed as both observers and participants. They are not just deliverers of news and information, they also shape them.

While modern media society is becoming more globalized, it is also evident that societies around the world develop their own media cultures, often in opposition to dominant Western media logics. Thus, in order to understand journalism in a globalized world, it is not sufficient to study transnational news exchange; one also has to analyse the development of local journalism culture in relation to the global media society. These diverse perspectives are but some of the areas which belong to the study of global journalism.

What is global journalism?

'Global journalism' is increasingly used to refer to an aspect of contemporary journalism. However, the term is applied somewhat differently in different contexts and may not always mean the same thing. One way to understand 'global journalism' is simply to make it mean transnational news exchange, particularly of the kind that large international news networks and agencies engage in, such as CNN and Reuters. In this meaning, global journalism could be seen as the counterpart to local or national journalism. Studies within this approach are interested in finding out how international journalism is practiced (e.g. by foreign correspondents) and how globalization affects journalism in light of for example economic and technological advances. [1]

Another way to understand `global journalism` is to refer to it as a kind of reporting philosophy. Like the international journalism approach described above, this approach to global journalism is occupied with professional practice, although not to denote traditional news exchange across borders but as an alternative way of covering issues of global importance. This type of global journalism is not primarily reflected in international news channels but in local media which could gain from adopting a new reporting framework emphasizing global connectivity when covering for example climate change. [2]

A third meaning of global journalism lies in the area of comparative journalism studies. This approach seeks to identify and compare different journalism cultures across the world in order to map out differences and commonalities in professional practice, ethics, epistemology etc. A number of such studies have been conducted since the late 1990s, some of which are among the largest studies ever undertaken within the field of journalism research. [3]

Although there are good reasons for each of the distinct uses of global journalism, the Master`s Programme in Global Journalism deliberately does not limit the term to one specific area. Instead, the programme approaches `global journalism` broadly as `journalism in global perspective`, thus incorporating both international news exchange, local coverage of global issues, comparative journalism studies, and more. The definition of global journalism is of necessity broad because it designates a study programme rather than a particular professional or research approach. Within the programme, there may be times when one needs a more confined definition of global journalism (for example in a particular research study), but in terms of designating the overall title of the programme, `Global Journalism– is meant to indicate an inclusive rather than exclusive approach.

Necessarily, a study programme cannot cover all areas within the field. Thus, the MA Programme in Global Journalism provides a selection of courses and topics which in total provides the student with both general and in-depth knowledge of the field. The programme`s emphasis is closely aligned with the research experiences of the academic staff, which is based on NLA University College`s international media engagement from the 1990s and until today. NLA`s involvement in international media development has taken place in various countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, and has particularly focused on transitional societies characterized by a fragile media situation. Thus, although the MA Programme introduces general aspects of Global Journalism, the study has a particular emphasis on issues which concern North/South and East/West imbalances; freedom of expression; journalistic practice in transitional societies; media development; and other related issues.

[1] See for example Kevin Williams, 2011, International journalism (London: Sage)

[2] See for example Peter Berglez, 2013, Global journalism: Theory and practice (New York: Peter Lang).

[3] E.g. the Worlds of Journalism Study; www.worldsofjournalism.org

Use of NLA's international experience in the programme

The MA Programme in Global Journalism has emerged as a prolonging of the international engagement of NLA University College in journalism and media studies since the late 1990s. NLA`s Department of Journalism and Media Studies has been commissioned to set up MA degrees within the field in four transitional societies; Kosovo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Bolivia. Instructors from the department has also been involved in media development work on various levels in a number of other countries, both in Western and non-Western contexts. The department`s portfolio today covers a range of educational and research activities within journalism and media studies in the global context, including short-term trainings in journalism, needs assessment reports for international agencies, media productions from transitional societies, and more.

NLA's international experience will be drawn upon throughout the MA programme. To mention but a few examples; in GJ 301 Journalism, Media and Globalization, staff members` work in comparative journalism studies will naturally form a departure point; in GJ 302 Journalism, Democracy and Development, the department`s experience with media development on different continents can be regarded as the raison d`être for the course and will be widely referred to in the teaching; in the instruction and guidance related to the MA thesis, staff members´ extensive experience with cross-cultural research will gain the students as well.

All staff members to be used in the MA programme are fluent in at least two languages. They are all used to teach in English, and most of the staff`s research contributions are written in English

Target group

In our globalized world it is increasingly important to gain insight into other parts of the world, as well as the global implications of one´s own profession. Our MA program investigate the conditions under which journalists work in non-western cultures and political systems. We also study values systems and mindsets which dominates the global news flow.

Norwegian media houses are global actors, as they increasingly invest in media businesses abroad. Thorough knowledge concerning globalization and media culture is important in these processes. It is equally important for journalists from the south to understand the culture and the philosophy which dominates Western democracies. Through our MA program both Norwegian and foreign students will gain insight into the latest research in the field of global journalism, and also contribute to such research.

Foreign correspondents often cover conflicts where the media are in danger of becoming part of the conflict. In our MA program we discuss such situations and provide insight into intercultural communication, which is necessary for understanding conflicts and for doing professional reporting from them.

International aid organizations hire all the time people for their communications departments, where production of information material on all sorts of platforms is part of their work. Handling inquiring journalists is also part of this work. Our MA program will give these communications people valuable insight.

Our MA program will also be a good choice for people who want to pursue a career in journalism and media teaching and engage in research in these fields. The program will qualify for application to PhD programs within relevant fields. However, it is important to note that institutions around the world have different criteria for admission to PhD programmes, and we cannot guarantee that the MA degree in Global Journalism will qualify for PhD studies at all institutions.

Admission requirements

Admission to the MA Programme in Global Journalism is arranged according to the official regulation concerning studies at NLA University College (`Forskrift om studier ved NLA Høgskolen´; hereafter `Study Regulation`), with further details explained in this section.

The basic criterion for admission is:

a) a 3 or 4-year BA degree (Bachelor of Arts).

Applicants may alternatively apply on the basis of either:

b) a cand.mag. degree;

c) another degree or vocational education equalling at least three years of studies at undergraduate level; or

d) other education which, according to Norwegian higher education legislation § 3-4 (`Lov om universitetet og høyskoler`), is approved as equivalent to the abovementioned degrees or education.

Furthermore, the applicant's undergraduate degree or education must include either:

a) a specialization of at least 80 ECTS credits within Journalism, Media Studies, or another subject area with relevance for global journalism; or

b) an integrated degree in Journalism comprising of at least 120 ECTS credits.

(Cf. Study Regulation §§ 3-4)

The Admission`s Committee (`Opptakskomiteen') will adjudicate in cases where it is uncertain whether the admission criteria are met (cf. Study Regulation § 4).

To be qualified for the study, candidates are required to possess an average grade of C or higher (ECTS) in the relvant specialization of the undergraduate study (cf. Study Regulation § 4). Candidates applying on the basis of an undergraduate study from the former Norwegian degree system are required to possess a grade of 2.7 or higher as average score for the undergraduate cand.mag. degree (cf. Study Regulation § 4). Grade records from foreign applicants will be converted either in agreement with ECTS regulations; in agreement with common conversion scales; or, if none or these options are available, by individual assessment by the Admissions Committee.

Foreign applicants should note that all students whose first language is not English, or who have not completed a major part of their schooling in English, must submit transcript, meeting the academic requirements and showing a proof of English language competency by completing the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (cf. GSU-list available at www.nokut.no ). In order to qualify, students need to achieve a minimum score of 550 points on the TOEFL paper-based test or 80 points on the TOEFL Internet-based test, or a minimum score of 6.0 from the IELTS (academic) test. Results should be sent directly to NLA University College. NLA's TOEFL code number is 1886. Please use this code when indicating NLA as your score recipient such that your score will be sent directly to us. Foreign applicants do not have to meet the criteria for proficiency in the Norwegian language as the study programme is fully offered in English (cf. exception in Study Regulation § 4).

In the admission process, applicants are assessed competitively according to credits converted on basis of the grade transcript and other qualifications. Details are explained in the Study Regulation §§ 6, 7, 8 and 9. Supplementary credits (`tilleggspoeng') are awarded according to § 7. The following specifics apply for the MA in Global Journalism:

• `Relevant education` is defined as any education within the humanities or social sciences.
• `Relevant professional practice` is defined as any professional practice within journalism, media production, global work, international engagement, and similar.

Additionally, the following rules apply:

• 25% of the places in the programme are reserved for candidates who compete on grade credits only (`karakterpoeng`) (cf. Study Regulation § 8). This is to ensure that candidates may be accepted into the programme without professional experience.
• 50% of the seats in the programme are reserved for foreign applicants (cf. Study Regulation § 8). Foreign applicants must still meet the basic entry criteria outlined in the regulation. If there are fewer foreign applicants than 50% of the places, the places will be open to national (Norwegian) applicants. If there are more foreign applicants than 50% of the seats, the foreign applicants may still compete with national applicants for the remainder of the seats.
• 25% of the places in the programme are reserved for Norwegian applicants. The same conditions apply as for the foreign student quota (as described in the previous bullet point). If and when the 50% foreign and 25% Norwegian quotas are filled, both foreign and Norwegian applicants will compete for the rest of the places on equal terms.
• `Foreign applicant` is defined as an applicant with non-Norwegian citizenship (thus, Nordic countries outside of Norway count as foreign countries). `Norwegian applicant` (or `national applicant`) is defined as an applicant with Norwegian citizenship. Applicants with dual citizenship, one of which is Norwegian, shall count as Norwegian.
• In a case where two or more applicants have the same admission credit, the Admission–s Committee will award places based on ensuring gender balance. If the order of the applicants is still not resolved, the oldest candidate shall be prioritized (cf. Study Regulation § 9).

Approximately 15 places are available in the programme each year. Admission takes place once a year; in August. The academic year lasts from mid-August to mid-June.

Admission prerequisites for single courses are specified in each course description. Application for exemption from such requirements is to be addressed to the Admission`s Committee.

Learning outcome

A candidate who has completed the MA Programme in Global Journalism should have the following learning outcomes:

The student:

• possesses advanced knowledge of journalism in the global world and across cultures and societies
• has in-depth knowledge of journalism in one particular society
• has systematic knowledge of research methodology in the tradition of journalism and media studies
• is able to apply relevant knowledge from Global Journalism studies to new developments within media practice and research
• can analyse scholarly problems using historical and generic knowledge of Global Journalism studies
• can analyse and critically assess scholarly and popular sources used to discuss Global Journalism
• can build on these sources for further scholarly work within the field
• can analyse theories and methods within Global Journalism studies with the view to work independently on theoretical problems within the field
• is able to design and carry out an independent, small-scale research project within Global Journalism in accordance with established research methodology and relevant ethical norms

General competence

• can discuss relevant ethical problems pertaining to practice and research within Global Journalism
• can write an extensive research thesis demonstrating familiarity with theories, methods and specialized terminology belonging to the particular area of study
• can communicate insights about research in Global Journalism both for the general public and in keeping with acknowledged academic standards of the field
• be able to contribute to new thinking within Global Journalism studies

Programme components

Programme structure

[1]Students choose three courses (30 ECTS) for the second semester.

[2]NLA recommends students in the programme to study abroad at a partnershipinstitution in the second semester.

[3]At least 10 ECTS in the second semester must build on previous courses.This condition also applies for students who study abroad in the semester.

[4]Students must choose either 3GJ322 Theoretical MA Thesis or 3GJ323Practical-Theoretical MA Thesis.

Students must choose either 3GJ322 Theoretical MA Thesis or 3GJ323

Practical-Theoretical MA Thesis.

Language of instruction and examination

Online application.

https://fsweb.no/soknadsweb/login.jsf?inst=nla

• 3GJ301 - Journalism, Media and Globalization - 10 sp
• 3GJ302 - Journalism, Democracy and Development - 10 sp
• 3GJ303 - Research Methodology - 10 sp
• 3GJ311 - Nordic Media - 10 sp
• 3GJ312 - Global Media Ethics - 10 sp
• 3GJ313 - Media Representation - 10 sp
• 3GJ319 - Independent Study - 10 sp
• 3GJ321 - Thesis Preparation Seminar - 15 sp
• 3GJ322 - Theoretical MA Thesis - 45 sp
• 3GJ323 - Practical-Theoretical MA Thesis - 45 sp

All versions: Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2024Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2023Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2022Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2021Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2019Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2018Autumn) Master in Global Journalism (Start of study: 2017Autumn)

Graduate Student Theses & Projects

Students have the opportunity to work with award-winning faculty on theses and professional projects that examine a variety of subjects.

Eva Marie Hube  ('24 M.A.)

The Future of Food: Growing  Climate-Smart Foods in a Drier World

The short-form essays and video interviews that make up Hube's project focus on efforts in Arizona and the Southwest to promote and implement climate-adapted agriculture. 

Sohi Kang  ('24 M.A.)

 A Case Study on the Daily Wildcat

Kang's project outlines how student media organizations, such as the University of Arizona's student-run newspaper The Daily Wildcat, can use Instagram to reach an online audience.

Zulema Herrera  ('24 M.A.)

Latine Chicago Murals 

Herrera's final project focuses on the work and experiences of Latine muralists in Chicago and features a documentary, a mural map, and a website in both English and Spanish . 

Claude Akins  ('23 M.A.)

Arizona's Incarcerated Workers

Akins produced a website and podcast aimed at exploring the experiences of incarcerated workers in Arizona's prisons. (Professional Project)

Bryan Savic  (’23 M.A.)

The United States of Soccer

Savic's multimedia project includes a website and podcast aimed at providing diverse perspectives and insights on the variables that may be significantly contributing to the disinterest levels many Americans have for soccer. (Professional Project)

Emily Ellis  (’23 M.A.)

Open Range on the River

Ellis produced a podcast and website that dives into how over  130 trespass cattle complaints  have been filed with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by the Center for Biological Diversity in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) . Watch her defense on Youtube here . (Professional Project)

Denise Meeks  (’24 M.A.)

WATER: A website about our precious resource

Meeks coded this website from the ground up. WATER is a library of everything there is to know about water. (Professional Project)

Luke Wink Moran  (’23 M.A.)

The Wrong Doors

Moran's magazine article investigates the rise of #booktok and its affect on the book publishing industry.

Vanessa Lucero  (’23 M.A.)

Ecuadorians en Nueva York: Keeping La Cultura Viva

Lucero is a bilingual journalism program graduate. Her multimedia project covers the Ecuadorian community in New York City. (Professional Project)

Jake O'Rourke  (’23 M.A.)

PFAS: The Subsurface Contaminators

O'Rourke created a multimedia project about the scientific and bodily impact of PFAS contamination in Tucson, AZ. Find his documentary at the link above. (Professional Project)

Shawn Burrage  (’23 M.A.)

CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN IOWA: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DES MOINES REGISTER'S COVERAGE.

Watch Burrage's thesis defense on Youtube by clicking the play button on the right.

Ashley Morales  (’23 M.A.)

Changing the Script

"The main objective of this final project is to inform others on mental health illness based on my psychology background, experience of being a behavioral technician, and a journalism student," according to Morales' website. (Professional Project)

Mar Ruiz Barraza  (’23 M.A.)

LA FRONTERA Y SUS OJAZOS NEGROS: Una Mirada Hacia la Vida y Cultura Fronteriza

Barraza is a bilingual journalism program graduate. She said her project was meant to highlight the positive aspects of life at the US/Mexico border through touch, site, smell, taste and hearing.

Paula Diaz (’23 M.A.)

Migrantes Desaparecidos/Missing Migrants

Diaz is a bilingual journalism program graduate. Diaz's website is a guide for families who have a loved one missing at the US/Mexico border. (Professional project)

Andrea Morabito (’23 M.A.)

LICENSING OF JOURNALISTS: ‘L’ORDINE DEI GIORNALISTI ITALIANO’, A HISTORICAL REVIEW AND COMPARISON

Watch Andrea's thesis defense by clicking the YouTube play button on the right. (Thesis)

Kynzie Watahomigie (’22 M.A.)

#ilovemydog: the versatility of social media in the online dog community

A collection of essays about the versatility of social media in the online dog community. Watahomigie's essays cover rescue organizations, dog influencers and the communities that develop around the topic of dogs on social media. (Thesis)

Emma Brocato (’22 M.A.)

A Different Burn: a collection of stories about the fire regimes of Southern Arizona

A collection of three long form stories about the Southern Arizona fire regimes (Professional project). Her work was published in the AZ Luminaria. Read her article here .

Peiyu Lin (’21 M.A.)

International Front: Hong Kong 2020

A documentary on how overseas Hong Kong activists in Taipei, Houston and Seattle promoted the democracy of Hong Kong. (Professional project)

Alexandra Pere (’21 M.A.)

The Psychedelic Renaissance

A podcast series that looks into the psychedelic revival movement in Southern Arizona. (Professional project)

Sofia Revilak (’21 M.A.)

¿Quiénes Son?

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Coverage of the 2018 Central American Migrant Caravans by US and Mexican News Media Outlets. (Thesis)

Conor Villines (’21 M.A.)

News Media and Mineral King

Framing Californian Development, Environmentalism and Recreation, 1965-1978. (Thesis)

Samantha Bishop (’20 M.A.)

Heroines: Stories of Tucson Female Entrepreneurs

In 2019, Tucson's percentage of women-owned businesses was 38.6, higher than the national average. (Professional project)

Katelyn Caldwell (’20 M.A.)

Reporting on Mass Shootings

An Analysis of Journalists’ Perceptions of Mass Shooting Coverage and the Impact it has on their Professional Work and Personal Lives. (Thesis)

Nick Smallwood (’20 M.A.)

Saving the Last of the Mount Graham Red Squirrels

Smallwood captured rare footage of the squirrel for his documentary film. (Professional project)

Alisa Ivanitskaya (’20 M.A.)

Food and the Desert

A project about food security in Arizona. (Professional project)

Nina Kolodij (’20 M.A.)

Speaking Science-ese

Science communication from every angle. (Professional project)

Meridith O'Neil (’20 M.A.)

A Handful of Spice

A podcast that looks at belonging and nostalgia through food. (Professional project)

Justin Wylie (’20 M.A.)

Just a Kid & a Ball

A podcast that focuses on the local and global challenges African-American student-athletes face in society. (Professional project)

Justin Sayers (’19 M.A.)

Redistricting Arizona in 2020

Could an increasingly politically diverse Arizona remain a Republican stronghold? (Professional project)

Lauren Trench (’19 M.A.)

Ironwood Forest National Monument

Named for its dense population of ironwood trees, the monument is home to more than 674 diverse species, including the last indigenous population of bighorn sheep in southern Arizona. However, the monument faces threats. (Professional project)

Jasmine Demers (’19 M.A.)

A family’s multigenerational battle with Huntington’s Disease.” (Professional project)

Natalia Navarro (’18 M.A.)

Why America? A Citizenship Podcast

A collection of immigration and citizenship stories from new and soon-to-be U.S. citizens. (Professional project)

Mikayla Mace (’17 M.A.)

Newspaper Coverage of Mars in the United States and the United Kingdom 2011-2016

From the Apollo moon shots to human exploration of Mars, each successive era of spaceflight has been framed in a logical progression from concept to completion that resonates with the values of the times. (Thesis)

The perils of writing about Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch, successor to Rupert Murdoch's global media empire

By Paddy Manning

Australian Story

Topic: Media Industry

Lachlan Murdoch has felt under attack his whole life. Even before he was born, two men tried to kidnap his mother, Anna, in London. They took the wrong woman by mistake and her murder cast a pall over the Murdoch family's few years in Britain in the early 70s.

When he was barely five, and the family had relocated to America, Time Magazine depicted his father Rupert as King Kong atop the World Trade Centre, taking New York media by storm.

Rupert Murdoch pictured in 1977 with his then-wife Anna and their three children, Elisabeth, 9, Lachlan, 6 and James, 5. (right) Rupert Murdoch on the job in 1975. ( Getty Images: Bernard Gotfryd )

"There was a little biplane trying to shoot him down," he recalled in a 2001 interview. "That was the first, probably the first memory that I have that, you know, the other dads at school weren't on the cover of Time magazine portrayed as this monster."

As a child, Lachlan Murdoch realised his family was different when he saw his father on the cover of Time magazine depicted as King Kong. ( Supplied: Time Magazine )

As a result, Lachlan Murdoch — like the rest of his family — has built up some serious defences. If not a bunker mentality, there are at least some very thick walls around the man who, since Rupert retired last September , has emerged as one of the most powerful Australians in the world.

In a landmark series for Australian Story, we have tried to solve the mystery of who Lachlan Murdoch is. How will he be different to his father, perhaps the most influential Australian yet born, and how is he the same?

According to Mike Biard, an executive at Fox Corporation for two decades, Lachlan Murdoch has grown up with criticism and deals with it by ignoring it: "He sticks to his guns. Whatever he thinks is the right decision, he's going to stick to it."

A self-described introvert, Lachlan Murdoch is content – in fact, determined – to keep himself hidden, and rarely, if ever, shares his personal or political views with the public or even his own employees.

That posed a challenge for me as a journalist, embarking on the first unauthorised biography of Lachlan Murdoch, The Successor, almost four years ago. It took two years to write and publish, and he refused to be interviewed. I couldn't work out why. 

The heir to one of the most powerful media empires the world has seen had little to fear from a book that would sell thousands of copies at best. As I often said at the time, I've got the popgun; he's got the howitzer.

The US election will be a critical test for Lachlan Murdoch as he forges his own legacy. ( Supplied: News Corp )

Lachlan Murdoch is intensely private, deeply protective of his family, and resentful of media intrusion into his personal life. His inner circle says that rather than being fearful of scrutiny, he simply prefers not to put his views out there in case they are parroted around his media empire, inhibiting the diversity of opinion.

My take? Lachlan Murdoch has hardened with age.

Two decades ago, he was happy to do a long sit-down interview and would talk openly about his family history. Nowadays, he is less patient with the journalistic fray, resentful of media scrutiny, and defensive about the empire he now runs.

I was certainly on notice that Lachlan would be ready to retaliate if he thought I got anything wrong in the book. I already knew that, unlike his father, Lachlan was not averse to suing journalists. Eyebrows were raised at the end of 2021 when eminent defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou turned up at the annual Christmas party Lachlan and his wife Sarah host at their Bellevue Hill compound — one of the hottest tickets on Sydney's social calendar.

Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch. ( Getty Images: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic )

An item quickly appeared in the Nine newspapers' gossip column, speculating that she had been retained to deal with my biography. (As it turned out, Chrysanthou would soon have her work cut out for her in another defamation case, which Lachlan later brought unsuccessfully against news website Crikey. )

I rang Lachlan's representatives, asking, "Do I need to sell my house?" They assured me Chrysanthou's retention had nothing to do with the book, but I remained nervous.

What is Lachlan's legacy?

Lachlan Murdoch is the 800-pound gorilla of the Australian media, and now a significant player on the world stage, recently meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

And his influence is undoubtedly felt in America, where his right-leaning Fox News remains the dominant cable channel. President Joe Biden once described Rupert Murdoch as the "most dangerous man on earth" and some Democrats believe Lachlan Murdoch is even more dangerous.

But it's in Australia, one of the most concentrated media markets in the world, that the Murdochs' influence is felt most acutely. Rupert, it seems, no longer comes here: he missed the funeral for his sister Anne in 2022 and this year twice cancelled planned visits to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Australian – the only remaining masthead he created from scratch.

At the age of 93, the naturalised American has lost touch with the country of his birth, even though he is still well enough to marry for a fifth time and was recently spotted in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention.

The head of the Murdoch family business here is Lachlan, born in England, raised in America, but for whom Australia is definitely home. And he still strikes fear into the hearts of political and business leaders, even as the power of legacy media businesses worldwide fades as digital platforms such as Facebook and Google hoover up revenue.

Rupert Murdoch is in a legal battle against three of his children as he attempts to secure Lachlan as the heir to the media empire. ( Supplied: News Corp )

News Corporation in Australia is under enormous pressure, and Lachlan Murdoch is the last man standing, staring over the precipice as the empire founded by his father and grandfather a century ago teeters. Rupert Murdoch famously had the ability to "see around corners" in media and technology. What does Lachlan see?

Notwithstanding Lachlan Murdoch's refusal to take part in our series, we have embarked on a mission of understanding, reaching out to friends, colleagues past and present, and media commentators in Australia and around the world.

Because Lachlan Murdoch is so powerful, and is said to have a talent for vengeance, it is hard to find people who are willing to go on camera to talk about him. He dictated that no serving director or employee of Fox or News Corporation should participate in our series, although behind the scenes certain friends and business associates including former footballer Ian Roberts, James Packer, racing and Rugby League boss Peter V'Landys and family friend Mark Burrows were encouraged to talk to the ABC. 

There's been much debate over Lachlan Murdoch's political preferences and just how fairly his Fox News conglomerate will cover the US election.  ( Supplied: Fox News )

For Lachlan Murdoch's critics, there is a level of fear that, given his willingness to sue, is unsurprising.

There is too much hate and polarisation in the media – here and in America – just as there is too much polarisation in our political debates. Blame social media. Blame cable television. Even blame the Murdochs, if you like. As I see it, the job of journalists is not to apportion blame but to report the truth as they find it.

Australian Story producer Paddy Manning outside the Fox News building in New York. ( Australian Story: Tom Hancock )

Through dozens of interviews with those who've known him and observed him over the decades, I've tried to understand how Lachlan's family history has shaped his outlook, what drives him, what he believes in and how he sees the media's role at a point in history where democracy is under threat.

It's an ongoing quest. I've written Lachlan's biography, hosted the podcast series Rupert: The Last Mogul, and now made three episodes for Australian Story. I'm also working on a PhD thesis, A Century of News Corp in Australia, researching company archives and doing oral history interviews.

All these projects dig into the same over-arching questions. What comes after Rupert? What is Rupert's legacy? And what will his retirement and eventual death mean for what remains of his media empire? For Australia? For America? For democracy? For the planet? Who is Lachlan and, having finally taken over from his father, what will he do?

This is a subject that deserves to be taken seriously. There are plenty of haters and ranters online, but few are taking the time to think, dig, ask the hard questions, and trying to keep up as the media industry collapses and dissolves, transforms, develops and rebuilds in real-time before our eyes.

Making Lachlan Murdoch is our attempt to get to the best obtainable version of the truth about this powerful but enigmatic figure.

Lachlan Murdoch and members of the Murdoch family did not accept our requests for an interview.

Australian Story's three-part series Making Lachlan Murdoch starts tonight at 8  on ABC TV and ABC iview .

APOL 988 Dissertation Writing in Applied Apologetics II

• Course Description

In this course, the doctoral candidate will compose the middle chapters of a dissertation based on the candidate’s research and organization of content.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

This course is the first course dedicated primarily to the writing of the dissertation for the PhD in Applied Apologetics. All assignments in this course are devoted to completing compelling drafts of both the introductory sections (introduction/statement of thesis/literature review) and first major portions of the body of the argument of the dissertation. Completion of this course should allow students to complete a major percentage of their dissertation project and prepare them for matriculation into the next phase of their dissertation writing.

Course Assignment

No details available.

After reading the Syllabus and  Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

These assignments require the student to submit progressive portions of his/her dissertation for review and evaluation. 

These assignments ask the student to interface with mentor feedback and interpret any necessary improvements/changes that need to be applied to his/her dissertation. Each assignment will be 4-6 pages in length.

This quiz seeks to evaluate the student’s readiness as he/she embarks on the dissertation writing process. This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 4 true/false, short-answer questions, and will have a 15-minute time limit.

These quizzes verify that the student is having regular meaningful discussions with his/her dissertation mentor. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 4 true/false, short-answer questions, and will have a 15-minute time limit.

These quizzes will evaluate what elements of the dissertation are being submitted at different intervals of the dissertation-writing process. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 2 essay questions, and will have a 30-minute time limit.

This quiz evaluates the student’s readiness for an additional reader to be assigned to the dissertation project. This quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 5 true/false questions, and will have a 15-minute time limit.

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