Journalism Theses and Dissertations
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Item BLACK RADIO OWNERSHIP AND THE FCC’S FAILED ATTEMPT TO DIVERSIFY THE AIRWAVES(2024) Sundaramoorthy, Robin Mazyck; Steiner, Linda; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)African Americans were effectively shut out of radio station ownership until the 1970s. Discriminatory practices made it virtually impossible for Blacks to acquire broadcast licenses awarded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Efforts to address the issue were taken up during President Jimmy Carter’s administration when minority ownership of all broadcast facilities—television and radio—was less than one percent. What resulted was FCC Docket No. 80-90. This technical rule created 689 new frequencies on the FM band with the intent that they would give minorities more opportunities to enter broadcast ownership. While Docket 80-90 was the 90th proceeding taken up by the FCC in 1980, the ideas for Docket 80-90 emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s and were implemented in the mid-1980s and throughout most of the 1990s. Despite its momentous impact, scant scholarly attention has been given to this topic. Using a multimethod qualitative approach based on archives and lived experiences, this dissertation examines the federal government’s efforts to increase minority broadcast ownership by increasing the number of FM radio stations. It assesses the many individuals, groups, and concerned citizens who, in some cases, unknowingly opened pathways to radio ownership for minorities and created public policy. It also tells the stories of nine African Americans who benefited from this FCC rule and became radio station owners in the 1990s. To achieve this, I reviewed more than 7,000 documents at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and Special Collections in Mass Media and Culture at the University of Maryland. I also conducted 50 oral history interviews. This research also takes a critical look at historiography and the tensions that arise when using archival and oral history methods in writing the story of Docket 80-90. This study is grounded in critical race theory and political economy of the media. To account for the omission of race in this theory, I suggest an elaboration on political economy of the media to consider the specific political economy of Black media because representation matters. Diverse voices, especially those belonging to people who have been historically marginalized, enrich our media systems and provide a more accurate view of the world around us. The African American broadcasters in this dissertation provided job opportunities, introduced new formats to their communities, and emphasized local news and cultural affairs programming and events. Their path to ownership, however, was a difficult one. Access to capital, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination plagued their endeavors. Efforts to increase minority broadcast ownership have been stunted and stymied by a convoluted combination of economic policy, judicial rulings and political maneuvering by the party that controls the White House. Since the political will to take definitive action is lacking, I suggest that professional groups create opportunities that not only help Black broadcasters enter ownership but stay there. This includes mentorship and educational programs aimed at avoiding the various pitfalls likely to occur during the first five years of radio ownership when new businesses are most likely to fail.Item JOURNALISTIC AND ACTIVIST RESPONSES TO THE CURRENT CLIMATE CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES: BUILDING AN INTERDEPENDENT SOLUTIONS-BASED AGENDA(2024) Nasrin, Sohana; Steiner, Linda LS; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examines the relationship between journalists, climate activists, and public discourse surrounding the urgent issue of climate crisis in the United States. Utilizing a critical perspective, the study explores three key areas of interaction. Firstly, it investigates how journalists and activists collaborate in informing the public about the profound realities of climate crisis. Secondly, it examines the innovative ways climate activists leverage technology to create knowledge and dissent, fostering a more informed solutions-based agenda. Finally, the research analyzes the similarities and divergences in the ways both groups construct the public agenda on climate crisis, uncovering potential points of convergence and areas of continuing tension. The foundation of this research rests on two primary methodologies. In-depth interviews with climate activists offer a rich tapestry of experiences and strategies employed in the fight for climate action. Complementing these interviews, a metajournalistic discourse analysis of leading journalism trade publications sheds light on the evolving perspectives and practices within the journalistic community in the United States as it grapples with effectively reporting on the climate crisis. Further enriching the study, an analysis of social media platforms frequented by climate activists provides crucial insights into their online strategies for knowledge creation and dissent. The research reveals a potential paradigm shift within journalism. Faced with the urgency of the climate crisis, journalists grapple with the limitations of traditional objectivity, exploring alternative approaches such as solutions-based reporting and collaborative news making. Moreover, the study identifies a fascinating convergence between activist and journalistic practices. Climate activists are increasingly adopting fact-finding and storytelling techniques typically associated with mainstream media, blurring the lines between alternative and mainstream discourses. Furthermore, the research highlights the concept of "transmedia organizing" employed by activists. By strategically leveraging the affordances of various tech and social media platforms, activists build a strong movement identity and challenge traditional media narratives, fostering a more nuanced public understanding of the climate crisis. This study proposes a framework of eight crucial factors that facilitate effective collaboration between journalists and activists in building solutions-based public agendas. At the core is the strategic use of digital tools, which facilitate dynamic communication and direct engagement with the public, allowing for the amplification of narratives and mobilization of support. The research also highlights the importance of focusing on longstanding, universal societal issues backed by scientific evidence, as this enhances credibility and effectiveness. Media literacy, encompassing digital, information, and news literacy, equips these stakeholders to navigate the complex information landscape. Mutual trust, grounded in a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, is essential for leveraging each other's strengths. The protection of press freedom and freedom of expression is a key dimension, particularly in democratic societies. Another key dimension is the audience: journalists and activists have a crucial role in channeling the necessary information emotions constructively by providing actionable solutions and empowering audiences to contribute to the fight against climate crisis. Finally, a thorough understanding of media ownership, propaganda, and vested interests is crucial to developing nuanced, evidence-based approaches that serve the public interest. This research has far-reaching implications for different audiences. For scholars of journalism and social movements, it offers a deeper understanding of the interdependent nature of journalists and activists in shaping the climate agenda. It sheds light on the growing influence of activist practices on contemporary journalism and underscores the crucial role of technology in empowering social movements. For journalists themselves, this study highlights the potentials of solutions-based reporting and collaboration as effective tools for tackling the climate crisis. Finally, for climate activists, the research offers practical suggestions about the evolving media landscape and the power of transmedia organizing in amplifying their message and fostering public engagement. By examining these dynamic interactions, this dissertation contributes to a more informed approach to climate communication and paves the way for a more collaborative and effective response to the greatest challenge of our times.Item NEWS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF FEMINIST INTERVENTIONS ON JOURNALISTIC PRACTICES(2024) Mulupi, Dinfin Koyonjo; Steiner, Linda; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation intervenes in news coverage of sexual violence by examining pathways to better journalistic practices from a feminist perspective. This is accomplished through a transnational multi-method approach combining qualitative data analyses and experimental surveys. The study begins by examining recommendations for better news coverage of sexual violence as articulated by feminist scholars, feminist NGOs and anti-gender violence activists. This is followed by analysis of feminist media coverage of sexual violence to determine to what extent they adhere to the best practices recommended by feminist scholars and activists. The dissertation then employs experimental surveys to test the effectiveness of feminist best practices in altering audiences’ attitudes toward victims and perpetrators. The data analyzed in this study include scientific/academic journal articles, book chapters and books grounded in feminist theories (N =42), institutional reports published by feminist NGOs and other anti-sexual violence collective groups (N =25), news and commentary of sexual violence (N = 122) published by five feminist media outlets (Jezebel, Ms., The 19th, New African Woman, and gal-dem), and surveys administered to participants in the US and South Africa (N =496). The study focuses on three feminist theories that prescribe alternatives to normative journalistic practices; advocates argue that intersectionality, feminist ethics of care, and Feminist Standpoint Epistemology (FSE) potential could reform news coverage of sexual violence and other important social issues. A fourth feminist concept, counterpublics, is used to theorize the journalism produced by feminist media outlets serving subaltern communities/audiences. This dissertation advances journalism theory and practice. The majority of extant literature has pointed at what is wrong in news accounts of sexual violence (Ndhlovu, 2020; Noetzel et al., 2023; Mulupi & Blumell, 2023, 2024). This study deviates from the norm by focusing on solutions and “highlighting steps toward improved coverage” (Cuklanz, 2022, p.322). By emphasizing on recommendations made by feminist scholarship/activism (as opposed to say everybody that has something to say about journalistic guidelines), the study crystallized a feminist vision of how to achieve better journalism on sexual violence. The best practices recommended by feminist scholars and anti-gender violence activists articulated an alternative model of journalism — a feminist, trauma-informed, decolonial, survivor-centered praxis committed to social justice goals. Furthermore, this dissertation contributes to the theory and literature on feminist counterpublics by illuminating how feminist media offer discursive arenas to challenge dominant ideologies on sexual violence and gender norms. The study also contributes to feminist theorization of journalism by demonstrating the applicability of feminist theories in the everyday journalism practiced by feminist media. Furthermore, findings of the quasi-experimental surveys administered to participants in the US and South Africa support the effectiveness of applying feminist perspectives in news coverage of sexual violence: news coverage that includes feminist best practices (e.g., survivor centered framing, diverse sources, intersectionality, use of statistics etc) may indeed help audiences believe the complaints of victim-survivors, be less likely to victim-blame, and have greater levels of empathy toward the victim. This dissertation also offers practical contributions by compiling and presenting recommendations for news coverage to journalists, copy editors and editors. Overall, this study advances knowledge and theory about journalism practice, and demonstrates practical application and effectiveness of feminist theorizing in improving journalistic practices.Item The Shift in News Media Framing of Violence against Asians in America: The Vincent Chin Murder Case and Its Legacy(2024) Browning, Sara Renee; Oates, Sarah A.; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The dissertation research project draws on the events surrounding the murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin on June 19, 1982, to examine changes in news framing of violence targeting Asian Americans from 1982 to the present. This dissertation argues that the Vincent Chin murder case, which lasted from 1982-1987, can be considered a critical turning point in news framing of the criminal motive for violence against Asians in the U.S. as well as framing of the Asian victims of such violence. The dissertation further posits that the case played an important role in drawing attention to anti-Asian racism as a widespread, persistent problem in America, helping to shape news framing of more recent cases of criminalized violence against Asians in the U.S., especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this research is to explore how journalists took notice of Asian Americans’ place in U.S. society as Asians in America transitioned from “fully assimilated model minorities” to racial scapegoats in the public mind. The dissertation accomplishes its purpose using a content analysis of news frames of the Vincent Chin murder case from June 19, 1982, the date of Chin’s death, to December 31, 2022, the last full year of news coverage of the case. The content analysis investigates shifts in news framing of the criminal motive for Vincent Chin’s murder from a random crime unrelated to race to a hate crime. Content analysis also helps to examine shifts in framing of Chin from a hot-tempered young man whose own reckless behavior led to his tragic end to a vulnerable victim worthy of racial justice. Furthermore, the study assesses correlations between key events of the murder case from 1982-1987 and shifts in press framing of the criminal motive and the victim. Lastly, the dissertation uses content analysis to examine similar trends between framing of Chin’s murder and framing of the murders of six Asian women at three separate spas in Georgia on March 16, 2021. This analysis uncovers how the Chin case played a role in more contemporary framing of violence against Asians in America. The research findings inform journalism studies scholarship concerning how news framing of criminalized violence targeting Asian ethnic groups in the U.S. gradually evolved. The study interprets the findings within the context of framing theory and worthy victim theory. Results indicate that although journalists initially both downplayed and ignored anti-Asian racism as a possible motive for Vincent Chin’s slaying, nationwide pan-Asian advocacy group protests played a significant part in drawing news reporters’ attention to the racial aspect of the crime. By the end of the Chin case in 1987, many journalists not only relied on sources to allege a racial motive for Chin’s death, but they also directly condemned anti-Asian racism in their news stories. Thirty-five years following Chin’s death, journalists continued to revive and retell Chin’s story in news reports covering the Georgia murder case. Journalists exhibited little hesitancy in stating directly that the Georgia murders were racial crimes representative of a chronic and intensifying problem.Item WAR OF THE WORDS: STRATEGIC NARRATIVES IN NEWS COVERAGE OF COVID-19 TRAVEL POLICIES IN U.S. AND CHINESE MEDIA(2024) Wong, Ho Chun; Oates, Sarah S; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation investigates how a global shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic creates challenges and opportunities for the projection of strategic narratives. Sitting on the intersection of the literature between journalism studies, political communication, and international relations, the strategic narratives framework provides a comprehensive approach to evaluate the stories told by political actors that are aimed at influencing perceptions. The author proposed a narrative-centric perspective to enrich the theoretical framework. While the conventional policy-centric perspective evaluates strategic narratives as a means to legitimize political behaviors, the narrative-centric perspective considers strategic narratives as tools for shaping the identities and characterization of political actors. A global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity to frame pandemic responses in service of strategic goals. While political actors could legitimize policies in the name of health amid the lack of scientific authority in the infodemic where problematic information overwhelmed the global information environment, the situation also enabled political actors to frame policies such as travel restrictions for enhancing or renegotiating actor identities and worldviews. This dissertation analyzes the projection of COVID-19 strategic narratives and how they responded to foreign strategic narratives in the U.S. and Chinese English-language national news. A large sample of online news (N = 263,014) was sampled from the GDELT Coronavirus news dataset (The GDELT Project, 2020). This dissertation employed mixed methods of human-in-the-loop machine learning, conventional content analysis, and Granger causality tests to identify and examine strategic narratives, as well as evaluate the interactions between strategic narratives. Findings suggest that Chinese strategic narratives were responsive to offensive strategic narratives from the U.S. and depicted the U.S. as an immoral actor who intentionally smeared China. The U.S. reinforced the identity-level strategic narrative that China lacks transparency through issue-level strategic narratives about travel policies and virus origin. Two patterns of strategic narratives projection were found. Chinese strategic narratives maintained coherent storylines in the three years and between news outlets. They projected a clear Chinese story to the international audience but found it difficult to address the rapid changes in pandemic situations and policies. Meanwhile, strategic narratives from the U.S. were less coherent and were contested domestically between news outlets. Although it might have weakened a unified U.S. story, the flexibility allowed strategic narratives to transform and adapt to evolving pandemic realities. U.S. strategic narratives were able to frame stories about travel restrictions and virus origin as a manifestation of the lack of transparency from China. This dissertation demonstrated the feasibility of studying the dynamics of strategic narratives through a large dataset. The mixed method approach offered a thick analysis of strategic narratives and illustrated their interactions, thus consolidating the theoretical and methodological foundation for future research on strategic narratives contests.Item Women Correspondents in Vietnam: Historical Analysis and Oral Histories(1988) Martin, Christine; Hiebert, Ray; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)Although women correspondents have covered wars since the Spanish-American conflict, it was not until the Vietnam War that they achieved full access to the battlefield and equal opportunities to cover all aspects of the conflict. Easily attained army accreditation, the burgeoning women's movement and the unique nature of the Vietnam War - a Third World, essentially, political conflict - combined to offer women reporters unprecedented opportunities to cover the war and to prove themselves as worthy members of journalism's elite crew - war correspondents. More women covered Vietnam than any other war. They focused their coverage primarily on the "human interest" angle and the effects of war on its civilian and military victims. This traditional women's focus took on a new prominence in Vietnam, where an understanding of the social and political underpinnings of Vietnamese culture was essential to the success of the American war effort. As a result, the traditional news definition of war as battlefield was widened and the "women's angle" became central to war correspondence. This study presents an historical analysis of the evolution of the role of the woman war correspondent, from the Spanish- American conflict to Vietnam, and presents the oral histories of 10 women who worked as war correspondents in Vietnam.Item THE SOCIAL BASE OF MEMES: EXPRESSIONS OF IDENTITY, VALUES, AND AESTHETICS IN QUEER DIGITAL FOLKLORE(2023) Foster , Bobbie; Moeller, Susan; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Memes are a central part of digital communications and cultures. But memes are complex multifaceted expressions of identity and culture. Digital folklorists argue that memes, like traditional folklore, facilitate the creation of identity through socially constructed narratives that form unique groups online. Scholars across disciplines agree that memes rely on community participation, but the methods and theories vary widely. This dissertation advocates for the creation of Critical Meme Studies that centers critical inquiry to examine memes as a form of digital folklore that builds community identity, values, and aesthetics across social media platforms. The concept of boundary-marking memes is introduced to understand how memes build barriers of entry to conversations on public platforms. The methodology consisted of Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (Brock, 2018) and the pairing of Queer theories and methods related to the study of Camp as a form of detachment/attachment of political readings (Horn, 2018). As a result, the dissertation found LGBTQIA+ individuals use memes to construct answers to three core thematic questions, who is invited to Pride, what does Pride mean, and how should Pride look and feel. The answers used expressions of identity, values, and aesthetics to build responses that targeted in-group audiences.Item "I Have an Extra Level of Context That Some Reporters Don't Have": Journalistic Perspectives on the Role of Identity and Experience in the Production of More Equitable News Coverage(2023) Siqueira Paranhos Velloso, Carolina; Steiner, Linda; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the summer of 2020, Alexis Johnson and Miguel Santiago, Black reporters at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, were removed from covering ongoing racial justice protests. The following year, Felicia Sonmez, a Washington Post reporter who had publicly identified herself as a survivor of sexual assault, was barred from covering stories about sexual misconduct. In both cases, management at their news organizations invoked a safeguard against bias as the reason behind the removal of the reporters from covering certain stories or beats. In other words, management feared that these reporters would not be able to perform basic journalistic duties because their proximity to the subject matter, whether through similar lived experiences or certain identity markers, would render them unable to relay a suitable and accurate account of events. However, the journalists in question protested their coverage bans by arguing that their identity- or experience-based connection to the issue would have been advantageous to their journalism. For example, Johnson said: “as a [B]lack woman, as a Pittsburgh native, as the daughter of a retired state trooper and a retired probation officer, it was a shame I wasn’t able to bring my background to cover this story.” In essence, the journalists argued that, rather than their proximity to the stories rendering them unable to produce proper accounts of events, their personal identities and lived experiences made them more capable of capturing the nuances required for adequate coverage. The purpose of this dissertation is thus threefold: first, it investigates journalists’ perceptions about the relationship between, and impact of, their personal identities and lived experiences and the reporting they produce. Second, it examines best practices journalists recommend to other journalists about covering issues or groups with which they don’t share an identity- or experience-based connection. Finally, it describes best practices journalists recommend to newsroom leaders for supporting journalists in producing more equitable and inclusive coverage. Through a textual analysis of 186 metajournalistic articles and 93 Twitter posts (“tweets”), this study found that journalists pinpoint a myriad of specific advantages they perceive reporting with an identity- or experience-based connection provides. As such, this dissertation advances literature on journalistic identity and role conception by demonstrating how journalists’ personal identities and experiences shape their professional values. It also argues that, by positioning this form of newsmaking as more equitable and legitimate than traditional “objective” reporting, journalists are constructing new conceptions of journalistic identity. This dissertation also contributes to literature on journalistic authority by showing that many journalists claim reporting with identity- or experience-based connections in fact makes them more authoritative interpreters of news. By asserting their roles as professionals who ultimately aim to produce accurate, factual reporting and resisting accusations of being activists rather than journalists, reporters also engaged in boundary work by increasingly placing reporting which embraces the subjectivity of the journalist within the bounds of professional journalistic practice. When making recommendations to fellow reporters for producing more equitable and inclusive reporting, the journalists featured in this dissertation called for a reconsideration of normative journalistic practices and recommended that their colleagues place equity at the forefront of every decision they make during the reporting process. The journalists’ recommendations to newsroom leaders demonstrate that producing equitable coverage goes beyond individual strategies that journalists can implement; change must also occur at the structural level. Establishing and enforcing new sets of journalistic policies at the newsroom level is a vital component of providing coverage that is fair and accountable to all communities. In describing how journalists are harnessing the tenet that knowledge is socially situated to advocate for new standards of news production, I also suggest feminist standpoint epistemology (FSE) as an operational framework of journalistic practice.This dissertation is a timely intervention into the ways journalists say their industry needs to change in order to better serve the needs of American audiences in the twenty-first century. The findings in this study have relevant implications for journalistic practice: they provide a clear roadmap for journalism scholars and practitioners for engaging in efforts to make journalism more equitable and inclusive.Item THE “PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHERS”: HOW JOURNALISM EDUCATORS ARE INNOVATING AND COLLABORATING IN RESPONSE TO THE NEWS CRISIS(2023) Burns, Mary Alison; Steiner, Linda; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation examines the motives, experiences, and perspectives of journalism faculty members at colleges and universities who have invented, developed, and led innovative experiential learning collaborations in their programs. Through qualitative interviews and constructivist grounded theory, this study finds that journalism educators are launching specific types of collaborative projects in response to ongoing and emerging problems in journalism. This dissertation offers a typology of ideal-type j-school collaborations, and a new conceptualization of collaboration as a strategy for democratic stewarding in journalism education.Item NAME, IMAGE AND LIKENESS: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF HOW WOMEN STUDENT ATHLETES SHARE THEIR STORIES AND LIVED EXPERIENCES ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE AGE OF NIL(2023) Scovel, Shannon Marie; Oates, Sarah A; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation assesses the self-representation and representation of ten elite collegiate women athletes during the first year of the NCAA’s new ‘name, image and likeness’ policies. Building on theories of representation, gender performance, self-presentation and intersectionality, this study explores how women athletes reproduce notions of feminism, femininity and athleticism on their public TikTok, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Each of the women in this study have at least 50,000 followers across their social media accounts, and the content they produced on these platforms over the 12-month period from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, serves to both reflect and reject hegemonic norms surrounding women in sport. Previous research has demonstrated that women athletes remain marginalized and underrepresented in sports. Scholars have also noted that women athletes typically represent themselves on social media in ways that highlight their personal lives, as opposed to their athletic experiences. This study explores these questions of self-representation through a content analysis of social media posts produced by ten collegiate women and addresses how these women navigated digital storytelling within the neoliberal, capitalist, patriarchal U.S. college sports media ecosystem. The ways in which athlete content was reproduced by journalists during this same period was also assessed. Findings show that journalists rarely engaged with women athletes’ posts during the first year of the NCAA’s new NIL policies and presented women’s success in the NIL era as surprising, unexpected and unrelated to athletic achievements. This dissertation adds to the larger body of research on women’s representation and self-representation in sports but adds a new dimension to this subject by exploring such representations in the collegiate environment, an arena in which athletes were previously denied the opportunity to earn money from their digital storytelling and online brands. The ways in which women challenge and reproduce hegemonic norms in their social media content during this period also contributes to the broader understanding of gender tensions in sports.