Digital Commons Network^™

Appeals To Transboundary Ecology: Cross-Border Advocacy At The Skagit Headwaters Donut Hole, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The Pacific Northwest’s regional news media has directed significant attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2019 because of a controversial, long-simmering mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this controversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole”—an area of 5,800 unprotected hectares situated between two B.C. provincial parks—Skagit Valley and Manning—located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed.

As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates representing a wide range of ecological, recreational, and community …

Framing Dr. Fauci: The Portrayal Of Dr. Anthony Fauci By Fox News And Cnn In The Early Covid-19 Lockdown, Lilian Froese Raihl

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

COVID-19 caused the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged in December 2019 (Center for Disease Control, 2022). When COVID-19 became prevalent in early 2020 in the United States, the media played a large role in communication about the pandemic, whether it was transmitting updates about the spread of the virus, posting alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or sharing medical research on COVID-19 (Grasso, 2021). As the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a leading figure in informing the public about the virus. He was featured …

Klipsun Magazine, 2022, Volume 52 Issue 03 - Spring, Tyler Brown

Klipsun Magazine

Dear Reader,

When I was given the news that I would be the future editor-in-chief for Klipsun, I knew immediately the theme I wanted for the spring edition.

Passion; (Noun)

1. a strong and barely controllable emotion.

2. an intense desire or enthusiasm for something.

Passion lies within all of us, waiting like a starving beast ready to pounce. Unexpected, unbidden and sometimes unwanted. It stirs, waiting to open its jaws and howl. It guides us. Passion rules us all, and we obey.

If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be …

No Place Like Homeskillet, Kai Uyehara

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The iconic Sunnyland breakfast spot, Homeskillet, closed after punctuating its ten-year run with a celebratory brunch party. Watch a community built around warm hospitality, hearty comfort food and eclectic decorations gather to bid farewell to a Bellingham favourite in this video feature story. To construct this six minute video, I pulled from my knowledge of storytelling through multimedia learned in my years at Western Washington University earning an English Creative Writing major, a journalism minor and participating in a film production club. This video feature story dwells within a smaller quadrant of journalism: feel-good journalism. Community and hospitality are at …

The Vampire Tapes, Emily Bishop

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This podcast series features interviews with five individuals who identify with the term 'vampire.' The interviews focus on how being 'vampiric' affects their day-to-day lives, interpersonal relationships, and view of self.

Episodes range in run time from around 20 minutes to just under an hour.

Each tape in the series focuses on a different individual.

Klipsun Magazine, 2022, Volume 52 Issue 2 - Winter, Victoria Corkum

Klipsun Magazine

Dearest reader,

When I was blessed with the opportunity to be Editor-in-Chief of Klipsun Magazine the little voice in my head whispered with glee, “Now’s your chance to inspire what others need to hear!” Living in a broken world means we are all broken people…but is that such a bad thing? We’re all a little fractured, that’s how the light gets in.

Joy: (noun) An attitude of gladness not based on circumstance; deep-rooted, inspired happiness.

This concept of joy will always receive varying responses. Some smirk at it, not fully understanding the power to be found within. Others hold onto …

Klipsun Magazine, 2021, Volume 52 Issue 1 - Fall, Sadie Fick

Klipsun Magazine

For the reader

These past years have been characterized by uncertainty. If it’s taught me anything, it’s this: We can never really know what’s coming next.

I was hired as a designer for this edition of Klipsun. I didn’t choose the theme or work with reporters to shape their stories. Now I’m Editor-in-Chief.

Sometimes we (knowingly but ungracefully) stumble into new things, as I did. Other times, we take a confident step forward only for the ground shift under us. Through the uncertainty, all we can do is look at where we are and ask ourselves what we’re going to …

Klipsun Magazine, 2021, Volume 51 Issue 3 - Spring, Jaya Flanary

Klipsun Magazine

Hi neighbor,

I lost empathy when I was young and have since spent my time searching for it. Empathy is a capacity that is messy and unnatural; it is a pain in the ass for us selfish folks. My search for it began in high school. Later, in a college literature class, I rediscovered my infatuation for empathy when I read Leslie Jamison’s “The Empathy Exams.”

“This was the double blade of how I felt about any thing that hurt: I wanted someone else to feel it with me, and also I wanted it entirely for myself.”

Considering you and …

The Internet Never Forgets: Student Journalists Meet The "Right To Be Forgotten", Emily R. Feek

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This study examines how journalists at college publications handle unpublishing requests in the context of United States media law, the European Union's Right to be Forgotten and journalistic ethics. Interviews with student editors at Washington state public universities' student newspapers were used to examine how student publications address requests for information or entire articles to be unpublished and what those editors' attitudes toward unpublishing are. This research reveals that this subset of student journalists tended to favor alternatives to unpublishing, although articles could be removed ethically in some select cases, and a lack of consistent guidelines regarding how to manage …

Speaking My Truth: Voices And Portraits Of Honors Students Of Color, Leah Kerbs

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Founded in 1962, the Honors Program at Western Washington University has prided itself on the cornerstones of academic excellence, student growth, and a tight-knit Honors community. With class sizes averaging 18 students and a dedicated Honors living space, the program certainly provides students a unique opportunity to build closer relationships with professors and peers alike as they pursue their goals within a larger university setting.

However, like colleges and universities across the nation, the predominantly white program has struggled to meaningfully include the voices and experiences of its students of color. For many, their relationship with the program remains a …

Klipsun Magazine, 2020, Volume 51 Issue 01 - Fall, Colton Rasanen

Klipsun Magazine

Dearest readers, This is the section that my predecessors have carved out to write something profound about Klipsun’s theme and the stories you will find with- in. Yet, as I write this, I realize there isn’t anything inherently profound to say about pride. Pride is something most people understand from a young age. Life is filled with proud moments. Pride in education and sports, pride in family and pets, even pride in our ability to meet milestones like talking and walking. As I list all these moments, I wonder why it was so hard for me to feel pride growing …

An Analysis Of Vogue: Femininity & Intersectionality As A Societal Standard In Fashion, Cassidy Tamburro

Scholars Week

The goal of this research project is to see if Vogue has evolved or changed its fashion coverage to be more intersectional as well as evolved in what it means to be ideally feminine. The research question that guided my work is: How has Vogue’s intersectionality and feminine ideals evolved in its fashion coverage from 1975 to 2019? My methods include a semiotic analysis of Vogue magazine covers images from 1975 and 2019, examining model diversity, cover-photo elements, and representations of styles. A qualitative analysis, including content-coding, of Vogue fashion articles 1975 and 2019. The main findings included that Vogue …

Kulshan Gives: Helping A Nonprofit Choir Create A Culture Of Giving, Emily Jackson, Schuyler Shelloner

Scholars Week

How can a nonprofit organization change from a culture of caring to a culture of giving? Emily Jackson, Schuyler Shelloner and Emma Calvert sought to answer that question in Fall 2020 during their public relations course, Research and Campaigns. They formed the Skyline Group agency and developed a PR campaign proposal for the Kulshan Chorus. This nonprofit, social-justice-oriented choir wanted to raise awareness about their mission, increase funding and involve more choir members in more community outreach. In response to their request for proposal, the Skyline Group conducted research, defined target audiences and created a 53-page campaign booklet with deliverables …

Journalism In The Age Of Doxxing​, Kathrine Huntington

Scholars Week

Doxxing is something that is becoming more and more of a reality to many journalists today and that reality can quickly become a nightmare if used in the wrong way. Doxxing is known as the release of private information without consent of the person it is directed towards. It is important for journalists today to be familiar with what doxxing is, what ethical dilemmas it creates as well as how to protect themselves against being doxxed. Anyone can be doxxed but journalists face the highest risk in today’s modern world due to easy accessibility to technology as well as our …

Reducing Stress For Student Journalists, Melody Kazel

Scholars Week

As a student in JOUR 214 and 414, I noticed that stress levels in the class were high. I asked students, currently in the class or who’d taken it one quarter previously, to fill out a survey about their stress levels and causes of stress. In order to prevent unconscious negative bias because of the nature of a survey about stress, I included questions about student satisfaction levels and causes of satisfaction. The majority of students rated stress at an eight or ten out of ten. Satisfaction levels were more varied; most students rated their satisfaction at a four, five, …

Journalists Need To Be A Voice For The Weakest Stakeholders In The Climate Crisis, Lucille Giaccio

Scholars Week

The paper covers the ethical dilemma concerning Journalism and its lack of coverage of the animal perspective. The research was done using Western Washington University's library databases and other news articles about the issue. The articles and websites focused on the ethical aspect of the "Voice for the Voiceless" including animals and nature. The primary issue with news organizations failing to discuss the animal suffering in the climate crisis was because they claimed it was too complicated. The challenge after that is writing for a human audience with a nonhuman perspective. Many journalists have adapted their style to cover all …

Klipsun Magazine, 2020, Volume 50 Issue 03 - Spring, Zoe Deal

Klipsun Magazine

For the Reader, The lake is silent on a cool spring morning. As a thick mist rises from the water’s glassy surface, there is a harsh rumble, and a white speedboat rushes through. All that remains, when the buzz fades to an empty echo, is a white-capped trail, rippling, rippling, gone. While the wake of one boat disappears as quickly as it comes into existence, add one, two or 50 more to the mix and, well... just imagine the insurmountable waves. It is not difficult to picture this familiar wake. But to recognize this metaphor on a greater human scale …

Creating An Inclusive Culture In Cycling: The Story Of Spoke Folx, Chuck Tookey

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Click the blue "Download" button to access a transcript of the podcast.

The story of Spoke Folx: a group working to make a welcoming space for womxn/trans/femme/non-binary/gender non-conforming cyclists.

Educate Me: The Use Of Solutions Journalism In The Seattle Times’ Education Lab, Audra Anderson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Podcast Link: https://soundcloud.com/user-202190427

Click the Download button to access the script for the podcast.

Legacy journalism norms value a concept of objectivity, yet coverage often contains implicit biases. Such biases can influence the message the audience draws from a story. The narratives in a story can determine whether it will make a difference, or whether it will be lost in a myriad of stories with the same skeleton. The term solutions journalism began floating the field in 1998. Solutions Journalism Network partnered with The Seattle Times to create the Education Lab, a solutions-oriented reporting beat. Solutions journalism and reporting done …

Call Of The Chorus Frog: An Undergraduate Experience In Field Research In The Elwha River Basin, Nicole Vandeputte

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In scientific disciplines, students are not often taught to write in a way that is easily understood by people outside of their field. It is my goal to learn to communicate scientific research to a broad audience in a way that is both understandable and interesting. In spring of 2019, I participated in Huxley’s environmental science field camp. We traveled to the Elwha River basin in Olympic National Park and conducted wildlife research projects of our own design. My group’s research assessed amphibian habitat in two areas of the park, one of which was recently exposed after the removal of …

Klipsun Magazine, 2020, Volume 50, Issue 02 - Winter, Ray Garcia

Klipsun Magazine

Dear Reader, When we think of the archetype superhero, we often conjure up an image of some perfect, impenetrable being. As humans, the realities we face are seldom that simple. As I reflected on my experiences in journalism thus far, I kept coming back to what I felt made stories both important and compelling – the people at the heart of it all. No matter the topic, there is something inherently captivating about the human experience in that it always drives a component of the article. Otherwise, what would compel us to care? And so, I chose the theme “Superhuman”, …

The Planet, 2020, Winter, Alex Meacham, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Klipsun Magazine, 2019, Volume 50, Issue 01 - Fall, Questen Inghram

Klipsun Magazine

Dear reader, Klipsun Magazine has hit the stands for fifty volumes now—it transformed from student yearbook to a storytelling publication during a time of war, civil unrest, uncertainty and an ever-present sense of indignation. Our writers pursued ledes with that feeling at heart. In this issue you’ll read stories about the long fight to renew the college of ethnic studies, one student’s year-long struggle with homelessness, why one man put a dent in his savings to run for city council, how one person has persevered since her sexual assault and more. I would like to personally thank the Klipsun staff, …

The Planet, 2019, Fall, Emily Dietzel, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Klipsun Magazine, 2019, Volume 49, Issue 04 - Summer, Angela Wissmar

Klipsun Magazine

Dear Reader, I invite you to savor these pages and indulge on the flavors of life within these stories. I invite you to have a large appetite, to bite off more than you can chew, but to finish anyway. I invite you to always leave room for vulnerability, resilience and change, but with joy as the main course. Maybe you’re like me, finally graduating after a victory lap, stumbling on the pressure cooker of, “what’s next”. “Next” is taking risks. Welcoming failure. Knowing when to ask for help. Never settling. Having the courage to try new things. And not ever …

Nike In Politics: How Political Consumerism Impacts Corporate Social Responsibility, Samantha Frost

Scholars Week

How does Nike's campaign supporting Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement reflect the alignment of large corporations with political movements as a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and how does political consumerism impact this decision? The purpose of this project is to examine how Nike used the ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign to piggyback off the Black Lives Matter movement as a public relations and marketing strategy as well as how political consumerism is shaping corporate social responsibility. How do political movements impact the corporate world and how do corporations impact political movements? Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign titled ‘Chasing Crazy’ was …

The Education Beat In A Declining Industry, Jon Foster

Scholars Week

The collapse of the newspaper industry and the disappearance of the education beat on many local and national newspapers can have profound impacts on journalism, civic engagement and our democracy. In this paper, I look at the the current state of education reporting in America and examine the ethical dilemmas local and national news agencies face as well as the hopeful future it has in a transforming news industry.

Klipsun Magazine, 2019, Volume 49, Issue 03 - Spring, Kristina Rivera

Klipsun Magazine

Being ourselves takes courage. Courage to be honest and courage to be vulnerable. I chose authenticity as the theme for this issue of Klipsun because I wanted genuine and honest stories. What I received were stories about fighting for identity, what we can learn about ourselves through the lens of cross-cultural psychology, confronting the past to better understand who we are now and more. When we muster up the courage to tell honest, authentic stories like these, it can remind us we’re not alone. Sometimes that’s all we can ask for. When we’re honest with who we are with each …

The Planet, 2019, Spring, Emily Dietzel, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Framing Feminism: How U.S. And French Media Frame #Metoo And #Balancetonporc From A Feminist Perspective, Kira Erickson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this website is to provide a cross-cultural analysis of the .. Me Too" movement in the U.S. and France. These feminist movements are absolutely critical to the ongoing fight against sexual harassment and assault. The creation of this research website explores cultural differences in framing of the subjects in news stories from The New York Times and Le Monde. The #MeToo movement is compared and contrasted with France's counterpart, #BalanceTonPorc.

Website Link:

https://ericks663.wixsite.com/framingfeminism