Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Influence Of Colorism On The Dating Preferences Of Black Undergraduate Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Odessa Foster

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined the effects of colorism on emerging Black undergraduate college students and how it influences their dating preferences while attending a Predominantly White Institution. The participants were 18-24 years old and self-identified as Black women attending a PWI. A secondary analysis was conducted. The findings of this study revealed that family can influence emerging Black adults dating preferences as they are likely to have the same preference as their family. There is a significantly positive relationship between family preference and dating preferences. This study also examined the correlation between media/social media and dating preferences. As there were positive …

Examining Framing Of Local And National Media Coverage Of Sandy Hook And Robb Elementary School Shootings, Gabrielle L. Debruler

LSU Master's Theses

There have been over 350 K-12 school shootings since the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 (Cox et al., 2023). Thousands of journalists cover these attacks each in their own way with unique motives. This information goes to the public, and it is up to that person how they want to consume the story and view the shooting. National and local journalists tend to cover school shootings quite differently throughout time with unique frames. The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and Robb Elementary Schools illustrate this framing distinctively.

Through a qualitative study of national and local coverage of the …

Local Vs. National: How Twitter Reflects News Coverage Of Colin Kaepernick Protests, Jared Paul Joseph

LSU Master's Theses

Local and national media dedicate different levels of coverage to issues depending on its relevancy to their audiences. This study uses news outlets’ social media activity to show that coverage discrepancies occurred with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem protest. Because his protest reached national headlines, Kaepernick suffered the same fate of many protesting athletes in the past. This study will show how national media carried his story to national headlines and framed his protest negatively. The findings show that local media were the least active among the three media levels, local, regional and national, in covering the Kaepernick …

Televising The American Nightmare: The Twilight Zone And Postwar Social Criticism, David Brokaw

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone (1959-1964) emerged during a period of American history which has since become something of myth, legend, and lore. Popularly portrayed as a kind of golden age when middle class aspirations were within reach, suburban housing affordable, and the nuclear family perfectly contented, postwar America was more accurately characterized by profound cognitive dissonances. At a time when the Cold War was understood to be first and foremost a battle of ideas, psychological marketing promoted many different facets of the American Dream. While market researchers plumbed the depths of American minds and explored their subconscious desires and insecurities …

Reporting For The State Department: Carl W. Ackerman's Cooperation With Government During Wwi, Meghan Elizabeth Menard

LSU Master's Theses

The press was outraged when reports in 1973 exposed the CIA’s use of American journalists as undercover informants during the Cold War. The CIA-journalists link represented for the press a shocking break in the traditional line between journalists and government. A study of journalist Carl W. Ackerman’s experiences in the First World War suggests, however, that the CIA-journalists link has historical precedents in the practices of twentieth-century reporters. Ackerman, who later became the first dean of Columbia Journalism School, sent confidential reports to the State Department while reporting overseas for magazines and newspapers. He forged close relationships with a number …

Visual Representations Of Gender In Engineering Trade Journals Of Professional Societies During 1998-2012: A Content Analysis Of Hierarchy And Stereotypes, Tracy Ettel Morris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recruiting and retaining women in engineering have stagnated since the mid-1990's partially due to the marginalization of women in education and the workforce. This research analyzed the quality and quantity of representation of women and men in visual images of professional science and engineering trade journals to illuminate the marginalizing climate of engineering. A mixed methods approach using visual content analysis was performed for a 15-year period during 1998-2012 of three different trade journals of professional societies representing various disciplines of engineering: the first has a low percentage of women, the second has a higher percentage of women, and the …

Can You Hear Me Now: A Cross-National Analysis Of Media, New Icts, Press Freedoms And Sociopolitical Instability, Conflict, And Democracy., Britt Christensen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Using cross-national panel data, I investigated relationships among sociopolitical instability, major intrastate conflicts, democracy levels, and media and new information and communication technologies (ICTs) penetration rates and press freedoms. I conducted similar analyses regarding all non-democracies, looking at various types of political instability and media/ICT penetration rates. The results of this research add to democratic, freedom of expression, and political communication theories. These findings bring empirical evidence to help illuminate many of the popular debates surrounding the impact of new ICTs and freedom of expression on popular dissident activities. My results suggested that countries with higher rates of Internet and …

A Comparison Of Calcium And Magnesium Ratios In Soilless Media For Optimum Vegetable Production Irrigated With Alkaline Ph Water, Sarah E. Bertrand

LSU Master's Theses

Home gardeners in areas with alkaline water sources do not have means of acidifying water for vegetable production. A solution to achieving optimal yields with alkaline irrigation water is to use specialized media; however, current media available does not meet these needs. New media recipes with varied levels (0 to 8 lbs/yd3) and sources of Ca (dolomitic lime, calcium sulfate) and Mg (dolomitic lime, magnesium sulfate) were tested using alkaline irrigation on lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower crops under high tunnel and on nursery yard sites. Media treatments with an 80:20 bark:peat and 7.1 kg/m3 slow release 15-9-11 base mix and …

Perceptions Of Collegiate And Professional Black Male Athletes Based On The Media, Dionell Mcneal

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on how media usage can affect one’s perceptions of Black collegiate and professional male athletes. While early research focused solely on traditional media, this study focuses on social media as well. This study investigates the relationships between the amounts of time spent using traditional and social media, and the perceptions of athletes in regards to their physical capability, the likelihood of being criminals, and prevalence of committing violent crimes. To explore relationships, this study utilized a total of 145 White participants. Findings showed a positive relationship existed between social media usage and perceptions of criminal-like characteristics. It …

Burn, Boil & Eat : An Intersection Analysis Of Stereotypes In The Most Influential Films Of All Time, Roslyn M. Satchel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research builds upon the work of Entman & Rojecki (2001) in examining the ways the most influential movies use racial stereotypes in media frames. The results of this study contribute to the rather limited mass media research and body of knowledge regarding the media content that attracts the largest and most enduring audiences in the new media landscape. As ten of the films that have generated the most revenue, the movies in this sample constitute a genre of movies that are also a prime feature of on-going publishing, cable, internet, digital gaming, DVD, and movie sequel franchises. If, as …

Identity As A Compass For Understanding Media Choice, Emily Marie Pfetzer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The changes to our socio-technological media environment over the past 30 years have heightened the interest in identity across the social sciences. The spread of networked digital communication technologies and mobile media have increased the urgency for media scholars to better understand how and why individuals consume media as they do. Several media choice scholars have recently started considering how individuals’ identity and self-concept relate to media choice, but have not yet systematically addressed how identity might be related. This dissertation takes the first steps toward advancing an identity-based approach to understanding individual media choice in the 21st century by: …

Polygamy Is Creepy, Wrong, And Sick! (However, I Find It Fascinating) : Parasocial Comparison, Parasocial Processing, Parasocial Contact Hypothesis, And Polygamy, Thomas Phillip Madison

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examined tolerance of polygamists as a result of exposure to television programming. Specifically, it looked at how audiences form attitudes toward the practice of polygamy and its participants in light of viewing its portrayals in popular television entertainment. Using historical research, semi-structured interviews, surveys of viewers and students, and an experiment, I explored the issue of tolerance among different types of Americans. The findings in these studies demonstrate that Americans never cared for polygamy and continue to find little appeal for its practice. Yet, we are captivated by television shows that focus on polygamy. Part of our habit …

Imperial Consensus: The English Press And India, 1919-1935, David Lilly

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1919 and 1935, the lion’s share of the interwar era, the British government’s most important overriding task was constitutional reform of India. The subcontinent’s importance to Britain was undoubted: economically as an important trading partner and militarily a source of fighting men and material, as demonstrated in the Great War. However, scholars have relegated India to a relatively minor topic and instead have portrayed Britain’s interwar period as the era of appeasement. Appeasement only became an issue in 1935 and a major topic with the Munich crisis of September 1938. Voluminous press coverage of the India issue throughout the …

The American Empire: A Content And Textual Analysis Of The Media Coverage Of The 2009 U.S. And Colombia Military Base Agreement, Britt Don Christensen

LSU Master's Theses

The United States maintains a worldwide network of military bases and spends more on military expenses than the rest of the world combined. This project seeks to analyze how the U.S. mainstream media cover and discuss the American Empire both broadly and specifically. I conducted a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative textual analysis of the Media coverage of the 2009 U.S. – Colombian military base agreement, which was protested by Latin American leaders. I analyzed the coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN.com, and The Miami Herald regarding the US military’s use of bases in Colombia in …

Korean Hurricane Media Discourse Analysis, Youngae Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Presented within this thesis, I have analyzed a particular TV broadcast news discourse called Korean Hurricane Media Discourse (KHMD), which was presented online from YTN, a Korean cable TV news station. The data presents the topic of the Korean refugees who were forced to evacuate to Baton Rouge from New Orleans, after facing the destructions of Hurricane Katrina on August 2005. The methods are Ron Scollon’s TV news frames (1998), van Dijk’s superstructure (1988a and 1988b) and macrostructure (1980), Allan Bell’s news structure (1991), Dell Hymes’s SPEAKING model (1974), and Erving Goffman’s frameworks (1986). Since KHMD is a spoken, plannable …

Statewide Public Affairs Television: Expanding The C-Span Model To The State Level And Achieving Institutional Status In The Process, Karen M. Rowley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A study of 10 states that have statewide public affairs television networks finds that these systems have become an integral part of the state governmental process in the same way that C-SPAN has become an institution in Washington, D.C. That is, lawmakers, legislative staff members, lobbyists, and statehouse reporters ignore it at their peril. At the same time, the content produced by these state versions of C-SPAN has altered the way in which the members of these groups do their jobs by providing a monitoring capacity that makes it easier for them to be more productive. This study uses a …

Effect Of Nursery Media Particle Size Distribution On Container-Grown Woody Ornamental Production, Michael Paul Richard

LSU Master's Theses

Bark is a renewable resource with limited availability as a medium used by the nursery industry. Previous research has indicated that pinebark and hardwood bark can be used as a substrate in nursery production. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of bark source (pinebark and hardwood bark), particle size distribution, and irrigation frequency on the growth and quality of azalea (Rhododendron indicum ‘Red Ruffle’), Indian hawthorn (Rhapeolepis indica ‘Snow’), and ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum). Treatments were arranged in a factorial 6x2x2 plot design, with six soil mixes, two barks, two irrigation frequencies, and six blocks totaling 144 …

Mothers Grimm And Other House Held Tales, Holly Kay Streekstra

LSU Master's Theses

Mothers Grimm and Other House Held Tales is a body of work that uses fairy tale archetypes and narrative traditions to comment upon tensions and conflicts in sexual self-understanding. This is achieved through a reflection on attitudes that women adopt regarding their own sexuality. Such a reflection is instigated through a presentation of prominent cultural archetypes that exist, no longer as received ideas, but as a bold and entertaining expression of how sex can change our attitude towards those ideas that we often take for granted. Through an assemblage of objects and video, this body of work evokes a domestic …

Civic Journalism And Community Newspapers: Opportunities For Social And Civic Connections, Amy Burroughs

LSU Master's Theses

This study sought to fill in a gap in civic journalism research by considering its implications for community newspapers, those small, locally oriented publications that serve rural and suburban communities throughout the country. In particular, this study posed the argument that such newspapers may have advantages in pursuing civic journalism, and that these approaches may especially benefit newspapers in high-growth communities. This study relied heavily on the language of theorists who describe journalism as a public conversation, the quality of which - its usefulness for readers as citizens and members of a community - the press can either help or …

Media Use, Hiv/Aids Knowledge, And Sexual Beliefs: An Exploration Of Differences Between Races, Tarana Hammond

LSU Master's Theses

As the numbers rise among African Americans who are contracting HIV/AIDS, it becomes evident that research is needed to examine where African Americans obtain HIV/AIDS information. This study identified where African Americans obtain HIV/AIDS information and examined how that information affects African Americans’ sexual beliefs about HIV/AIDS. The theoretical foundation for this study was the Health Belief Model (HBM). This study used a survey method. The data analysis demonstrated that race does influence the type of media an individual uses. Race does not impact an individual’s access to health information. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS impacts an individual’s sexual beliefs about HIV/AIDS. …

The Diffusion Of Gis In Journalism, Ben S. Wasike

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine the likelihood of reporters to adopt Geographical Information Systems and to predict the future of the diffusion of GIS in the journalism industry using the diffusion of innovations theory. The study used two data collection methods: in-depth interviews and a Web survey. The indepth-interviews revealed factors that will influence the diffusion of GIS, including the availability of map data, competition between media agencies, the ease of getting management to buy GIS once its functionality has been demonstrated to them, and the general use of secondary GIS products. The Web survey showed that …

Covering The Revolution Of Roses (Differences And Similarities Between Georgia And Independent Television Companies), Nino Danelia

LSU Master's Theses

The study analyzed how independent and state media's news programs differ in the way they framed the Georgian Revolution of Roses. The paper analyzed what sources, frames and key words journalists used to describe the protest in order to investigate if the coverage was objective or biased in any particular direction. Study provides evidence that by framing protests in a different way, politicians and journalists give different meanings to the same issues and suggest what is at issue. Each party of the political elite tried to promote their own political viewpoints. By preferring sources from the ruling party and their …

Media Coverage Of The 2003 Parliamentary Election In The Republic Of Georgia, Baadur Koplatadze

LSU Master's Theses

The November 2, 2003, parliamentary election caused a significant political crisis in the Republic of Georgia. During the election campaign, the political parties questioned the desire of the government to carry out a fair election. They blamed President Edward Shevardnadze for fabricating the election. After the election, the opposition parties did not recognize the results and claimed that there were massive fabrications (the number of people who voted was much more than the number of people who were in voters’ list). The public supported this position, and several huge demonstrations demanded the resignation of President Shevardnadze. Two weeks after the …

Freedom Of Expression In The Republic Of Georgia: Framing The Attempted Shut-Down Of The Independent Tv Station, George Sulkhanishvili

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the perception and the level of freedom in the media of the Republic of Georgia. The study examines the media’s perception of freedom by identifying the frame newspapers used while covering the event between the government and the independent media outlet. The main interest is to define the predominant frame. A content analysis of 115 news articles of the four Georgian daily newspapers find that responsibility and conflict frames were more frequently used than economic consequences frame and morality frames. The study concludes that the Georgian media have considerable freedom from external …

Print Media Impact On State Legislative Policy Agendas, Abby Kral

LSU Master's Theses

Using a survey of Louisiana’s State Legislature, this study examined the role media have in developing state legislators’ policy agendas by exploring the function of news media in the public policy process. The study also tested whether there was a correlation between media use, years of legislative service, and education level. This thesis was also able to establish a correlation between media use and gender, with results suggesting that female state legislators rely on newspapers more than their male counterparts. The results suggest that legislators do seek out issues in newspapers that affect the communities and constituents they serve and …

Nitrification Rates In A Reversed-Flow, Spouted-Bed, Bioreactor Applied To Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, Jonathan Thomas Scott

LSU Master's Theses

The effects of media selection and organic loading on nitrification rates in a reversed-flow, three-phase, spouted-bed, bioreactor with draft-tube (A-1 Aquaculture Continuous-Cleaning Multifunctional Biofilter or CCMB) were studied. Experiments were conducted on three identical recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) each having a CCMB unit with a unique plastic pelletized media and operated over five successive trials with varying components and operating conditions. Based upon organic loading, three of the five trials were grouped into two organic loading regimes of approximately 91 mg/L COD and 149 mg/L COD. Comparing nitrification rates against the three media types by organic loading showed that media …

A Textual Analysis Comparing The Content Of "Black Enterprise," "Forbes," And "Fortune" Magazines And The Message Each Presents To Its Readers, Karen M. Rowley

LSU Master's Theses

A study of Forbes, Fortune, and Black Enterprise magazines finds that the two mainstream business publications—Forbes and Fortune—provide virtually no coverage of Blacks and the black business community, thereby helping to perpetuate the white-dominated view of society that places minorities in general—and Blacks in particular—outside the norm. Black Enterprise, on the other hand, continues in the long tradition of the black press, providing an alternative view of society through its focus on the black business community.