Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Farm Newspaper Capitulates To Advertiser Pressure: Determinants Of Readers’ Attitudes Toward The Firing Of An Editorial Cartoonist, Lulu Rodriguez, Supathida Kulpavaropas

Journal of Applied Communications

On April 2016, the weekly Farm News cut its ties with veteran freelancer Rick Friday who drew a cartoon that called attention to how much the CEOs of large agricultural corporations are paid. This study examines the determinants of people’s attitudes toward Mr. Friday’s firing. Using data gathered from a national online survey of newspaper readers, this study traced the antecedents of these attitudes. While the incident drew strong negative reactions, we found that public attitudes were strongly mediated by readers’ attitudes toward Big Ag advertisers. That is, those who saw Big Ag in a positive light were more inclined …

Why Websites Work: An Examination Of Interdisciplinary Agricultural Center Websites, Ashley N. Mcleod, Valerie Mckee, Savannah Woodall, Brandon Mckee, Joy Rumble

Journal of Applied Communications

This study examined the online content of interdisciplinary agricultural center webpages. Content modification dates, mission statements, and content were determined through a content analysis. Many of the websites did not mention a modification date for the content, while many websites had outdated content mostly older than six months. More than two-thirds of the websites provided PDFs that visitor could download to learn more about topics, by many of the websites lacked any media element that was being coded. Additionally, many websites did not use multiple forms of media. More than half of the websites were coded as lacking any social …

Collegiate Millennials' Perceptions Of Locally Produced Beef, Shelby Oesterreicher, Lisa K. Lundy, Joy N. Rumble, Ricky W. Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

Millennial consumers are stepping into important roles as decision makers and consumers. A knowledge and communication gap exists between cattle producers and consumers this knowledge seeking generation. This study focused on collegiate millennials’ perceptions of locally produced beef. The research design was qualitative in nature using focus groups. Participants associated the beef industry and beef products with the environment, management practices, treatment of animals, human health concerns, retail, experience with the beef industry, experience with beef, and transparency. Results of this study showed participants had minimal knowledge of the industry and relatively negative perceptions of the industry and beef products. …

Analyzing Media Coverage Of Agricultural Health And Safety Issues, Lisa K. Lundy, Tiffany M. Rogers-Randolph, Angela B. Lindsey, Clay Hurdle, Heather Ryan, Ricky W. Telg, Tracy Irani

Journal of Applied Communications

Farming, by the very nature of the occupation, is riddled with uncertainty. The risks associated with the agriculture industry are just as diverse as the industry itself. For all risks, one challenge is the development and dissemination of safety communication materials tailored for diverse audiences. Valkenburg, Semetko, and Vreese (1999) examined common frames used in news media. Their analysis pointed to four commonly used news frames: conflict, human interest, responsibility and economic consequences. The purpose of this study was to describe the agricultural and health safety issues discussed in Florida news media during the year 2016, discussing the prominence of …

A Sentiment And Content Analysis Of Twitter Content Regarding The Use Of Antibiotics In Livestock, Garrett M. Steede, Courtney Meyers, Nan Li, Erica Irlbeck, Sherice Gearhart

Journal of Applied Communications

On January 1, 2017, the final rule of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) was put into place requiring antibiotics approved for both humans and animals to be discontinued for growth promotion. This change was brought on by the role growth promoters in livestock production play in the development of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance increases the costs associated with human health care by increasing the length of stays in the hospital and requiring more intensive medical care for patients. The purpose of this study was to explore sentiment and characteristics of social media content and the characteristics of the key influencers …

Comparison Of Extension Personnel And Supervisor Perceptions Of Communications Activities, Brittany Bowman, Quisto Settle, Elizabeth Gregory North, Keri Collins Lewis

Journal of Applied Communications

Extension is often called the “best-kept secret” having low awareness with the public but high satisfaction with clientele. Extension services nationwide have faced budget cuts, creating a need for the organization to re-evaluate its activities, including how it communicates with its stakeholders. While Extension personnel are the ones who will do most of the communicating, their supervisors impact the personnel’s actions, which means it is important to assess both groups. A survey was conducted with Extension personnel and their supervisors in Mississippi assessing engagement in communications activities and perceptions of those activities, as well as personnel’s preference of professional development …

Genetic Modification, Factory Farms, And Alf: A Focus Group Study Of The Netflix Original Film Okja, Garrett M. Steede, Kelsi Opat, Leah S. Curren, Erica Irlbeck

Journal of Applied Communications

Okja is a fictional Netflix original film that was released in 2017. Okja features a “super pig” that is owned by the large, agricultural company Mirando Corporation. Okja is raised by a young girl, Mija, and her grandfather in the South Korean mountains. The film climaxes when Mija and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) narrowly save Okja and a smuggled piglet from the slaughter process. The purpose of this study was to understand how college students responded to the film. The viewers of this film included students who were majoring in a field within the agricultural college (COA) at Texas …

Blue Bell's Facebook Posts And Responses During The 2015 Listeria Crisis: A Case Study, Kelsi Opat, Haley Magness, Erica Irlbeck

Journal of Applied Communications

Blue Bell Creameries faced an unprecedented situation when it pulled all of its products during a Listeria outbreak in 2015. Despite a very public crisis that resulted in three deaths, Blue Bell survived the disaster and maintained a large and loyal customer base. A content analysis of the Blue Bell Ice Cream Facebook page was conducted to evaluate Blue Bell’s public communications, and its followers’ public reactions to the Facebook communication during the crisis. Results indicated that Blue Bell primarily posted messages that included recall and restocking information, thankfulness to stakeholders, and details about improvements to food safety during the …

The Communication Effectiveness Of Scientist-Stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Agriculture And Natural Resources Issues: An Analysis Of The Media Attention And Media Framing Of The Florida Water And Climate Alliance, Shuyang Qu, Tracy Irani

Journal of Applied Communications

Scientist-stakeholder partnerships are formed by scientists from academic institutions and industry representatives in an effort to address contingent science issues such as climate change, inform the public and influence public policies. Such organizations often lack expertise in communicating to the public and conducting outreach which are crucial components to building a good reputation. This study selected Florida Water and Climate Alliance [FWCA] as an example of such an organization, exploring its media attention and media framing to assess the visibility and reputation of [FWCA]. Results showed very limited media attention had been devoted to [FWCA]. The framing analysis results indicated …

Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis And Application, Quisto Settle

Journal of Applied Communications

Review of Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application (6th ed.)

Piloting Participatory Arts-Based Methods For Exploring Indonesians’ Experiences In A U.S. Biotechnology Training Program, Jamie Loizzo, Richard E. Goodman, Mary Garbacz

Journal of Applied Communications

Science communication faculty and professionals often train scientists about conveying and delivering critical and sometimes controversial scientific information to public audiences. This qualitative case study was situated in a U.S.-based biotechnology training program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture for connecting Indonesian science fellows with university biotechnology scientists and science communication experts. The researchers piloted a participatory arts-based approach for instructing and researching Indonesian scientists’, professionals’, and educators’ learning and experiences in the program. Participatory and arts-based research has the potential to uncover and bring to light participants’ perceptions. Participants used iPad multimedia kits to demonstrate their learning …

Perceptions Of Trust: Communicating Climate Change To Cattle Producers, Ricky W. Telg, Lisa Lundy, Cassie Wandersee, Saqib Mukhtar, David Smith, Phillip Stokes

Journal of Applied Communications

The Cattle and Climate Conversations Workshop for Cooperative Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the last activity funded through a multi-regional United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) grant, took place in October 2016 in Denver, Colorado, for Extension and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representatives in the Southwest and Mountain West who work extensively with cattle producers. The purpose of this study was to identify how Extension agents and NRCS personnel in this workshop viewed the issue of “trust,” as it relates to communicating the topic of climate change to cattle producers. Three …

Message Framing And Climate Change Communication: A Meta-Analytical Review, Nan Li, Leona Yi-Fan Su

Journal of Applied Communications

This meta-analytic study reviewed experimental studies that examined the effects of message framing on public engagement with climate change. We included 10 studies that used self-reported measures of climate-related attitudes and behaviors, with 26 comparison pairs. The results suggested that message framing generally has a positive effect on individuals’ engagement with climate change and its two sub-categories – behavioral intentions and support for climate policy. More specifically, we found message frames that emphasize the environmental, economic, and moral dimensions of climate change have a small-to-medium size impact on individuals’ engagement with climate change. In contrast, message frames around public health …

Safely Through The Gate: Exploring Media Coverage And Journalists Decisions On The Flow Of Farm Safety Stories, Rebecca Swenson, Brandon Roiger, Alexis Murillo

Journal of Applied Communications

Agriculture continues to rank as one of the most dangerous industries in the nation. Media coverage is an important tool for sharing farm safety information, improving knowledge and changing behaviors. Despite this importance, surprisingly little research has focused on agricultural media coverage and the forces that influence journalists’ decisions about when and how to cover safety stories. This study uses content analysis methods to examine the nature of farm safety issues, accidents, and topics that appear in mainstream news, agricultural media, and blogs. Researchers also interviewed journalists and bloggers to better understand their motivations, barriers, and information needs when covering …

Understanding Consumer Intent To Buy Local Food: Adding Consumer Past Experience And Moral Obligation Toward Buying Local Blueberries In Florida Within The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Jessica Holt, Joy N. Rumble, Ricky Telg, Alexa Lamm

Journal of Applied Communications

Buying local food has become an increasingly popular way for consumers to engage with those who grow their food; however, research has shown a specific audience tends to buy local food due to individual-specific barriers. To better understand what motivates consumers to buy local food the Theory of Planned Behavior was used as a way to potentially predict consumers’ behavior toward buying locally grown blueberries. Also, the variables of past experience and self-identity/moral obligation toward buying local food were introduced to the model since both variables may increase the predictability of the Theory of Planned Behavior model in certain food-related …

Using Student-Produced Videos To Communicate About Science, Ricky W. Telg, Kathryn Stofer, Rachel Deconna

Journal of Applied Communications

This professional development article provides a case study of the Explore Research at the University of Florida video project, conducted by University of Florida undergraduate and graduate students. Students take an advanced digital media production course where they develop videos documenting research at the university. The videos are then displayed at the Museum of Natural History and various online, broadcast, and cable television outlets. This article also provides suggestions for individuals who may want to develop their own partnerships with similar organizations in their courses.

Agricultural Communications Students Describe A Short-Term Field Experience, Angel N. Riggs, Diane Montgomery

Journal of Applied Communications

Student-run publications, including newsrooms and similar agency-style work achieve the curricular goal of experiential learning (Roberts, 2006) for university agricultural communication students. Gaining a journalistic skillset in the classroom is richly supplemented with experiencing real-world and authentic agency immersion to reveal to students the genuine characteristics of a workplace. The purpose of this study was to use Q methodology to evaluate a real-world, out-of-class-but-supervised newsroom producing publications for the State FFA Convention. Fifteen undergraduate students who were immersed in this three-day program in which students publish original work to disseminate information to FFA participants and the public participated in the …

Effect Of Source In Online Video Training For Cattle Producers, Joseph Chapes

Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy

Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) contamination has been a long-existing concern for the cattle production industry, often causing negative public health and economic consequences. The existence of pre-harvest practices that reduce E. coli contamination creates the opportunity to support human health by modifying behaviors in cattle production through educational communication. It is vital to consider how communication can be modified to persuade the audience. This study examined the effects of having different sources, such as a veterinarian or cattle producer, present the message in a training video. An experimental design was used to examine how the source is identified …

Cultivating Creativity: Faculty Conceptions Of Creativity In Agricultural Communications Students, Courtney Gibson, Hope Hancock, Erica Irlbeck, Courtney Meyers

Journal of Applied Communications

Creativity has been deemed as an essential skill in agricultural communications graduates by both industry and academia, and it has a pivotal role in student success within the classroom and the workforce. In order to foster students’ creative thinking skills, faculty must turn away from traditional norms of lecture-based delivery and foster an environment where students are actively creating and engaging in the learning process. The purpose of this study was to provide insight on the nature of creativity as it relates to agricultural communications curriculum—focused on pedagogical strategies and creative assessments. This qualitative case study examined how agricultural communications …

Eating Animals: The Influence Of Food-Based Narratives, Gillian Spolarich, Amanda Ruth-Mcswain, Lisa K. Lundy

Journal of Applied Communications

This study examines the prevalence and persuasiveness of popular food-based narratives. Specifically, the book Eating Animals, a detailed critique of the U.S. meat industry, provided the foundation for exploring the influence of food-based narratives. Guided by the theory of narrative persuasion, a qualitative research design was employed to investigate the influence of this contemporary text on reader perceptions and behaviors. The present study incorporated in-depth interviews with individuals that read all or some of the acclaimed food-based narrative Eating Animals. Findings indicate that the popular narrative motivated a range of attitudinal and behavioral changes. Additional themes that emerged …

#Transformffa: An Analysis Of Social Media Content During The 2016 National Ffa Convention, Tiffany M. Rogers-Randolph, Lisa K. Lundy, Jessica L. Harsh, Raychel Rabon

Journal of Applied Communications

The proliferation of social media has the ability to considerably impact stakeholders’ perspective of an organization’s brand. Due to this relationship, social media analysis is crucial to executing informed brand communication strategies. In October 2016, the brand communication strategies of the National FFA Organization were focused on promoting the 89^th National FFA Convention. A large portion of these efforts and resources were dedicated towards the utilization of social media. This study was designed as a content analysis of the National FFA Organization’s social media presence during the dates of the convention. The goal was to identify the prominent themes …

Media Portrayal Of Gm Science And Citrus Greening In State And National Newspapers, Jeremy D'Angelo, Jason D. Ellis Ph.D., Katherine Burke Ph.D., Taylor Ruth

Journal of Applied Communications

Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening, is a bacterial disease severely affecting the profitability and continuation of the citrus industry in Florida and is threatening the citrus industry in other states as well. Currently, the disease only can be managed, not cured. Gene-based therapies, such as GM science, have been identified as a viable long-term solution. However, consumer acceptance of genetically modified food is low and their understanding and acceptance of new technologies is largely dependent on what they receive through mass media. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to understand news coverage of both citrus greening and …

The Communication Effectiveness Of Scientist-Stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Agriculture And Natural Resources Issues: A Citation Analysis Of The Florida Water And Climate Alliance, Shuyang Qu, Tracy Irani, Angela B. Lindsey

Journal of Applied Communications

Public opinion on contentious agricultural and natural resource issues, such as climate change, has become more polarized and the science itself has sometimes been called into question. In response, academics and various types of stakeholders have formed organizational partnerships and collaborations to disseminate their science to inform the public and policy. These Scientist-Stakeholder Partnerships possess advantages such as technical expertise, however, such groups often face challenges in communicating effectively and establishing their reputation.

This study selected Florida Water and Climate Alliance (FWCA) as an example of this type of organization and used citation analysis to measure communication effectiveness and impact. …