Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Robo-Ump: A Study Of The Prospective Impact Of Automated Strike Zone Use In Major League Baseball Games From The Perspective Of Broadcasters And Media, Bob Greene

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

A qualitative analysis of the Major League Baseball industry’s perspective on the use of technology within the game, specifically the incorporation of an automated strike zone in place of traditional umpires, through targeted survey results from current MLB broadcasters and journalists or media members. Evidence from the research suggests that though those who are in favor of umpires being replaced by technology within the game, at least in some fashion, there are concerns that the technology in place is currently ready to provide the type of experience desired for MLB play when it comes ruling on balls and strikes with …

Florida’S Public Records Law: Its Role In A Tragedy During Hurricane Irma, Patrick Sheehan

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The Facts:On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida, and wreaked havoc across the state causing structural damage, flooding, and power outages. Among those effected by the power outage was the Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Hollywood, Florida. In preparation of the impending storm, the governor of Florida, Rick Scott, held “teleconference calls (Spencer, Kennedy, Licon, & Associated Press, 2018),”with nursing home and hospital officials, as well as emergency managers. During these conference calls, Scott gave top nursing home executives his personal cell phone number and told these executives should they experience any issues, they …

The Globalization Of Journalism Ethics: Exploring Feasibility And Value In A Globalized World, Sherine Mansour

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This study explores the value and feasibility of globalizing journalism ethics. Many media ethicists have explored the concept and need for globalizing journalism ethics codes to better serve the globalization of journalism in general, but no one has yet to survey journalists and their stakeholders. This research endeavors to explore this missing element for the argument supporting a new Global Code of Ethics for journalists, and simultaneously explores the role global journalists may need to play in the future to remain relevant in an interconnected world.

Advisor: Sue Burzynski Bullard

Taking A Stand By Kneeling: An Analysis Of National Anthem Protest Coverage, Vincent Pena

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers decided to protest the national anthem before a 2016 NFL preseason game because of systemic racial inequality and instances of police brutality, sparking a nationwide debate about the First Amendment, the national anthem in sports, and race, among other topics. His protest influenced many similar protests, including one by three members of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. This paper looks at the media coverage of the protests and the aftermath, examining both national and local print and broadcast news sources, to determine the degree to which the coverage adheres to the protest paradigm, …

This Machine Kills Fascists: Music, Speech And War, Robert J. Crisler

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This thesis examines the history and persuasive power of rhetoric through the mass medium of popular music from Woody Guthrie to the modern era. It focuses on the Vietnam War era as a particularly significant and prolific era of topical (“protest”) music. Through interviews with media observers, historians and veterans of the Vietnam war, it seeks to understand the relevance of rhetorical speech in music within an overall mass media context, both within that era and extending to the present day. Through contemporaneous accounts of the intent of the songwriters and artists, an understanding is gained of the intent to …

Life Beyond The Like: Uses & Gratifications Of Sharing Business Facebook Page Content, Sara M. Nash

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

One of the main reasons businesses create a Facebook Page is to solidify relationships with existing customers who are Facebook users and to leverage those relationships to gain new customers. Many studies have asked Facebook users to articulate the gratifications they receive when “liking” a business Facebook Page. These studies help explain what gratifications users gain by connecting to businesses via Facebook. To expand on these findings, the current pilot study applied the uses and gratifications theory to identify Facebook users’ motivations to “share” business Facebook content within their own personal network. Understanding users’ reasons for “sharing” will help businesses …

Crisis Communication In An International Organization: An Investigation Of The Bbc’S Reputation In The Aftermath Of The Savile Scandal, Stephanie P. Shipp

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

In October 2012, it was revealed that BBC television host Jimmy Savile had sexually abused victims on the premises of the BBC. The first reported instance of abuse on BBC premises had occurred and 1965 and continued until two years before his death. In the aftermath of the scandal, the BBC was accused of turning a blind eye to Savile's actions. The BBC's response to the crisis was confusing and inept. The BBC appeared to have no crisis communication strategy in place and lacked any sort of variation in its response to stakeholders in individual countries. This paper …

The Diminishing Role Of The Ombudsman In American Journalism, Wade B. Hilligoss

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

News ombudsmen have been around since 1967 when two Louisville newspapers created a position that served as an independent accountability buffer between the newspapers and the publics they served. That position was called the news ombudsman. Its role was to respond to reader complaints, call out newspaper errors and explain behind-the-scenes news decisions, processes and more in a weekly or bi-weekly column in the Sunday paper. In 1970, the Washington Post created an ombudsman position and other news outlets followed over the next 30 years. The New York Times instituted its first ombudsman in 2003 after the Jason Blair plagiarism …

An Examination Of University Speech Codes’ Constitutionality And Their Impact On High-Level Discourse, Benjamin Welch

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The First Amendment – which guarantees the right to freedom of religion, of the press, to assemble, and petition to the government for redress of grievances – is under attack at institutions of higher learning in the United States of America. Beginning in the late 1980s, universities have crafted “speech codes” or “codes of conduct” that prohibit on campus certain forms of expression that would otherwise be constitutionally guaranteed. Examples of such polices could include prohibiting “telling a joke that conveys sexism,” or “content that may negatively affect an individual’s self-esteem.” Despite the alarming number of institutions that employ such …

Tough Talk, Tear Gas, Tragedy: The Fight To Frame One Day's Events In Ecuador, Ralph Kurtenbach

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Tho term “30-S” (30 September) has become somewhat of a shorthand symbol or Twitter hash tag that abbreviates a momentous day in Ecuador’s history. Unrest broke out on that day, leaving several people dead. Such difficulties are not new to the South American country, but aspects of 30-S made it different. For one thing, the day began with members of the National Police refusing to go on patrol. Instead they staged protests against a new law adjusting their pay schedules. The law was an unpopular step in a series of changes brought about as President Rafael Correa has sought to …

The Impact Of Food Manufacturers’ Recall Notifications On The Tone Of Newspaper Coverage, Monique L. Farmer

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This study examined whether attributes focused on within food recall notifications issued by food companies have an impact on the tone of the associated, subsequent news coverage. Additionally, the study examined second-level agenda building to determine whether attributes emphasized in food recall notifications showed up in resulting news coverage.

The findings suggest that the most significant attribute for crisis communicators to focus on during the agenda-building process of a food recall event is instructional messaging. This aspect of the crisis communication messaging strategy is positively correlated with a positive tone in news coverage.

Specifically, this research study found some tentative …

Explaining The Trend Toward English-Language Programming In Hispanic-American Television: Why Now?, Elizabeth L. Levine

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The United States Hispanic population is growing at an exponential rate. There are now more than 100 television networks in the U.S. catering to Hispanic audiences – mostly in Spanish. Now, contrary to logic, more English-language programming for Hispanic-Americans is making its way to television. With immigration from Hispanic countries on the decline, most of the growth among the U.S. Hispanic population comes from Hispanics born in the U.S. Hispanic-Americans growing up in the U.S. are more likely to grow up speaking English and consuming media in English. The U.S. Hispanic audience is expected to reach one-third of the total …

A Qualitative Study Of The Effectiveness Of The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln's Journalism Program For Preparing Students For The Workplace, Sarah Anne Carter Rosenbaum

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Journalism is changing at a rapid pace with every new technology and tool being released. Within the past year, Twitter’s Vine, Instagram video, and Google Glass are examples of technology that has emerged and journalists have incorporated them into their news coverage. Journalism education is faced with the task of figuring out how to best educate journalists so they are prepared for the current workplace. The balance is sought between teaching traditional journalism skills and knowledge and teaching the ability to use the latest technology. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications (UNL CoJMC) has made changes …

News Goes Native: An Examination Of Online Media's Disclosure Practices For Sponsored Content, Joseph Dean Moore

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Online news publishers are increasingly using sponsored content that assumes the format of the host site's editorial content. This has led to concern among some in the journalism industry that readers will be unable to distinguish advertising from news editorial. A content analysis and an experiment examined how publishers are formatting sponsored content and how readers are processing disclosure information for sponsored content. The results suggest that current labeling and disclosure practices may be inadequate in alerting readers to the commercial nature of sponsored content.

Adviser: Ming Wang

See You Later, Aggregator: How Hot News Misappropriation Deters Aggregators Without Overprotecting Facts, Wern Ai Tan

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

As traditional media scramble to find ways to monetize online content, the ease of digital publishing and online dissemination of news have led to a rise of a new form of news media: News aggregators. News aggregators compile information from journalism websites by various means, often drawing potential readers away from traditional news outlets, thus siphoning off advertising revenue from traditional journalism outlets, with little to no cost to the aggregators. News establishments have sought legal redress by claiming copyright infringement and hot news misappropriation, a state unfair competition common law principle created in 1918. Hot news misappropriation prevents direct …

Meet Them Where They Gather: An Analysis Of Nasa’S Communications Approach For The 21st Century, Amanda D. Stein

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Since the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been tasked with not only governing the United States’ space activities, but also sharing those efforts and subsequent findings with the American public. When President Barack Obama issued the Open Government Directive in 2009, NASA was well positioned to meet the objectives. Today, the administration has built one of the most successful web-based information-sharing presences by government agency, largely by tailoring communications efforts to reach the public on popular social media platforms. This paper will explore how NASA has utilized two-way symmetrical communications …

A Professional Project Surveying Student-Run Advertising And Public Relations Agencies At Institutions With Acejmc Accredited Programs, Allison M. Busch

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

A student-run agency is a valuable opportunity for advertising, marketing, and communication students to build experience, add to resumes, and apply their classroom knowledge to real-life situations. The opportunity to work with clients outside of the classroom helps students to develop skills that will set them apart later in their career search.

A student-run advertising agency essentially functions as a true advertising or PR agency does, with a few primary differences. Associated with a particular university, and usually under the guidance of one or more faculty advisors, the agency processes, clients, and projects are managed by the students involved. Depending …

The Collection Of Media By U.S. Senators: A Preliminary Study, Richard L. Willis

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This study explores the relationship between media and the U.S. Senate by examining how senators and staff collect, study, and use media. Senators and staff study media to find out how they are portrayed by media. Their collection of news articles for study is an indicator of mediatization, a theory of how media shape society. Political actors study media to understand how media frame news about politics. Mediatization of politics occurs when loosely regulated media evolve from being intermediaries who deliver political news, to become active shapers of the government. The U.S. political system is influenced by the demands of …

Musician Bloggers: The Impact Of Niche Bloggers On Business, Charles Craine

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Blogs have become a staple for many online users as the world becomes more and more connected. Blogs are websites often maintained by individuals who comment on anything that interests them. They are diaries of sorts from which individuals can broadcast their thoughts and opinions to the world.

Musician blogs are websites where musicians discuss their lives and craft. These blog present the writer’s opinions about their specific instruments, genre, group and many things.

This study analyzes in-depth interviews with 20 musician bloggers to understand their motivations and satisfaction they receive from blogging. This study will analyze seven motivations for …

College Football Twitter Communities: The Husker Twitter Community During The 2012 Capital One Bowl, Kelly D. Mosier

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Our increasingly interconnected society has allowed total strangers to share insights in real time with increasing frequency and ease through the use of social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus. Twitter, a social network based on the cell phone short messaging system, has previously shown an ability to aid in the sharing of information during major events such as presidential debates and breaking news.

Sporting events are also places where large groups of people share a similar experience. Traditionally, information has flowed to average viewers, through professional journalists. Due to social networking sites like Twitter, fans now …

Faith As News: A Christian Clergy Perspective On News Media Coverage Of Religion, John Baker

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Religion and the news media have had a long, contentious relationship. While the roots of American journalism lie in the particular theology and practices of Puritan New England, journalism’s clashes with authority, including the religious establishment, set it on its course to independence.

While the general public sees the news media as largely neutral toward religion, a significant segment of evangelical Christians see the news media as “unfriendly” toward them. This thesis suggests that group identification, as well as conservative political orientation, are prime factors shaping this perception of the new media.

Adviser: Carla Kimbrough

Blind Trusts As A Model For Campaign Finance Reform, Perry Andrew Pirsch

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

In this thesis, I explore whether blind trusts present a viable option for campaign finance reform. More specifically, would either permitting (voluntary) or requiring (mandatory) anonymous donations for political campaigns allow for fully funded, yet privately funded, campaigns while preventing problems, whether real or perceived, such as buying influence (quid pro quo) or buying access, which are traditionally associated with large campaign donations? To study this question, I have examined the constitutional origins of the need to fund federal campaigns, Congress’ power to regulate campaigns under the Constitution’s Elections Clause, the constitutional protection of speech, and the concern of large …

Consumer Packaged Goods Trade Advertising During The December 2007–June 2009 Recession, Bridgid Agosta

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The purpose of this study was to use a content analysis to compare retail trade advertisements made by top U.S. consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers during the December 2007–June 2009 recession. This study extended Lord’s (1987) research that focused on consumer advertising to understand retail trade advertisements. This study analyzed 195 advertisements of U.S. CPG manufacturers in a nationally distributed U.S. retail trade print publication, Supermarket News. The results could indicate that retail trade print advertisements may help to enhance CPG manufacturers’ reputations among their trading partners. Specifically, findings from this research may indicate that because General Mills and Unilever …

The Impact Of Reporter Gender On Print News Coverage Of The 2008 Dole-Hagan U.S. Senate Race In North Carolina, Courtney Hunt Munther

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Four reporters covered the 2008 U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole and Democrat challenger Kay Hagan – two male and two female – all of whom worked for the same news organization. This study analyzed the coverage the four reporters produced about the Dole-Hagan race, looking specifically at story structure, topic selection, descriptive language used, tone and source selection. Due to study limitations, no clear relationships were established between reporter gender and the news coverage of the Dole-Hagan race that reporters produced.

Advisor: John Bender

From Red Fears To Red Power: The Story Of The Newspaper Coverage Of Wounded Knee 1890 And Wounded Knee 1973, Kevin Abourezk

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This thesis examines newspaper coverage of the Wounded Knee massacre, which occurred in December 1890, and the takeover of Wounded Knee, S.D., by members of the American Indian Movement in 1973. In 1890, 21 reporters covered the massacre in which 25 soldiers and 250 Indians were killed, while dozens of radio, television and newspaper reporters covered the 1973 siege in which two Indians were killed. Some historians say newspaper coverage leading up to the massacre, including sensational, false stories about Indians attacking settlers, contributed to Indian agent Dr. D.F. Royer’s calling upon the military to suppress a feared Indian rebellion, …

A Matter Of Seconds: An Interpretive Study On Media Reporting Of Life-Threatened Children, James M. Kavanaugh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Based on the premise that journalists and media systems have an ethical responsibility to report on the issue of child mortality, this interpretive study examines the question of how they can do so effectively, with the possibility of inspiring generous action among their audiences. The study compares results from human science research on charitable giving to distant victims, with a set of interviews involving a diverse group of media specialists. In conclusion, while the media staff of nonprofit organizations, compared to journalists, tend to be more aware of social research related to charitable giving, as well as more comfortable with …

Print Vs. Online Journalism: Are Believability And Accuracy Affected By Where Readers Find Information?, Burton Speakman

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Believability and accuracy of print and online news is studied via the comments of newspaper readers of a small Texas community. The readers of the Normangee Star were chosen to be the survey recipients to learn if readers in a small community had the same attitude about their local newspaper that national surveys have indicated exist about newspapers in general. The expectation was that those who read more news online would consider their local paper to be less believable and accurate than those who read little to no news online. Surveys were mailed to 200 subscribers of the Star, …

Identifying Barriers And Incentives Related To Attending The Performing Arts: An Examination Of First Year College Students, Laura J. Sweet

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Young adults entering their first year of academic study beyond high school face seemingly limitless opportunities. For the first time, they’re on their own: deciding everything from when to eat to where to study and what to do in their free time. Campuses are rich with possibilities. From official student organizations and clubs, to impromptu pizza parties and dorm floor trivia contests, daily decisions create the experiences that shape the life to come. On many large campuses, alongside academic buildings are art galleries and performance spaces. Research shows that early exposures to the arts lead to increased engagement during student …

Mariners All Access: An Inside Look At The Role Of A Producer At Root SportsTm, Carrie S. Tachiyama

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

The experience of producing a full episode and several segments of Mariners All Access provides an in-depth look at the inner workings of a production at a regional sports network. Examining the role of the producer, what lessons are learned and discovering more effective ways to produce Mariners All Access.

The producer in this instance is a manager of a small staff, a researcher and a creator of storylines. From previous experience an assumption is made that sports networks and news stations operate the same way. After the author’s experience in producing Mariners All Access it is shown this …

Greeted Like Liberators: Media, Metaphor, And Myth In The Rhetorical Construction Of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Charles Franklin Bisbee

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Journalistic performance in covering the presidential argument to undertake Operation Iraqi Freedom drew almost instantaneous criticism from within the profession. The general line of criticism held that journalists failed a “watchdog” standard of applying scrutiny to the rhetoric of public officials in terms of fact-based and legitimate argumentation. Alleged causes, in the case of Operation Iraqi Freedom, are usually rooted in al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 terroristic attacks inside the United States. Some critics submitted that post-attack journalistic “patriotism” granted President George W. Bush an overly-generous benefit of doubt in framing an American response. Others faulted journalistic norms. But the criticism …