Digital Commons Network^™

Comm-Entary, Spring 2020 - Full Issue

Comm-entary

In this issue:

Changing Dynamics in Digital Culture & Society: The Phenomenon of “Blackfishing” by Estefania De La Torre

A Royal Pain: Tensions of Womanhood in Padmaavat by Hannah Baum

A Narrative of Antiquity: An Analysis of the Shift in Ecclesiastical-Secular Power in Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Italy by Kyra Nelson

The Conflict over Cliché by David Hadley

Nano-Influencers as a Commodity by Caila Kilson-Kuchtic

Instagram On Paper: Journaling, Photography and Mindfulness by Emma Barresi

A Rhetorical Analysis of Twitter: ISTE Educational Technology Conference Exhibitors by Hannah Baum

DNA Databases: Problematic on Grounds of Constitutionality, Fallibility, and Discriminatory Practice …

About The Authors

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Representations Of Women: A Media Intentions And Effects Analysis Of The Popular Music Industry, Emily A. Bourne

Comm-entary

This thesis features a critical media effects analysis of the present United States music industry. Popular music and its associated production and promotion industry is overwhelmingly dominated by men and is correspondingly subject to the influence of dominant cultural ideologies. These ideologies include the oppression and marginalization of women and the furthering of their subordinate status within American culture. The projection of these inherently unjust principles not only reinscribes pre-established societal status quos, but also influences the general public to further internalize, develop, and reproduce them. These prompted understandings contribute to the lacking power and equality of women in society …

Social Studies Teacher Perceptions Of News Source Credibility, Christopher H. Clark, Mardi Schmeichel, H. James Garrett

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Politically tumultuous times have created a problematic space for teachers who include the news in their classrooms. Few studies have explored perceptions of news credibility among secondary social studies teachers, the educators most likely to regularly incorporate news media into their classrooms. We investigated teachers’ operational definitions of credibility and the relationships between political ideology and assessments of news source credibility. Most teachers in this study used either static or dynamic definitions to describe news media sources’ credibility. Further, teachers’ conceptualizations of credibility and perceived ideological differences with news sources were associated with how credible teachers found each source. These …

Media Content Analysis Of Governmental Impact On Terrorist Reporting, Maggie Kaliszak

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

When terrorism occurs, the government has to respond to it. The media also has the need to respond to terrorism if it is to report the news. Therefore, if both have a connection to terrorism, how do they work together, how do they impact each other, and is the Agenda Setting Theory useful to them? Using three recent attacks, the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Manchester Arena Attack, and the Orlando Nightclub Shooting, this paper analyzes the kind of wording used by the media reporting on terrorism and how the government influences that wording through press releases. The study hypothesizes that …

The Stigmatization Of Hunger: The Impact Of Social Stigma On Arkansas Youths’ Food Security, Emily Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Arkansas, 26.3% of children are food insecure, meaning they do not have enough or lack the ability to obtain enough food for adequate nutrition (Miller 2019). In recent years, a new phenomenon has been taking place called lunch shaming where children are sometimes forced to wear signs or handstamps that say the child’s lunch account is overdue. This research analyzes how the media frames food insecurity and how perceived social stigmas affect a student’s willingness to seek out help when struggling with food security.

The Portrayal Of The Effects Of The Open-Door Policy (Al Infitah) On Society As Shown By The Egyptian Cinema, Yara Hassan Shokr

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Art Of 'Stick To Sports,' Politics, And Sports Media Industry Studies, Shi-Quan Nettingham

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis aims at unpacking the discourse of “stick to sports,” which audiences wield to police social and cultural boundaries and battles involving race, gender, and politics. The melding of sports and politics, primarily through social media platforms, riles up audiences resulting in arguments where larger social issues are deliberated and processed. The stick to sports discourse is used to dictate who can and can’t speak and what kinds of discussions are appropriate in relation to sports. The sports network ESPN is a site for understanding how corporations leverage this discourse and use it to claim political neutrality, while disciplining …

Framing And Newspaper Coverage Of Racial Integration, Amy Unruh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For many Americans who grew up in the 1960s, the first published information about Africans came directly from Africa, in the form of exotic photographs and stories in National Geographic. Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief of National Geographic, addressed the issue of race portrayals in the magazine, reflecting on the realization that National Geographic often provided readers “their first look at the world” while rarely acknowledging the struggles of race in the United States. The magazine displayed full-color photographs depicting Africans from many nations, dressed in native clothing and jewelry, positioned in settings that implied dignity, beauty and strength. Meanwhile, …

Journalism Vs. Activism: How The Social Impact Of Journalism Has Evolved, Kathryn Serrano

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to question the objectivity norm that arose in journalism in the 20th century, and analyze what objectivity means today in the context of investigative journalism. This study examined the mission statements and objectives of the investigative nonprofits The Marshall Project and Injustice Watch, which are two publications with specific mission statements that cover the United States criminal justice system. The examination of these nonprofits helps explore a question of where the line is drawn between journalism and activism. The researcher interviewed 25 journalists from mainstream media outlets, the nonprofits discussed above, and other investigative …

Does The Press Have A Right To Be Wrong?: Fake News, Press Freedom, And Defamation Law In 2021, Nathan T. Danielson

Journalism

The following study analyzes defamation lawsuits filed against Fox News and its on-air personalities by companies that manufactured and maintained voting machines used in the 2020 US presidential election. Smartmatic and Dominion accused Fox in court of broadcasting debunked allegations that the companies had rigged the election against incumbent president (and longtime Fox viewer) Donald Trump. The size of the sought-after damages, and the size of Fox itself, make this the largest “fake news suit” in history. This study explores the merits of the suits, defenses to defamation (particularly opinion, political speech, and retraction) and the potential ramifications of a …

Where Are All The Women? A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Representation Of Women In Online News In Sweden, The Us, And Egypt, Basma Mostafa Taha Mahmoud

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, April 30, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 40

Spartan Daily, April 29, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 39

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Track & Field's Dedrick Troxell, Dedrick Troxell

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by cross county sophomore Dedrick Troxell, who had just wrapped up a great indoor season and was primed for a dominant outdoor campaign.

Spartan Daily, April 28, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 38

Niche Journalism: Successful Steps In A Saturated, Modern Market, Arianna L. Smith

Honors College Theses

“How-to” articles make up the bulk of an average Google search when initiating research on a new venture—the subject of self-publishing and propagating journalistic content is no exception. In this day and age, self-started publications are almost guaranteed to be niche in nature. With the intent to create a more academic and objectively reliable guide, this literature review takes into account the observations and conclusions of multiple communications professionals, long-and-short standing news organizations of varying success and notoriety, and studies concerned with the trends relating to audience engagement and technology integration to answer the main research questions thus: what is …

Separate And Unequal: The Causes And Effects Of Economic Inequality In Our Communities, And What We Must Do About It, Jonathan Payne

Honors Theses

This project seeks to create a deep understanding of some of the key causes and effects of economic inequality. In it, I review a wide variety of research and reporting on inequality as well as interview people that have been impacted by inequality in my community, Oxford, Mississippi. This information, as a whole, is not meant to create a complete, comprehensive understanding of income and wealth inequality, which would be impossible. Instead, it is a meditation on the origins, cycles, outcomes and ethical implications of the phenomenon. In it, I contend that the vast majority of negative outcomes of inequality, …

Moving Away From The Alt-Right: How The Proud Boys Utilize Image Conscious Populist Media To Re-Brand White Nationalism, Christina Blankenship

Communication ETDs

Unite the Right, deemed a ‘failure’ by major media outlets, generated two important developments: One, it highlighted the increased public mobilization of the Far-Right, challenging the established notion that such groups existed only in online spheres and two, gave factions the motivation to disassociate from the Alt-Right’s message and carve out an identity for their own. This project examines the Proud Boys, a ‘men’s group’ formed in 2016 by Gavin McInnes. In studying the group’s online blog (The Proud Boys Magazine), this project demonstrates that while the group tried to distance themselves, much of their success in generating …

Spartan Daily, April 23, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 37

The Prospector, April 23, 2020, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: UTEP Conducts COVID-19 Vaccine Research

Spartan Daily, April 22, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 36

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Softball's Morgan Mcelroy, Morgan Mcelroy

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by softball senior Morgan McElroy, whose career came to a sudden end last month between the team’s midweek game and weekend series in Texas.

Spartan Daily, April 21, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 35

Media Trust In America: Examining The Perspective Of Va College-Age Individuals, Ryan Whitmer

Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Conference

National statistics have been gathered for decades on public trust in mass media. Yet today, at a critical point in American history, this trust is on a severe decline. Are these findings reflective of the rising generation— that is, college-age youth? Data collected from college students in Southern Virginia reveal that there are significantly different opinions, particularly in the areas of overall trust and on the belief that trust can be restored. Additionally, college-age students show partisan divides opposite to the national average, as well as no variances between gender or race. These findings make it abundantly clear that actions …

Spartan Daily, April 16, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 34

Spartan Daily, April 15, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 33

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Golf's Mary Joiner, Mary Joiner

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by golf senior Mary Joiner, whose season came to a sudden end as the team was between events on their spring break trip in Florida.

Gen Z And Digital Distractions In The Classroom: Student Classroom Use Of Digital Devices For Non-Class Related Purposes, Bernard R. Mccoy

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

A 2019 survey of college students examined classroom-learning distractions caused by their use of digital devices for non-class purposes. The purpose of the survey, part of an on-going study, was to learn more about students’ behaviors and perceptions regarding their classroom uses of digital devices for non-class purposes. The survey included 986 respondents in 37 U.S. states and 47 respondents in Alberta, Canada. A significant feature of the study was its measurement of frequency and duration of students’ classroom digital distractions as well as respondents’ motivations for engaging in the distracting behavior. Respondents averaged 19.4% of class time using a …

Spartan Daily, April 14, 2020, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2020

Volume 154, Issue 32