Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“The Glory Of Each Generation Is To Set Its Own Precedent”: Belva Lockwood And The Rhetorical Construction Of Female Presidential Plausibility, Emily B. Paup

Communication Faculty Publications

This study seeks to understand the rhetorical tactics of Belva Bennett Lockwood, the first woman to run a campaign for U.S. President. Lockwood attempted to make a female presidential candidacy seem plausible by framing her actions as culturally expected, befitting for a woman, and prototypical for future female politicians. Through her use of rhetorical eikos, she seemed to suggest that female political leadership was not just probable but needed in the political culture of the time. A close reading of her campaign speeches and writings reveals the potential of eikotic logos to present a female presidential candidacy as innate, and …

Race Prominent Feature In Coverage Of Trayvon Martin, Erin Willis, Chad Painter

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis examines news framing of the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. After studying coverage from The Sanford Herald (North Carolina), The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Denver Post, the authors conclude national media perpetuated racial stereotypes, thus heightening the issue of race and making the case more emotional than factual.

Readers outside of Sanford, N.C., had few details about the physical altercation, the heart of Zimmerman’s self-defense claim.

Flipping The Script: Newspaper Reporting Of The Trayvon Martin Shooting, Chad Painter, Erin Willis

Communication Faculty Publications

The purpose of this chapter is to examine newspaper coverage of the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin shooting and the frames of race and crime used in the context of newsworthiness. The researchers analyzed 1,177 articles in one local, six statewide, and three national newspapers. The local paper focused on the shooting and the ensuing police investigation instead of social and political issues, and local-interest stories instead of national events. There was virtually no mention of race. Coverage in the six Florida papers was mixed between details of the case and social issues such as Florida's Stand Your Ground law. There were …

The Complexity Of Disability, Chad Painter

Communication Faculty Publications

"The Complexity of Disability" is Chapter 11 in Cross-Cultural Journalism: Communicating Strategically about Diversity. Built on the hands-on reporting style and curriculum pioneered by the University of Missouri, this introductory textbook teaches students how to write about and communicate with people of backgrounds that may be different from their own, offering real-world examples of how to practice excellent journalism and strategic communication that take culture into account.

Alternative Media And Normative Theory: A Case Of Ferguson, Missouri, Mark Anthony Poepsel, Chad Painter

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper, based on in-depth interviews with journalists at alternative and advocacy papers in St. Louis as well as interviews with live streaming protestors, a new breed of citizen journalist, applies six characteristics commonly associated with the alternative press to coverage of the protests and police crackdown in Ferguson, Missouri, between August 9, 2014, and March 2015.

Journalists from the alternative newspaper in St. Louis focused on progressive or radical values less than the literature predicted. The African-American newspaper in St. Louis found itself influencing the national and global agenda regarding Ferguson and the ongoing oppression of blacks in the …

Foul Ball: Audience-Held Stereotypes Of Baseball Players, Patrick Ferrucci, Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Chad Painter, J. David Wolfgang

Communication Faculty Publications

This study experimentally tested whether participants held and/or applied stereotypes of baseball players. Participants were asked to rate white, black, and Latino baseball players based on stereotypes consistently identified in previous literature.

Participants saw a photo of a player and an anonymous paragraph from a newspaper that highlighted a particular stereotype. They were then asked to rate the author's credibility. Black players were rated as higher in physical strength and natural ability, consistent with previous literature concerning how athletes were described. However, white and Latin players were not stereotyped. But participants rated white-consistent descriptions as credible and Latin-consistent descriptions as …

Gender Games: The Portrayal Of Female Journalists On 'House Of Cards', Chad Painter, Patrick Ferrucci

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis focuses on the portrayal of female journalists in House of Cards. The uneven depictions of six female journalists could have a socializing effect on the audience. The researchers argue that the character Zoe Barnes is depicted as childlike, unprofessional, and unethical, while the character Ayla Sayyad is portrayed as a dedicated watchdog journalist. The researchers then explore the ethical implications of these portrayals through the lens of social responsibility theory.

A Vernacular Of Surveillance: Taylor Swift And Miley Cyrus Perform White Authenticity, Rachel E. Dubrofsky

Communication Faculty Publications

This article looks at popular visual media in the context of the larger surveillance society in which it occurs. Bringing into conversation scholarship in feminist media studies, surveillance, performance, and critical race studies, the piece offers another way to explore race in popular media and consider the implications of surveillance. The work examines how principles from contexts of surveillance carry over into contexts not under surveillance. The article explores the vernacularization-the process of making things mundane, everyday, unremarkable-of ideas about authenticity and performing, and the implications when it comes to race issues, which are animated in contexts of surveillance, but …

'His Women Problem': An Analysis Of Gender On 'The Newsroom', Chad Painter, Patrick Ferrucci

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis focuses on the portrayal of female journalists on Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, which premiered on HBO in 2012. The researchers argue that the four main female journalists are depicted as being unprofessional in the workplace, being inadequate at their jobs, and being motherly and weak. While these female journalists have impeccable credentials, stellar resumes, and a genuine interest in disseminating the best possible news, Sorkin and his fellow writers consistently depict these powerful women as inferior to the male characters.

The researchers conclude that Sorkin and his creative team failed in their ethical obligation to the audience …

"Just Look At Her!": Sporting Bodies As Athletic Resistance And The Limits Of Sport Norms In The Case Of Caster Semenya, Shane Miller

Communication Faculty Publications

Using the American sport media’s treatment of South African runner Caster Semenya, this article explores how in the course of defending Caster Semenya the American sport media presented a rigorous challenge to traditional conceptions of sex and gender. Yet these rhetorical efforts to deconstruct sex and gender binaries were undermined by the specific ways in which Semenya’s dual performances—athletic and gender—were visually depicted. A close reading and analysis of US sports media coverage of Caster Semenya provide an opportunity to explore the ways in which the norms of sport may foster progressive treatment of athletes whose genders do not fit …

A Black And White Game: Racial Stereotypes In Baseball, Patrick Ferrucci, Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Chad Painter, Glenn Leshner

Communication Faculty Publications

The current study experimentally tested stereotypes and credibility of messages associated with athletes. Participants were asked to rate photos of black and white baseball players based on stereotypes identified in previous literature. They were then given an anonymous paragraph from a newspaper that featured either a stereotype consistent or inconsistent message and asked to rate the author's credibility. Black players were rated significantly higher in physical strength and natural ability, which is consistent with previous literature. However, inconsistent with previous literature, white players were not rated significantly higher in intelligence and leadership. Despite these results, when measuring credibility, this study …

Review Of “Conversational Rhetoric: The Rise And Fall Of A Women’S Tradition, 1600-1900" By Jane Donawerth, Emily B. Paup

Communication Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“If It’S A Woman’S Issue, I Pay Attention To It”: Gendered And Intersectional Complications In The Heart Truth Media Campaign, Natalie Tindall

Communication Faculty Publications

This cultural study explores the nexus of cultural studies, knowledge production of communication campaigns, and intersecting identities to offer insight on how to better design meaningful campaigns for publics. This research examines how women understand, perceive, and interpret a heart health communication campaign. Fifty-nine women from various racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds were interviewed. Women appreciated and critiqued the campaign according to role-fulfilment as family and community information-givers, tensions about race and gender representations, hegemonic health discourse, and communities’ lived and everyday barriers. The study highlights the limitations of traditional campaign segmentation approaches, demonstrates the need for exploring cultural …

Race And Local Television News Crime Coverage, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

Viewers of local television newscasts across the United States are regularly exposed to crime news stories. Crime coverage by local television stations is studied with an interest in how live reporting, dramatic video, and timeliness influence perceptions of race in the United States. Crime coverage did not always identify the race of a suspect because that information often was not available from police. However, when violent criminals or suspects were identified, race normally was shown through a mug shot, photograph, or video from the scene. When an African-American suspect was shown in police custody, the images tended to reinforce existing …

Maintaining Undesired Relationships, Jon A. Hess

Communication Faculty Publications

As social creatures, we spend our lives in the company of others, rather than in isolation. Consequently, we maintain many relationships out of need rather than desire. Unfortunately, some of these relationships are ones that we would not maintain if given a choice. Although a considerable amount of research on relational dynamics can be applied to unwanted relationships, scholars have made little attempt to generate an integrated overview of what communication characteristics typify such relationships, how they differ from desirable relationships, or how they should best be maintained.

The maintenance of unwanted relationships piques public interest. Articles with titles such …

A Study Of Women's Compliance-Gaining Behaviors In Violent And Non-Violent Relationships, Jill E. Rudd, Patricia A. Burant

Communication Faculty Publications

Recent research by communication scholars has investigated the dynamics of abusive spousal relationships (Chandler, 1986; Infante, Chandler, & Rudd, 1989; Infante, Chandler-Sabourin, Rudd, & Shannon, 1990; Rancer & Niemasz, 1988; Rudd, Burant, & Beatty, 1994; Sabourin, Infante, & Rudd, 1993). Infante and his colleagues have suggested that those involved in violent relationships communicate differently with their partners than those involved in nonviolent relationships. Based on this prior research, it seems important for communication scholars to further investigate the communication behaviors of individuals involved in violent relationships. This current study seeks to advance the family violence research by comparing the types …

Battered Women's Compliance-Gaining Strategies As A Function Of Argumentativeness And Verbal Aggression, Jill E. Rudd, Patricia A. Burant, Michael J. Beatty

Communication Faculty Publications

This study investigated (1) the type of compliance-gaining strategies that battered women reported using in domestic conflicts and (2) whether these strategies related to the battered women's verbal aggression and argumentativeness. Participants in this study were 115 abused women who were seeking refuge from abusive spouses in temporary shelters for battered women. The results suggest that battered women most frequently reported using indirect strategies. Aversive Stimulation (i.e., pouting sulking, crying) and ingratiation (i.e., manipulation in the form of affection or favor-doing) were the top two strategies reported. Furthermore, a canonical correlation analysis resulted in an overall significant relationship between compliance-gaining …