Communication Commons^™

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 …

7 Tips To Grow Your Rural Business With Purpose And Meaning, Connie I. Reimers-Hild, Alyssa Dye

Community Vitality Initiative

No one can predict the future; however, rural entrepreneurs and business owners can use a future-focused leadership approach, which includes examining megatrends, to shape the future of their businesses. Megatrends are global shifts that influence society, the economy and the environment. The purpose of this article is to help rural entrepreneurs discover ways to grow their businesses with Living with Purpose and Meaning Megatrend.

Become A Future-Focused Leader: Use Three Megatrends To Grow Your Rural Business, Connie Reimers-Hild, Alyssa Dye

Community Vitality Initiative

No one can predict the future; however, rural entrepreneurs and business owners can use a future-focused leadership approach, which includes examining megatrends, to shape the future of their businesses. Megatrends are global shifts that influence society, the economy and the environment. This article discusses three megatrends shaping the future of rural businesses:

1) The Rise of the #GigEconomy

2) Living with Purpose and Meaning

3) The Decentralized Marketplace

The article also provides coaching tips for rural entrepreneurs on how to use megatrends to grow their businesses.

While many companies are struggling to keep up with the rapid rate of change, …

From The Gay Bar To The Search Bar: Promiscuity, Identity, And Queer Mobility On Grindr, Chase Aunspach

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis is a critical exploration into the mobile application Grindr and how it rhetorically constitutes its users and their experience of queer spaces. Recently, researchers from a variety of disciplines have displayed increased scholarly interest in Grindr. Despite this much needed attention, few studies before this thesis have examined Grindr’s material structure—its interface, scripts, and other design features—as rhetorical and worthy of analysis. I document and interrogate my own experiences as a user of the application, adding a humanistic perspective to current conversations about Grindr to demonstrate one potential approach to critiquing mobile media that extends the “field” of …

Beyond Corruption: Assessing The Organizational Potential In Alternative Discourses Of Struggle In Nigeria, Chigozirim Utah

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Despite decades of initiatives and emphasis on combatting corruption in Nigeria, systemic social change has remained elusive. I argue that the discourse of corruption itself should be called into question, specifically how it constrains possibilities for positive identity construction and social change organizing. This dissertation endeavors to disrupt the dominant discourse of corruption by uncovering alternative discourses of socioeconomic struggle that emerge from lived experience. I turned to the rich organizational landscape of Nigeria’s informal economy, performing a critical communicational phenomenology of the work lives of urban roadside food traders in Lagos who embody socio-economic struggle. The ultimate goal was …

Developing An Understanding Of How College Students Experience Interactive Instructional Technology: A Ux Perspective, Adam Wagler

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technology is increasingly mobile and social, resulting in dynamic digital and interactive environments. The ubiquitous nature of interactive instructional technology presents new paradigms for higher education, creating challenges for instructors to compete for time and attention as students are bombarded by information in a digital, media rich world. The problem being studied, with all of these technological advancements, is how instructors can approach these challenges from a user experience (UX) perspective. A macro level view sees college students taking multiple courses at a time, over many semesters, and using different interactive instructional technology that mix with other forms of online …

University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents Policies, Contains Amendments Through April 10, 2015, University Of Nebraska Board Of Regents

University of Nebraska Board of Regents: Policies, Acts, and Other Materials

First section:

RP-1.1.1 Direct Responsibilities of the Board Under the constitution and statutes of the State of Nebraska, the Board of Regents has the authority and the responsibility for the general government of the University of Nebraska. It must exercise general supervision over all elements of the University and control and direction of all expenditures and establish the general operating policies of the institution. To assist it in the discharge of its responsibilities, the Board of Regents employs a staff and faculty who have the professional competence to develop and operate the University's programs. The Board delegates, through its Bylaws …

Discursive Struggles Of Tradition And Nontradition In The Retrospective Accounts Of Married Couples Who Cohabited Before Engagement, Julia Moore, Jennifer Kienzle, Elizabeth Flood Grady

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Couples who cohabit and then become engaged often participate in nontraditional living arrangements and traditional marriage proposals. Because understandings of tradition and nontradition are constituted in discourse, we employed relational dialectics theory to examine the interplay of competing discourses in the talk of married participants who cohabited before engagement. Through retrospective interviews, we investigated the discursive struggles in participants’ talk across three contexts: pre-engagement cohabitation, the marriage proposal ritual, and the (re)telling of the proposal story to friends and family. Analysis of participant interviews illustrated three discursive struggles: (a) pragmatism and risk in cohabitation, (b) romance and partnership in the …

Editors Use Social Media Mostly To Post Story Links, Sue Burzynski Bullard

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

A survey of senior editors of U.S. print broadcast and online news outlets found that while 98 percent of the 376 respondents say they use social media, they primarily use it to post links to stories on Facebook and Twitter. Far fewer use social media to interact with audiences by posing questions and responding to comments

"A Short Burst Of Inconsequential Information": Networked Rhetorics, Avian Consciousness, And Bioegalitarianism, Damien S. Pfister

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay uses the concept of “avian consciousness” to reconsider assumptions about human communication and theorize networked rhetorics. By adopting an ornithomorphic frame, I critically read Don DeLillo’s The Body Artist as an exploration of overlaps between human and avian consciousness. I then argue that avian consciousness provides a richer metaphor for understanding networked rhetorics than autistic consciousness, which is an increasingly dominant trope for explaining interaction with digitally networked media. I explore how Twitter, explicitly modeled on avian communication, can be understood as circulating information in ways analogous to the contact and assembly calls of birds. The essay concludes …

Shaping The Repository, Paul Royster

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Repositories play 2 critical roles: collection and dissemination. How Nebraska's repository has progressed despite not taking common expert advice. Remarks on the current state of publishing. Opportunities for library publishing and disruptive innovation. A call for scholarship to "come out of Babylon"--the commercial marketplace that inhibits the free creation and sharing of knowledge. A call for librarians to take leadership in the evolution of new roles and relationships with our faculty colleagues. Sturm und Drang, hyperbole, irony, and passion.

Note: Download button links to pdf version. PowerPoint slides (~30mb) attached below as related file.

Streaming video is available at http://scholarship.law.wm.edu/lawrepositories/2015/lr2015/1/

Kimmel Volunteer Enrollment Form, Debora Heidzig

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Ethics Of Media, Edited By Nick Couldry, Mirca Madianou, And Amit Pinchevski., Sue Burzynski Bullard

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Credible media outlets work to maintain their credibility and that invariably leads them to the ethics of the business. Ethics, if converted to a slogan, could be reduced to “do the right thing.” But exactly what is the right thing? How do you know it is the right thing? What exceptions are allowed, if any? How does the digital age affect ethics?

Accommodating New Vistas, Jessica Gasiorek, Howard Giles, Jordan Soliz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In this special issue, we aim to provide a diverse sample of current research that uses and/or extends Communication Accommodation Theory in innovative ways. With this prologue, we provide a general overview of the tenets and recent developments of theory, discussing how each of the seven original research articles included herein fits in the theory’s ever-evolving framework and body of research.

Rli 285: Research Library Issues: A Report From Arl, Cni, And Sparc 2015 -- Special Issue On Copyright, Prudence Adler, Brandon Butler, Jonathan Band, Krista Cox

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

In “Fair Use Rising: Full-Text Access and Repurposing in Recent Case Law,” Brandon Butler, practitioner-in-residence at the American University Washington College of Law, reviews six recent fair use decisions that cut across many socially important and beneficial purposes. He highlights the trend of courts finding in favor of allowing “the broad redistribution of unaltered, full-text documents for new purposes.” Butler explains how this trend presents new opportunities for research libraries to use and re-purpose the full text of copyrighted works in their collections.

Exploring the implications of one critically important case for research libraries, Jonathan Band, legal counsel to the …

Caregiver Perceptions Of Their Influence On Cancer Treatment Decision Making: Intersections Of Language, Identity, And Illness, Janice L. Krieger, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Jessica L. Krok-Schoen, Phokeng M. Dailey, Julianne C. Wojno, Nancy Schoenberg, Electra D. Paskett, Mark Dignan

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Serious illness of a loved one can disrupt a caregiver’s sense of self and relationships. We examined the language caregivers use to describe the cancer treatment decision making of a loved one to understand how caregivers frame their own identity relative to a patient’s illness. We analyzed transcripts from in-depth interviews conducted with caregivers (N = 58) of cancer patients to examine the intersection among language, identity, and illness. Caregivers with a patient-level personal identity frame used phrases such as their body, their decision. Caregivers with a relational identity frame used plural pronouns such as we or our when describing …

Organizational Secrecy And The Fbi’S Cointelpro–Black Nationalist Hate Groups Program, 1967–1971, Kristen Hoerl, Erin Ortiz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In this article, we explain how secrecy influenced the communication and decision-making processes within COINTELPRO–Black Nationalist Hate Groups, the FBI’s covert program to disrupt left-leaning Black political organizations between 1967 and 1971. Memos exchanged between the FBI Director and field offices reveal how the organization strategized to conceal its identity as the source of anonymous communication. The Bureau developed explicit techniques for managing the content of their messages, the materials used to construct print messages, and the distribution of those messages. The Bureau’s techniques suggest that organizational secrecy involves a high degree of coordination between members, but it may also …

Exploring Ways Social Media Data Inform Public Issues Communication: An Analysis Of Twitter Conversation During The 2012-2013 Drought In Nebraska, Adam Wagler, Karen J. Cannon

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Social networking sites often are used to maintain close social ties, but increasingly they are used for information and news dissemination, specifically about major events and crises. In 2012, a historic drought struck the Midwest, destroying or damaging portions of major field crops in major agricultural production states. By the end of August 2012, 90% of Nebraska was declared in extreme or exceptional drought, leading to bans on irrigation, damaged crops, and record-low yields as well as damaging the state’s leading economic sector. This case study used social media monitoring and analysis to explore online Twitter conversations related to this …

Making Sense Of Hurtful Mother-In-Law Messages: Applying Attribution Theory To The In-Law Triad, Christine E. Rittenour, Jody Koenig Kellas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study focused on hurtful messages daughters-in-law (DILs, N = 132) reported receiving from mothers-in-law (MILs). Results reveal various hurtful message types: under- and over-involvement, personal attacks, and hurt communicated to or through a third party. Grounded in attribution theory, we examined DILs’ attributions for MILs’ hurtful messages and their perceived agreement with their husbands’ reasoning for the message. Our findings illuminate distress-maintaining and relationship-enhancing attribution biases for MILs’ behaviors, such that DILs who were less satisfied with their MILs tended to make more internal attributions for MIL hurtful behaviors, and more satisfied DILs tended to make more external attributions. …

Shaved Or Saved? Disciplining Women’S Bodies, Casey Ryan Kelly, Kristen E. Hoerl

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Proponents of sexual liberation and abstinence-until-marriage advocates appear to be on opposing ends of the sociopolitical spectrum; however, both are invested in the regulation of women’s vaginas. We argue that the rhetoric of both communities produces the same disciplinary configuration for the control of women’s bodies. Both communities instruct women that the appearance of a prepubescent and pure vagina is essential to sexual appeal and self-care. Whether sex positive or sex negative, both communities articulate a model of sexual health that negates women’s status as active, desiring subjects. Ultimately, we argue that public scrutiny of women’s vaginas implicitly and overtly …

Talk. Act. Thrive. (You)Nified, Amitynine, Amy Okell, Cristina Petrisor, Dayton Stange, Connor Schulte, Amanda Schmidt, Courtney Sehn, Brandon Weeldreyer, Colin Burt, Anh Thoai Dinh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.

More Than, Joslyn Maenner, Katie Knobbe, Joel Girouard, Desiree Botica, Molly Deaver, Alex Vasey, Ramon Diaz De Leon, Lucy Grant, Kyle Thompson, Adam Weisenberger

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

This project was developed in response to the following challenge: create messaging to promote a more welcoming and inclusive climate on campus while branding the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.

Giving Voice To The Silence Of Family Estrangement: Comparing Reasons Of Estranged Parents And Adult Children In A Non-Matched Sample, Kristen Carr, Amanda J. Holman, Jenna Abetz, Jody Koenig Kellas, Elizabeth Vagnoni

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study investigated 898 parents’ and adult children’s reasons for estrangement in light of research on interpersonal attributions and the relational consequences of perspective taking. Three primary categories emerged: estrangement resulted from intrafamily, interfamily, or intrapersonal issues. Within each category, the frequency of parents’ and children’s reasons for estrangement differed significantly from each other. Parents reported that their primary reason for becoming estranged stemmed from their children’s objectionable relationships or sense of entitlement, whereas adult children most frequently attributed their estrangement to their parents’ toxic behavior or feeling unsupported and unaccepted. Parents also reported that they were unsure of the …

Agro/Hort403/803: Scientific Writing And Communication—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Inquiry Portfolio, Brian M. Waters

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Scientific writing is a skill that is useful for science students, since many of them will write about their research in theses, dissertations or journal articles. However, many students have not been trained in scientific writing, and the task seems insurmountable to some, who can develop a “fear of writing” that prevents them from finishing their program or manuscript. To effectively teach scientific writing, the instructor should devote the most effort to the most effective learning activities. Thus, this inquiry portfolio addresses two Research Questions: 1) “What is the most effective activity in my course for student learning?”, and 2) …

Adpr 450/850: Public Relations Theory And Strategy—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Ming Wang

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

I decided to join the Peer Review of Teaching program to achieve the following three objectives: to better align course objectives with course content, to improve ways of documenting and assessing student learning, and to fit the course into the broader curriculum.

Participation in the Peer Review of Teaching program has been most illuminating and beneficial. I got to focus on tackling three tangible objectives for my ADPR 450/850 Public Relations Theory and Strategy class. Then I got to apply many ideas introduced in this program, such as backward design principle and assessment methods, in my teaching. I had the …

Teaching Business And Economic Journalism: Fresh Approaches, Joseph Weber

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Teachers of business and economic journalism are developing creative approaches to attracting students and educating them in a field many find daunting. To recruit, some avoid using the terms business or economic in course titles, preferring financial basics and financial literacy. Many use novel classroom techniques: to educate students about stock markets, for instance, some set up competitions where students vie to develop the most profitable portfolio. Provocative videos, cleverly developed assignments and trips to business-news sites are highlights in some courses. This article reviews approaches by a broad array of teachers.

The Fuzzin' Facts, Rebel Alliance, Mitch Ohnstad, Rebekka Erks, Erin Prohaska, Ryan Mueksch, Rachel Foehlinger, Laura Bergen, Sean Davis

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

The challenge for this campaign is to expose the facts about sexual health and safe sex practices in a light-hearted manner in order to make it a more comfortable topic to talk about so that more people understand the need to get the facts, get tested and get involved to help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Nebraska.

Shift Gears, Veronica Vanderbeek, Haylee Carpenter, Sara Slater, Christina Kruse, Jessie Gray, Mollie Sundermeier, Christine Breazier, Garrett Kallhoff, Dexter Mckenzie, Tyler Sells

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

BicycLincoln challenged the advertising and public relations students to develop a campaign to get more people riding bicycles more often safely in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Communicating Ethos At The Center, Kristen Hoerl, Mercedes Kolb, Ethan Gregerson, William Butler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Tutoring center staff must communicate their credibility to effectively assist students. Ethos is a term used within the discipline of rhetoric to describe the process of demonstrating one’s good character and credibility. Based on the works of Aristotle, ethos is one of three devices or modes of argumentative support. Ethos refers to the character of the speaker, whereas logos concerns effective reasoning, and pathos relates to the use of emotional appeals. Although they are often considered separately, appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos may function collectively to persuade an audience. While a speaker’s prior reputation influences audience perceptions, the concept …

A Communication-Based Approach To Adoptive Identity: Theoretical And Empirical Support, Colleen Warner Colaner, Jordan Soliz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The current study uses structural equation modeling to examine adoptive parent communication as it relates to adoptee adjustment directly and indirectly through adoptive identity. Using retrospective accounts of 179 adult adoptees, findings indicate that both adoption- (adoption communication openness) and non-adoption-related (parental confirmation and affectionate communication) parental communication are related to adoptive identity work and positive affect about adoption and birth parents. Preoccupation mediates the relationship between parental communication and adoptee adjustment. The current study integrates research and theorizing from identity, adoption, and communication literatures to develop a communication-centered conceptual model of adoptive identity development to inform future adoption research …