Mass Communication Commons^™

Using Fantasy Sports To Connect Process With Product In Adpr/Spmc 464/864 – Sports Media Relations And Promotion, Brian Petrotta

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The purpose of this portfolio is to analyze the relationship between assignments and desired learning outcomes in ADPR/SPMC 464/864 – Sports Media Relations and Promotion. ADPR/SPMC 464/864 Sports Media Relations and Promotion remains a challenging course to navigate but the process of developing this portfolio demonstrates that it has many strengths. The first of these strengths is the simple structure that centers the course around a fantasy football team (NFL in fall, EPL in spring). Most students were already familiar with fantasy sports and, in general, appreciated the inherent competition within this structure. Feedback from students’ year-end self-assessments from two …

Intersectionality In Tennis (Wta) Sports Media, Emily Stoner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This “applied knowledge” project investigates and observes intersectionality in tennis sports media via the women’s professional tour (WTA). Intersectionality in Tennis (WTA) Sports Media analyzes how intersectionality as a concept and social justice lens impacts and is impacted by media. By considering intersectional identities and their implications in sports media narratives and coverage, this piece displays some telling patterns and perpetuations.

At the professional level, tennis certainly does not garner the most profit or attention, but it provides a unique world of intersecting identities, cultures, geography and tradition. This work aims to shed light on the state of sports media, …

The "Green Gals" Podcast And Website, Courtney Perkins

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This is a series of three podcast episodes under the series name "Green Gals" with a companion website of the same name. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of sustainable living with the goal of providing valuable tools, tips and information that everyday people can use to integrate sustainability into their everyday lives. The episodes ("Reduce, Reuse... Recycle?"; "Food Waste" and "Composting 101") are hosted by myself and a co-host, discussing the topic along with pre-recorded interviews which I conducted with experts in the field. The material is presented in a casual, engaging manner, employing music intros, transitions and …

Who Has The Leash On The Watchdogs? An Analysis Of Public Records Laws In The State Of Nebraska, Madelyn Ames

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In this research paper, I examined the effectiveness and history of public records laws in Nebraska. The focus is on how these laws provide government transparency and accountability. This is done by looking at the historical context, doing a comparative analysis to another state and looking at recent events. Nebraska appears to do well in comparison to other states for complying with public records requests but there is room to grow. In this paper, I argue that there is more work to be done regarding the public's right to know. Based on my case studies regarding two public records request …

Picking Corn, Aaron Sanderford

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Nebraska’s shifting media landscape, marked by the decline of newspapers and traditional broadcast viewership, has created an opportunity for innovative, local storytelling. My professional project, Picking Corn, is a podcast that gives voice to Nebraska’s political conversations, focusing on in-depth, long-form interviews with key political figures. Inspired by successful models like The New York Times Daily and NPR Politics Pod, this podcast aims to engage audiences by prioritizing thoughtful questions and meaningful dialogue.

In its first year, Picking Corn reached over 3,300 listeners across platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud. The podcast achieved a 72% episode completion rate—far exceeding …

Using News To Start Class: How Small Daily Interactions Affect Larger Classroom Interactions, Laura M. Dumin

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

In 2013, I added an extra credit assignment to my freshmen composition classes encouraging students to bring in news stories each class period; this assignment was designed to encourage students to be more willing to participate in classroom discussions. We then spent the first few minutes of each class discussing the stories they brought. After using this assignment for a few years, I had anecdotal evidence to suggest that my students were generally more talkative in class after the first week or two of sharing news. These experiences made me want to see if I could measure some change or …

Further Developing Drought Early Warning Information Systems Using Mixed-Methods And Multiple Streams Of Data, Caily Claire Schwartz

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Drought is a complex phenomenon with varying degrees of impacts and monitoring methods. No drought is alike, creating a challenge for both water managers and communities. No area is immune to a drought. Due to the cyclical nature of drought events, clear information to those impacted is necessary to reduce risk and move towards proactive responses, as opposed to reactive responses. To better provide communication and mitigation tools, Drought Early Warning Information Systems (DEWIS) have been developed in various regions and contexts. To improve early warning, an understanding of the end user’s perceptions of risk, and the applicability of data …

Mitigating Identity-Related Anxiety Through Humor And Immersive Storytelling With 360-Degree Video In Virtual Reality: A Study On Microaggressions’ Mental Health Effects, Changmin Yan, Alan Eno, Adam Wagler

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Background: Microaggressions are subtle slights that can cause significant psychological distress among marginalized groups. Few studies have explored interventions that might mitigate these effects. Objective: This study aimed to investigate if and how humor-infused immersive storytelling via virtual reality (VR) could reduce identity-related psychological distress caused by microaggressions. Methods: Using a community-based participatory research approach, we developed a 7-min 360-degree VR film depicting scenarios of microaggressions across various identities. Fortysix college students participated in a controlled study where they were exposed to this immersive VR experience. We measured identity-related psychological anxiety, character identification, perceived humor, and perceived …

Understanding Older People’S Voice Interactions With Smart Voice Assistants: A New Modified Rule-Based Natural Language Processing Model With Human Input, Zhengxu Yan, Victoria Dube, Judith Heselton, Kate Johnson, Changmin Yan, Valerie Jones, Julie Blaskewicz Boron, Marcia Shade

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has expedited the integration of Smart Voice Assistants (SVA) among older people. The qualitative data derived from user commands on SVA is pivotal for elucidating the engagement patterns of older individuals with such systems. However, the sheer volume of user-generated voice interaction data presents a formidable challenge for manual coding. Compounding this issue, age-related cognitive decline and alterations in speech patterns further complicate the interpretation of older users’ SVA voice interactions. Conventional dictionary-based textual analysis tools, which count word frequencies, are inadequate in capturing the evolving and communicative essence of these interactions that unfold over a series …

An Examination Of How The Media Portrayed Professional Female Athletes During The 2023 Women's World Cup In The Match-Up Between Spain And The United States, Brianna R. Breazier

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This project is an examination of how the media portrayed professional female athletes during the 2023 Woen's World Cup in the match-up between Spain and the United States. This project consists of a literature review of the history of both countries, an overview of feminist theory, and past studies that show current patterns of biases or stereotypical behavior in today’s mainstream media. This project also consists of a cross-examination and comparison between Spain and the United States, specifically examining the timeline of events between the two. The purpose of this study is to compare the media trends of professional female …

Trust Me: Film + Q&A; (February 22, 2024, 5:30 Pm, Sheldon Museum Of Art) [Poster], Sheldon Museum Of Art, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Sheldon Museum of Art: Catalogs and Publications

Poster for Trust Me: Film + Q&A held February 22, 2024 at 5:30 PM at the Sheldon Museum of Art (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States).

Poster blurb:

In today's information landscape, how do you know whom--and what--you can trust? Watch the award-winning, feature-length documentary Trust Me, which explores how media technology is influencing society and what we can do about it.

A Q&A with Rosemary Smith, filmmaker and managing director of the non-partisan Getting Better Foundation, follows.

More information about the screening is available at https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/trust-me-documentary-to-screen-at-sheldon/.

More information about the film is available at https://www.trustmedocumentary.com/ …

Reducing Loneliness And Improving Social Support Among Older Adults Through Different Modalities Of Personal Voice Assistants, Valerie Jones, Changmin Yan, Marcia Shade, Julie Blaskewicz Boron, Zhengxu Yan, Hyeon Jung Heselton, Kate Johnson, Victoria Dube

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This study examines the potential of AI-powered personal voice assistants (PVAs) in reducing loneliness and increasing social support among older adults. With the aging population rapidly expanding, innovative solutions are essential. Prior research has indicated the effectiveness of various interactive communication technologies (ICTs) in mitigating loneliness, but studies focusing on PVAs, particularly considering their modality (audio vs. video), are limited. This research aims to fill this gap by evaluating how voice assistants, in both audio and video formats, influence perceived loneliness and social support. This study examined the impact of voice assistant technology (VAT) interventions, both audio-based (A-VAT) and video-based …

The Impact Of Interaction Time And Verbal Engagement With Personal Voice Assistants On Alleviating Loneliness Among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study, Changmin Yan, Kate Johnson, Valerie Jones

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Background: Loneliness in older adults is a critical issue that negatively affects their well-being. The potential of personal voice assistant (PVA) devices like Amazon’s Alexa Echo in reducing loneliness is an emerging area of interest, but it remains under-researched. Objective: this study aims to investigate the effect of interaction time and verbal engagement with PVA devices on reducing loneliness among older adults living alone. Method: In this experiment, individuals aged 75 and older (n = 15), living alone, were provided with Amazon Alexa Echo devices. They were instructed to interact with the device at least five times a day …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Vaping Cannabidiol Among Us Adolescents, Hongying Daisy Dai, Roma Subramanian, Avina Mahroke, Ming Wang

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE e-Cigarette use and vaping marijuana (cannabis) are popular among US adolescents. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the cannabis plant that has recently increased in use.

OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence of and factors associated with youths vaping CBD

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cross-sectional study included a nationally representative sample of students from middle and high schools (typical age, 11-18 years) in the US from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, conducted from January to May 2022.

EXPOSURE Demographic characteristics, harm perception of tobacco use, and vaping behaviors.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcomes were weighted …

Thyroid Sat510 I-131 Therapy With Dosimetry For Advanced Thyroid Carcinoma: Recombinant Tsh Vs Thyroid Hormone Withdrawal, Dana Awad, Jarod Hamsa, Abbey Fingeret, Craig M. Johnson, Frank Rutar, Carrie Carso, Anupam Kotwal, Anery Patel, Angela Thornburg, Whitney Sears Goldner

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Background: Dosimetry can be used to calculate an optimal and safe dose of Iodine-131 (I-131) for treatment of advanced differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) is the preferred method of TSH elevation for I-131 therapy with dosimetry. At our institution, Recombinant TSH (RhTSH) is used in patients in whom prolonged hypothyroidism is deemed clinically unsafe or cannot tolerate THW. We aim to evaluate if RhTSH and THW are equivalent methods of preparation for I-131 therapy using dosimetry (I-131D).

Midweed: A Comparison Between Marijuana Laws, Regulations, And Social Attitudes In Cannabis-Legal Vs. Cannabis-Illegal Midwest States, Abagail Lim

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This professional project is a series of three journalistic articles. Each article focuses on laws, regulations and social attitudes surrounding marijuana in the United States. These topics are explored primarily through the lenses of two Midwest states (Illinois & Nebraska), which have highly contrasting laws and regulations regarding marijuana. The state of Illinois legalized medical marijuana in January 2014 and recreational marijuana in January 2020, while in Nebraska, both medical and recreational use still remains illegal, though possession of up to one ounce has been decriminalized.

The purpose of choosing these two states is to show how stark a contrast …

The Call Sheet: A Six-Part Podcast Interview Series On The Film Industry In Nebraska, Tanner Dykstra

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

My University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Thesis project is a six-part podcast interview series entitled The Call Sheet. This is classified as an Applied Knowledge project and encapsulates my interests and areas of study in Journalism, Broadcasting, and Film Studies. I sought out interviews with people who currently reside or once resided in the state of Nebraska who work in association with the film industry. This industry is broad, and my interview subjects reflected this. The six episodes comprising my project are as follows: writer/director Aliza Brugger, writer/professor Michael Svoboda, director of the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center Danny Lee …

¿Aviso O Alerta? Developing Effective, Inclusive, And Consistent Watch And Warning Translations For U.S. Spanish Speakers, Joseph E. Trujillo-Falcón, América R. Gaviria Pabón, Joseph T. Ripberger, Abby Bitterman, Jonathan B. Thornton, Mackenzie J. Krocak, Sean R. Ernst, Estilita Cassiani Obeso, John Lipski

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

Spanish-speaking populations in the United States are more vulnerable in disaster contexts due to inequities, such as language barriers, that prevent them from receiving life-saving information. For the past couple of decades, governmental organizations have addressed these issues by translating weather watches, warnings, and advisories into Spanish. Previous studies suggest that these Spanish translations do not communicate the same level of urgency as their English counterparts. To identify whether these translated products result in inequities between English and Spanish speaker reception and comprehension of forecast information, we asked a representative sample of U.S. English (n = 1,550) and Spanish (n …

Symbolic Annihilation And Stereotyping Of Native American Women In News: A Content Analysis Of Health, Safety, And Economic Status Related News, Shreyoshi Ghosh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This is an exploratory study on the safety, economic, and health challenges of Native American women who constitute about 1.5% of the American population. With the symbolic annihilation and stereotyping of Native American people and women of color, there was a need to study the portrayal of Native American women in news. The findings indicated there was a growth in news coverage during 2018-19 and safety, including missing and murdered, emerged as a key topic. But symbolic annihilation in health and economic status including pay gap news was significant. Health news mostly covered maternal health and deaths but excluded most …

The Journey Of The Black Sports Journalist: Past, Present And Future, Gary Washburn

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

It took nearly 60 years for the mainstream audience to learn and digest the impact of the Black sports journalist on the American sports landscape.

In the Disney-movie “42,” detailing Jackie Robinson’s breaking of baseball’s color barrier in 1947, Robinson bonded with a journalist named Wendell Smith, who served as a guide, mentor and liaison for the baseball player during his travel journey with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Smith not only covered Robinson’s ground-breaking excursion into a sport that had proudly prohibited and disavowed Blacks from playing Major League Baseball, he became Robinson’s trusted colleague, gaining access to stories and insights …

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 …

Video 101: Video Production Basics, Visually Explained, Chris Flanery

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

As video becomes more prevalent in all aspects of life, the demand for competent video production skills continues to grow. Having the technical literacy to capture professional-level video is highly sought-after and begins with proper education and training. This project found the process for learning video production often fails to maximize on its full potential. Despite being a visual medium, most individuals surveyed and interviewed for this project who work in the video production industry report visuals are rarely used to demonstrate fundamental concepts in learning video production. These same individuals and additional research indicate visual aids help illustrate many …

A Study Of Retention And Recruitment At Southern And Midwestern Weekly U.S. Newspapers, Jessica Fargen Walsh, Jill Martin

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Daily and weekly newspapers are closing at alarming rates, leaving readers without local coverage in many parts of the country. More than 5,000 of the remaining newspapers in the United States are weeklies, providing meeting coverage, agricultural news and keeping small towns informed. Yet, not nearly enough research exists about the people working at those newspapers. More than 1,000 email surveys were sent in early 2021 to weekly news editors, publishers or owners in seven states seeking opinions on successes and challenges in hiring and retaining weekly journalists. Survey results and follow-up interviews revealed a number of insights including data …

Krnu: Expansion And Realignment, Kaci Richter

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

Terrestrial radio stations have undergone fundamental changes over the last three decades. The entertainment market has expanded to include more ways for content creators to reach audiences and more platforms for advertisers to promote and sell their goods and services. As listener habits have changed, radio stations have been forced to keep pace, adding owned media platforms like websites, apps and social media accounts to meet listeners where they are. This struggle is not limited to commercial radio properties. Listener habits are forever changed, and noncommercial stations are often under-resourced. 90.3 KRNU is one of those under-resourced noncommercial educational stations …

Hazardous Weather Communication En Español: Challenges, Current Resources, And Future Practices, Joseph E. Trujillo-Falcón, Orlando Bermúdez, Krizia Negrón-Hernández, John Lipski, Elizabeth Leitman, Kodi Berry

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

According to recent Census data, the Hispanic or Latino population represents nearly 1 in 5 Americans today, where 71.1% of these individuals speak Spanish at home. Despite increased efforts among the weather enterprise, establishing effective risk communication strategies for Spanish-speaking populations has been an uphill battle. No frameworks exist for translating weather information into the Spanish language, nor are there collective solutions that address this problem within the weather world. The objective of this article is threefold. First, the current translation issue in Spanish is highlighted. Through research conducted at the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, situations are revealed where regional …

With A Female Vice President In Office, Has Media Gender-Bias Left The Presidential Campaign Trail? The Short Answer Is No, And The Reason Why Is Deep Rooted, Nora Tarte

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

An examination of treatment in the media of female vice presidential candidates—Geraldine Ferraro (1984), Sarah Palin (2008) and Kamala Harris (2020)—surfaces a trend of gender bias perpetuated by subtly sexist language in all three campaigns. While society has made strides in equality in the 36 years between campaigns, the media treatment of Vice President Kamala Harris is not that far removed from the treatment of Geraldine Ferraro. The bias exists both overtly and subtly with obvious sexist language and more subtle forms of sexist language in coverage doled out by top media outlets, but subtle sexism is what often flies …

Trust In Media, Institutions, And Health Information In Metropolitan Nebraska: 2021 Nebraska Metro Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Overall, most metropolitan Nebraskans have confidence in their local institutions (public safety agencies in their community, public schools in their community, and voting and election systems in their county). However, many have very little confidence in many national institutions (the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Presidency) as well as the Governor.

Metropolitan Nebraskans most trust information received from friends/family/ acquaintances, local news sources (TV and newspapers), public sources (PBS and public radio) and state newspapers. They least trust information from social networking sites, Internet blogs, and Fox News.

Most metropolitan Nebraskans trust local health professionals for …

Teaching And Learning News Media In Politically Unsettled Times, H. James Garrett, Mardi Schmeichel, Joseph Mcanulty, Sonia Janis

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

Our research explores and elaborates the ways preservice teachers come to know and begin conceptualizing ways of teaching about news media. We report on what we interpret as their understandings and, perhaps more importantly, their misunderstandings of media literacy as they relate to their emerging ideas about what it means to teach others about crucial social and political issues of our time. The students with whom the authors worked demonstrated problematic misperceptions and misunderstandings about important media concepts and topics. These preservice teachers misunderstood the ways in which news media is different from other media genres. Additionally, they often indicated …

Serena, Inc.: Using Instagram To Build Brand Equity After A Crisis, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Serena Williams is one of the most successful athletes of all time. In addition to dominating the professional tennis circuit for decades, she has also built a massive business empire while becoming a first-time mother and wife. During this time of transition, Williams experienced a significant crisis moment during the 2018 US Open. Williams did not publicly acknowledge or apologise for the crisis and instead focused on a new sense of direction after living through the experience, much of which is documented and promoted on her Instagram account. This exploratory case study focuses on Serena Williams’s use of Instagram as …

Rugby League As A Televised Product In The United States Of America, Mike Morris

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

Rugby league is a form of rugby that is more similar to American football than its more globally popular cousin rugby union. This similarity to the United States of America’s most popular sport, that country’s appetite for sport, and its previous acceptance of foreign sports products makes rugby league an attractive product for American media outlets to present and promote.

Rugby league’s history as a working-class sport in England and Australia will appeal to American consumers hungry for grit and authenticity from their favorite athletes and teams. Established coverage of English soccer has paved the way for rugby league media …