Doctor of Business Administration, Cleveland State University, 2022, Monte Ahuja College of Business

With the fast-growing number of users, social media has become an essential part of our daily lives to provide news, status updates, as well as information on technology and science, amongst friends and relatives. Messages posted on social networks are often disseminated to large groups of audiences and aim to influence viewers' behaviors. Some of the most common topics include exercising, eating healthily, voting, and protesting. However, not all messages are spread at the same rate and, therefore, do not receive the same amount of attention. As such, message framing strategies play a critical role in differentiating effective messages and their counterparts. This project investigates the effects of two message framing strategies on social media. Specifically, we focus on gain- and loss-framing and visual framing, two frequently used message framing strategies. Widely investigated in previous studies, gain- and loss-framing has shown persuasion effects on readers. Visual framing has demonstrated influence in the cognitive processing of message contents. However, effects on persuasion and viewers' sharing behaviors when gain- and loss-framing interacts with visual framing have not been thoroughly studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether these framing methods influence readers' decisions on sharing messages with others and engaging in behavioral changes as recommended by the messages. Experimental methods are used to evaluate effects on social media users of gain- and loss-framing combined with visual framing. Participants are asked to read series of vignettes regarding health promotions and to answer the corresponding questions. Results show that visual framing interacts with gain- and loss-framing in different directions. Gain-framing health promotions are more likely to be shared and adopted. Visuals reduce gain-framing promotion effects but increase the sharing and persuasion effects of loss-framing promotions. Further, the congru (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

This study examined sourcing and framing in PTSD news coverage published by The New York Times from 1999–2020 using quantitative content analysis. Based on the findings of previous studies, it was hypothesized that the sampled coverage would overrepresent combat trauma relative to other sources of trauma, underrepresent options for treatment and recovery, privilege men and official sources over women and unofficial sources (i.e., men and official sources would speak more often than women and unofficial sources), and favor episodic/individual framing over thematic/social framing. However, these hypotheses were only partially supported. The researcher ultimately found that, while the sampled coverage did overrepresent combat trauma and underrepresent treatment and recovery options, as well as favor men over women in sourcing, it defied expectations in other ways. Namely, it was observed that civilian/unofficial sources predominated over official sources, and that thematic/social framing predominated over episodic/individual framing.

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Communication and Information / School of Media and Journalism

Online news forums allow members of the public to instantly and anonymously comment on stories, interact with other commenters, and help shape an ongoing public opinion narrative about issues and events. Thus far, however, the relationship between news stories and public reactions via news comments—specifically, the effect of news frames on follow-up comment frames—has received scant attention in the mass communication literature. Because terrorism is a polarizing issue, it provides an excellent topical context for a study focused on the relationship between well-articulated and concrete elite frames in news stories about terrorism and terrorist attacks and frames in online reader comments. A content analysis of New York Times online news stories about the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France and the December 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California was conducted to determine how messages influence public opinion via framing of news forum comments. The results of this study indicated that individuals used the dominant and secondary news frames present in stories as both dominant and secondary frames in their comments, and anonymous and partially anonymous commenters were more likely to employ frames used in news stories than were identified commenters. However, many individuals employed frames in their comments that are not already recognized as common for terrorism, as well as “other” frames that either related to terrorism or went off-topic. Additionally, frames employed by anonymous and partially anonymous commenters had more overlap with news frames than frames employed by totally identified commenters.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, Sociology

Social movement theory emphasizes the central importance of framing but pays little attention to framing as a process. This thesis examines strategies of framing, especially the use of multiple frames to appeal to diverse audiences by balancing and reinforcing various ideas to mobilize support. It compares three women's movements that were active during the Progressive era in the U.S.—the birth control movement (Margaret Sanger), the temperance movement (the Woman's Christian Temperance Union), and the white supremacy movement represented by the Women's Ku Klux Klan. Textual analysis of speeches and general audience articles by movement leaders document patterns and themes in framing strategies. All three movements used multiple frames, both balancing of liberal and conservative frames along with reinforcing of frames to appeal to core constituencies. Margaret Sanger was most likely to balance liberal with conservative frames—the most common conservative frame being the nativist eugenic frame—and the only one to use reinforcing liberal frames. Reflecting their more conservative agenda, the W.C.T.U. and WKKK relied on reinforcing conservative frames while also balancing liberal feminism with conservative nativist and patriotic ideas. These similarities reflect both direct and indirect diffusion among these groups as well similarities in their leadership and core constituencies, primarily white Protestant middle and upper class women. The relative liberalism of the birth control movement reflected its more equality-minded leadership and constituencies. Frame balancing and reinforcing are core features of resonant framing strategies and contributed to the social and political impact of these three movements.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, Mass Communication (Communication)

This dissertation explores media framing of conflict and peace in post-September 11, 2001 Afghanistan. The media selected for this study included: the BBC Pashto Service and Azadi Radio at the international level; Tehran's Pashto Radio at the regional level; National Radio and Television of Afghanistan [NRTA], Tolo Television and Ariana Television at the national level; and Salam Watandar Network and Hewad Television at the local level. In-depth interviews were conducted during fieldwork in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Participant observation, textual analysis and documents analysis were the other methods used in this study. Using comparative frame analysis, this study identified the following main frames: state building, occupation as failure and civilian victims. Other frames identified and available to the media, which were either rejected or only partially supported by this research, were: Jihad, terrorism, ethnic victimization, and peace through negotiation. The results of this study showed that, except Tehran's Pashto Radio, all other media outlets used state building as the main frame. The data pointed to the broader socio-political contexts and the political economy of the media outlets as determining factors in adoption of this particular frame. In the frame contestation process, power relation and culture resonance played an important role. Although the dominant media frames were identified using frame analysis, that process did not always explain why those frames were adopted and especially what were the different constraints, pressures and controversies at play. These positions and issues were addressed in this research through a second level of framing the researcher calls “journalistic frames.” Four different journalistic frames were identified. The two most commonly used by media outlets were: national interest and public interest. The two levels of framing—conflict frames and journalistic frames—together with analysis of environmental pressures, jou (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2022, Journalism (Communication)

The storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 06, 2021, and the attack on the German Reichstag building on Aug. 29, 2020, represent two incisive socio-political events in recent history. By analyzing the online news reporting of three U.S. and three German online news media, differences and similarities in photojournalistic characteristics as well as visual frames associated with the two incidents were identified. Applying the combination of an exploratory qualitative framing analysis with Rodriguez and Dimitrova's (2011) theoretical framework of visual framing, the author completed a qualitative analysis of 100 visuals published online within four days after the riots. The exploratory method suits the research objectives as they have not been scientifically examined in previous studies, yet. Thus, the grounded theory method enabled this study to extend the theoretical foundation and to assess the visual frames' implications on four levels in U.S. and German news coverage. Furthermore, this study addresses the concept of collective memory. The subject matter involves recent events of international scope brought into relation being partly comparable, yet requiring a clear differentiation, and a profound elaboration on critical social-political circumstances in both countries.

MA, Kent State University, 2015, College of Communication and Information / School of Media and Journalism

Social media has changed the way people receive and interpret messages, compared with traditional media. This study found the interactivity of social media can enhance audience experience and enhance persuasive effects of messages. Social media comments, in particular, can influence people's perceptions of an issue or message source, raising the possibility for comments to serve as a tool for strategic public relations; however, the persuasive effects of social media commenting are underexplored. This study investigated the persuasive effects of commenting on public health issues—specifically the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine—via Facebook. It explored commenting effects on source credibility, MMR risk perception, and attitudes toward government vaccination mandates, parental responsibility perceptions, and school requirements for vaccination. Two survey-based experiments—a pilot study with a single factorial design (support comments vs. attack comments vs. no comment) and the other with a 2 (support vs. attack comments) × 2 (support vs. attack prior information) fully crossed factorial design—were conducted to examine such effects. The results of these studies demonstrate that exposure to supportive comments following a CDC Facebook post in favor of MMR vaccination led to increased source credibility, while exposure to attack comments led to decreased source credibility. In addition, supportive comments following the CDC post had a positive effect on perceptions of Facebook as a useful platform for issue discussion; attack comments had the reverse effect. I conclude by discussing theoretical implications for media framing and practical implications for public relations practice.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Journalism (Communication)

Air pollution has become a serious problem of the Chinese government in recent years. In 2013, the pollution level hit a historic high record. As the official website of China Daily, the largest English newspaper in China, how ChinaDaily.com frames this issue to global readers is of great significance. This thesis content analyzes all air pollution related news stories published in 2013 by ChinaDaily.com from text elements and visual images aspects. The results show that the consequence and responsibility frame are the two main frames ChinaDaily.com uses in its coverage of the air pollution. Compared with these, contradiction and human-interest frames are used much less.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2011, Mass Communication (Communication)

Sudan has been embroiled in civil war for fifty years. The peace agreement of 2005 finally brought this war to an end. This research explores how radio has informed audience perceptions and interpretations on issues of peace and conflict. This research draws on peace and conflict studies and media effects research with a special emphasis on the concept of cultural violence (Galtung, 1964, 1969, 1990). Two media organizations – Sudan National Radio (SNR) based in Sudan and Sudan Radio Service (SRS) based in Kenya – serve as the case studies for this research. Using media ethnography and framing analysis, the research employed a comparative framing analysis of media frames and audience frames of peace and conflict issues. Framing analysis revealed that SNR and SRS adopted different frames for issues pertaining to peace and conflict. SNR's major frames were: development projects as a peace dividend, internal unity and solidarity, and external conflict and conspiracy frames. As a state-owned radio, SNR functioned as a mouth-piece for the National Congress Party-dominated government and adopted the frames that were sponsored by the government. On the other hand, SRS, though issues of peace and conflict were prevalent in its reporting, adopted conflict and blame as major frames. Three factors emerged as major contributors to frame building in the two radio stations: organizational culture, frames sponsorship, and the web of subsidies available to each station. This study established that audience members synthesized the media frames and tapped into their personal experiences to interpret the media frames and through this eventually developed their own frames. The audience frames were sometimes aligned with the media frames while on other occasions they were negotiated and even oppositional to media frames. Audience members relied on media frames only on issues that were outside the sphere of their direct experience. The research concluded that the role of media in confl (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2009, Mass Communication (Communication)

This research examined the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana to understand the frames and representations used by the local newspapers to promote the policy. The study also examined the major themes that were embedded in the NHIS news stories and the extent to which they promoted official perspectives. Again, it investigated the culture and ideology that guided media professionals in the representation of the NHIS.Framing analysis was used as a major theoretical tool for the study, particularly news frame. The inquiry also explored the relationship between framing and ideology as connected concepts that are rarely interrogated in media studies, especially, in the construction of new stories. It was also guided by the social constructivism theory that conceptualizes news making as a direct reflection of the social realities of individuals and groups. All these theories became interconnected during the construction news stories on the NHIS. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods for the data collection and analysis. Four major local newspapers with the highest circulation, including the Daily Graphic, the Ghanaian Times, Chronicle and the Daily Guide, were selected for the study. In, addition, interviews were conducted with media professionals , composed of three journalists and three public relations officials, to complement the analyses of the stories from the newspapers. The major findings of this research showed that: 1) news stories were dominantly framed around the core issues of NHIS implying that newspapers showed a more responsible coverage of the health policy; however, most of the news stories were not accorded the front page prominence normally given to many other social issues; 2) while the media embarked on a sustained effort to present the NHIS as a mainstream event, they, nevertheless, relied heavily on government sources for information supporting the assertion that, the media see official rhetoric as the most importa (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Communication Studies

In order to examine how the detainee abuse by American and British forces tested not only the media's ability to report on human rights abuses but also their professed ability to serve as watchdogs for their respective governments, this dissertation used the constructionist framing approach to compare news stories about abuse in Iraq that appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and the Times (London), from April 29, 2004 to May 14, 2004. Findings showed that abuse conducted by the American troops was covered extensively by the newspapers in both countries while the American newspapers tended to ignore revelations of abuse by British troops. However, volume is not the only significant measure of coverage quality. Reporting on human rights abuses is a complex process demanding both resources to investigate abuse as well as careful consideration about when and how to disclose them to the public. While Abu Ghraib photographs were the strongest impetus for disclosing the abuse by American soldiers, news coverage of British abuse was complicated by initial publication of what turned out to be photos of staged reenactment of abuse. The study found noteworthy differences in how the four newspapers defined, interpreted, evaluated, and treated abuse by both armies. Contrary to findings suggested by previous research, the newspapers examined in this study favored attribution of responsibility to the system rather than individuals in their coverage of U.S. events. However, the newspapers blamed individuals for the abuse by British forces. The four newspapers were similar in how they depersonalized and dehumanized Iraqi victims by utilizing the “them versus us” dichotomy to frame the people who appeared in the coverage. Reliance on official sources was noted as another significant commonality. The differences, however, were reflected in how the four newspapers utilized labels to portray the severity of abuse. These and the other findings from the stu (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2013, Psychology

People make judgments and decisions differently depending on whether information that prompts these judgments or decisions is presented in a positive or negative light. This bias is known as the framing effect. Previous research has shown that high numeracy, the ability to understand simple mathematical and probabilistic concepts, makes such framing effects smaller, at least when numbers are involved. Here, we test the possibility that this effect of numeracy occurs because the highly numerate convert information presented in one frame to the other frame. We test the conversions by assessing memory for the frame that was not presented after the judgment has been made. We find that memories of the more numerate (as opposed to the less numerate) are consistent with such conversions, and such memories are associated with smaller framing effects. However these results are moderated by a number of factors: whether the percentage is round or precise, what type of judgment is being made, and how the framing effect is measured. We conclude that the conversions may explain at least a part of the relation between numeracy and framing. Further research is necessary to determine why the roundness of the percentage and the judgment being made affect our results.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Arts and Sciences: Political Science

Legalizing marijuana is often advocated as a measure to address the persistent racial injustices within the American criminal justice system. Previous research indicates that support for marijuana legalization has become increasingly entrenched. However, there has been no prior study that directly evaluates the influence of pro- and anti-legalization arguments by elites, specifically those framed in terms of their impact on the African American community. Considering this, the primary objective of this study is to understand how deeply rooted opinions about marijuana legalization are. I do so by examining the extent to which elite racial appeals prime voters' racial predisposition to marijuana policies. Specifically, I investigate the effect of explicit elite racial framing on respondent's policy position on the extent of legalization (recreational use nationwide, medical use nationwide, illegal nationwide, or leave the decision to the states), social equity-focused policies (reparative justice), and beliefs about whether legalization would help improve underrepresented communities. I further study why some sectors of the population are fiercely opposed to marijuana policies even when exposed to positive information about legalization, thereby investigating whether the American public is willing to change their beliefs towards marijuana policies in the face of countervailing information that confounds stereotypes. To address these research inquiries, I employ a two-step methodology. Initially, I analyze support for marijuana policies utilizing nationally representative surveys. Subsequently, I incorporate a novel survey-embedded experiment to assess the impact of elite racial communication on voters' views about marijuana. The experimental manipulation revealed statistically significant differences across the three conditions on several dependent variables. These include respondents' policy positions on the extent of legalization, opinions on th (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Media and Communication

This study utilizes an experimental design to explore how different frames impact individuals' perceptions of Muslim women when portrayed in news coverage of protests from the Middle East and North Africa region. Specifically, this research investigates the influence of news media frames on U.S. public perceptions of Muslim women activists, focusing on the impact of the hijab to test various perspectives related to minorities, gender, and stereotypical representations. In addition to examining the effect of text (positive and negative frames) and visuals (no visuals, visuals featuring veiled Muslim women, and visuals of unveiled Muslim women) on perceptions, this study also analyzes the influence of the interaction effect of the text and visual frames. This dissertation employed a factorial design, utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to conduct an online experiment. Participants were exposed to different news frames describing protests to assess their perceptions of Muslim women activists. One of the key findings of this study highlights the influence of Western-centric notions on perceptions of Muslims. Results demonstrated that positive text frames accompanied by visuals featuring unveiled women facilitated more positive implicit perceptions compared to negative frames. However, exposure to visuals featuring veiled women fostered more support toward Muslim women's protests compared to those exposed to unveiled visuals, regardless of whether the text frame is positive or negative. Additionally, results exhibited that preexisting stereotypes of oppression and victimization, along with interactions with Muslims, emerged as the most influential predictors in shaping perceptions. iv Based on the results, the author urges editors and journalists to carefully consider the goal of their coverage of protest news from the Middle East to ensure accurate and balanced portrayals that contribute to greater social inclusion, diversity, and equity in media discourse. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Sociology

Framing research shows that the way issues are presented can shape people's reactions and opinions. Anti-drug sentiment is deeply woven into the American cultural fabric such that negative framing may easily evoke previously internalized attitudes and discourses. However, it is unclear whether these attitudes could be influenced with an alternative framing of drug issues. This study examines whether framing of drug policy liberalization influences drug policy opinions, specifically whether people would support a decriminalization ballot initiative when presented with positive framing. I conducted an online vignette experiment (N=1,917) through Prolific to measure factors that influence support for drug decriminalization. Audiences were split into 9 groups (8 treatment groups and a control group). The control group was asked only about their support for decriminalization, while the treatment groups first watched a video where an actor playing a scientist detailed why all drugs should be decriminalized. Videos differed in terms of the scientist's race and his assertion that he personally uses drugs. Four of the treatment groups were then shown negative counter-framing in the form of disparaging social media comments after watching the video and before ranking their support for decriminalization. Results showed that treatment groups only receiving the scientific and positive video primer had significantly higher odds of supporting decriminalization than the control group. However, when shown negative counter-framing, participants had significantly lower odds of supporting decriminalization. Further examination of the intersection between respondent characteristics and framing also revealed some differentiation in effects based on demographics and personal experience such as age, political orientation, and drug use. Qualitative analysis of respondent comments also showed that after viewing positive framing, respondents tended to discuss more favorable aspects and pote (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

Throughout Adolf Hitler's duration of power in Nazi Germany, he garnered unquestionable support from an entire nation while utilizing a variety of populist techniques to do so. While articulating many of the same general messages, Neo-Nazis have sparked their own movements within the United States, and many organizations perpetuating violent agendas have emerged. Subsequently, little currently exists that explains how populist rhetoric and communicative techniques have changed since Nazism's inception. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by comparing the populist techniques utilized by George Lincoln Rockwell and James Nolan Mason and their Neo-Nazi rhetoric to that of Adolf Hitler. By utilizing KH Coder, a qualitative analysis software, three separate analyses were conducted that determined each speaker's word frequency, placement, and links. This study asserts that Neo-Nazis have indeed altered their use of populism since the ideology's inception. Likewise, it also indicates that the speakers' use of pronouns not only differed, but played a significant role in the messages being presented to their audiences. While Hitler focused more on personal pronouns to create homogeneity and collective action, Rockwell and Mason prioritized pronouns that targeted outgroups and individual action.

Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2024, Journalism

The scientific and psychological communities have started to recognize ecological anxiety (also known as eco-anxiety or climate anxiety), an emotional response to climate change and environmental destruction, as a growing mental health phenomenon. There has been an increased focus on how psychologists and other mental health professionals can best support those who are experiencing negative mental health effects due to climate change, including increased anxiety. In turn, mainstream media outlets have increased their coverage of eco- anxiety and other related mental health impacts of climate change. This paper discusses how eco- anxiety has been framed by mainstream media outlets, specifically newspapers with large readership. Articles from eight different American newspapers that included the words “eco- anxiety”, “climate anxiety”, or referenced the phenomenon were compiled. These articles were coded to reveal the specific frames utilized, including master, generic, and issue-specific frames. The focus of this research was to provide a better understanding of how mainstream media frames the topic of eco-anxiety and if that framing reflects the current scientific understanding of eco-anxiety.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Agriculture continues to have the largest number of injuries and fatalities compared to any other industry in the United States (Mulhollem, 2023). In 2022, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting experienced the highest death rate per 100,000 workers out of any other industry (National Safety Council, 2024). According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (n.d.), more than two million youth under the age of 20 are exposed to agricultural-related hazards, many resulting in injury or fatalities, each year. It has been found that 48% of all youth occupational fatalities are in the agricultural industry, making youth in agriculture nearly eight times more likely to be fatally injured compared to all other occupations (Weichelt et al., 2022). Engineering, enforcement, and education can all be used to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities (Giles et al., 2019). Education can be used to recognize, respect, and control potential hazards present in the workplace (OSHA, 2023). Safety programming is incorporated into many of the preexisting avenues for agricultural education including cooperative extension, school based agricultural education, and industry supported programs (American Farm Bureau, 2023; Hillison, 1987; NIFA, 2023). School based agricultural education (SBAE) often provides opportunities for students to learn about safety practices in the agricultural industry. Safety education has been a part of the mission of SBAE courses since the establishment in 1917 (Cheng et al., 2017). In Ohio, there were approximately 326 schools offering SBAE in 2022 (Ohio FFA, 2022). This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Framing Theory, and semiotics to create and test advertisements for an agricultural safety education program. This research utilized an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Qualitative data collected from high school students were used to create frames for advertisements that were tested in the quantitative phase. Overal (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Sociology

Beginning around 2020, conservative politicians and media outlets have launched an aggressive campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives via the symbolic vilification of critical race theory. Several scholars have observed that this crusade has largely taken the form of a conservative media-driven disinformation campaign that seeks to obscure the true intent and scope of critical race theory's influence on American society for political gains. Drawing upon critical race literature, framing theory, and various scholarship pertaining to the relationship between media and cultural hegemony, this project sought to qualitatively interrogate the frames used to discuss critical race theory within live Fox News broadcastings. Upon analysis of 50 randomly selected live Fox News transcripts, I found that Fox News commentators regularly invoked 6 common frames in discourses surrounding critical race theory. Therein, critical race theory was often projected to be: 1.) Divisive, 2.) Governmental Overreach, 3.) Indoctrination, 4.) a Marxist/Communist Agenda, and 5.) as Racist, with 6.) people of color (POC) often being used as legitimizers of these narratives. To conclude, I contemplated the implications of these frames, particularly in regard to what they unveil about mass media's influence over knowledge production and dissemination processes, as well as what they project for future social and racial justice strategies in light of the impending direction of the conservative political agenda.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Journalism (Communication)

This thesis examines how three major American newspapers reported on paleontology during the 1990s. Paleontology experienced a popularity spike in the 1990s with the Jurassic Park films breaking film records and bringing dinosaurs to the forefront of the public consciousness. A number of important specimens were found and improving technology revolutionized the field, leading to numerous discoveries. This study documents which topics within paleontology the media reported on the most and what news values drove this reporting. Additionally, this study analyzes the occurrence rate of a few common tropes, metaphors and mistakes often associated with paleontology within news articles. This thesis examines USA Today, The New York Times, and The Associated Press's coverage of paleontology due to their status as being amongst the largest news organizations and running wire services which distributed their work across the United States. This study applies the revised news values proposed by Harcup and O'Neill to gauge which news values are used by reporters and editors when covering paleontology and to determine if these revised news values are applicable to science journalism.