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)

Committee: Don Flournoy PhD (Committee Chair); Drew McDaniel PhD (Committee Member); Claudia Hale PhD (Committee Member); Haley Duschinski PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science

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)

Committee: Drew McDaniel (Advisor); David Mould (Committee Member); Claudia Hale (Committee Member); Jaylynne Hutchinson (Committee Member) Subjects: African Studies; Communication

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)

Committee: Louisa Ha PhD (Committee Chair); Kefa Otiso PhD (Other); Lara Langel PhD (Committee Member); Yanqin Lu PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Media; Middle Eastern Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Womens Studies

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.

Committee: Michael Vuolo (Advisor); Vincent Roscigno (Committee Member); Dana Haynie (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Research; Sociology

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.

Committee: Bernhard Debatin (Committee Chair); Lawerence Witmer (Committee Member); Parul Jain (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Multimedia Communications; Paleoclimate Science; Paleoecology; Paleontology; Science Education; Science History

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Mass Communication (Communication)

This project sought a deeper understanding of how the lived experience of teachers and school workers and the use of social media played out in media coverage of a public education strike in West Virginia. Through the unification of the theoretical calls of phenomenology and framing, this dissertation was grounded in the lived experience of the grassroots—teachers and public-school workers during a strike–and how social media was part of that experience. In-depth interviews were utilized to gain an understanding of the strike experience for teachers and school workers. A range of news stories were analyzed through an inductive qualitative frame analysis; finally, in-depth interviews with journalists were also conducted to gain a nuanced understanding of a strike experience and how it was framed in news reports. The results of this research project show that social media played a role in the strike experience for teachers and school workers, who described the power of digital tools in organizing, communicating, and unifying nearly 25,000 public school employees across worker status, geography, and culture. The content analysis of nearly 80 news stories published during the strike showed that news coverage of the event was more positive compared with prior work stoppages. Notably, sourcing included many more grassroots voices (teachers and school workers) rather than relying on government and union leaders in news reporting. Reporters acknowledged that social media helped them to identify sources as well as track events as they unfolded during the strike. However, they still privileged the perspectives of political elites in their coverage, most notably during the “wildcat” phase of the strike, when public school workers refused to accept a deal brokered by West Virginia's governor and the state's three public education unions. Thus, this dissertation suggests that digital tools, including social media, have implications for facilitating significant social c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Drew McDaniel (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Journalism; Labor Relations; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Structure; Sociology

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2020, Communication

Women in the political sector struggle to find their place. Though the number of female representatives has increased in recent years, it has been a slow climb often complicated by the socially prescribed importance of their image to the public eye as represented through media. In the impeachment of President Donald Trump, two female senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, were prominently featured on news coverage outlets. As it is not historically common for female politicians to be at the center of major debates, this case allowed for valuable analysis of how the media portrays women in politics. Through this work, three questions are explored: 1) How did cable news media frame Senators Susan Collins' and Lisa Murkowski's roles in the impeachment process of President Donald Trump? 2) How did Senators Collins and Murkowski frame themselves in their self-representations through the impeachment process? 3) How have Collins and Murkowski engaged in self-representation for their overall identities as senators?

Committee: Sheryl Cunningham (Advisor); Kelly Dillon (Committee Member); Edward Hasecke (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Gender Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Media and Communication

Since March 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a brutal civil war. Since the start of the war, over 470,000 Syrians have lost their lives. This conflict has led to over 13.5 million Syrians who are in need of humanitarian aid. Over 6 million Syrians have been internally displaced and more than 5 million are refugees living outside of Syria, resulting in the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. Syrian citizens and refugees have faced arduous conditions, as evidenced by three-year-old Syrian child Aylan Kurdi's body washing ashore in Bodrum, Turkey in September 2015 as his family attempted to flee their homeland. To date, no studies have examined refugees through the scope of alternative media. Responding to this lack of research, this dissertation examines media framing of Syrian refugees. Informed by Orientalism, Framing Theory, and Critical Race Theory, the dissertation employs qualitative content analysis to analyze language and images used in 473 articles from a strategic selection of alternative media organizations. It incorporates diachronic analysis of media articles released during the two-week period preceding and succeeding three distinct critical incidents: first, the body of three-year-old Syrian child, Aylan Kurdi, washing ashore in Bodrum, Turkey; second, the Paris massacre; and, third, Donald Trump's first executive order attempting to ban refugees from Syria and six other predominantly Muslim countries. This analysis of change in a phenomenon over time repositions framing by considering it as a changing concept rather than a fixed thought. Additionally, this dissertation advances Oliver Boyd-Barrett's definition of alternative media by considering their role in operating on the fringes of political spheres. Overall, U.S. political right media emphasized refugee threat, while the left focused on refugee victimization. As such, both left and right media removed refugees' humanity and agency. Furthermore, of the 473 articles analyzed, onl (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lara Lengel PhD (Advisor); Nicole Kalaf-Hughes PhD (Other); Ellen Gorsevski PhD (Committee Member); Lisa Hanasono PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2013, Journalism (Communication)

This qualitative study explores the impact of new media, specifically social media and campaign websites with greater direct user participation and involvement. With the historic election of the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the candidacy of the first Republican woman nominated for vice-president, Sarah Palin, the 2008 presidential and vice-presidential campaigns remain important for study. "Political Campaigning 2.0" analyzes campaign and user-generated web content covering a wide array of new media: Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter, and campaign websites. The study is based on Erving Goffman's theories of Framing and Impression Management and complemented with James Grunig's Situational Theory of Publics. In contrast to other studies, this research includes the issue of age and explores the intersectionality of race, gender, and age. It uses a multi-method approach, combining textual analysis with in-depth interviews, focus groups, and self-reports made up of 66 Ohio University undergraduate student participants. Findings reveal that a majority of web users interpreted and represented the Democratic candidates in the same way as the campaign framed them, indicating convergent and successful representation in terms of race, gender, and age. The Obama-Biden campaign was able to take advantage of Obama's race as a historic milestone and Biden's age as a sign of experience. In contrast, most web users interpreted and represented Republican candidates differently than intended by the McCain-Palin campaign, indicating a divergence in framing. A majority of users framed McCain as old, rather than experienced, and Palin as inexperienced, rather than a "maverick." The McCain-Palin campaign worked to represent Palin as a candidate who would appeal to women, but her representation in terms of gender did not resonate with a majority of web users. Emphasizing the importance of new media technology, this study shows how the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bernhard Debatin (Advisor); Joseph Bernt (Committee Member); Duncan Brown (Committee Member); DeLysa Burnier (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2013, Communication

The sports industry is an arena that offers scholars many different areas to explore and research. News framing by the sports media is prevalent as well as relevant within the sports industry. This qualitative study attempts to ascertain the coverage of the ultra popular yet polarizing N.F.L. football player, Tim Tebow. Three major U.S. newspapers were analyzed in their coverage of Tebow to see if he was framed in particular ways. Four dominant themes were found in the analyzing of the newspapers; Tebow’s Christian faith, his social media and television popularity, his overall marketability, and how he is portrayed as an N.F.L. football player. Understanding the role of the sports media in the formation of certain perceptions of sports issues as well as athletes is of utmost importance in today’s society.

Committee: Yang (Young) Lin Dr. (Advisor); Val Pipps Dr. (Committee Member); Heather Walter Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Communications; Religion

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Political Science

In the aftermath of Argentina's December 2001 financial meltdown, the political class was widely blamed for the crisis that transformed this once predominantly middle-class country into a poor one. However, when new presidential elections were held in April 2003, establishment candidates generally placed higher relative to non-establishment candidates. To account for this puzzling election outcome, I examine the role that Argentine centrist print media may have played through their coverage of establishment and non-establishment candidates. The research design involves content analysis of front-page news articles from large, centrist newspapers, Clarin and La Nacion, over an eleven-month period. To analyze the data, I rely on count data and multi-linear graphs as well as correlation coefficients and tests of significance. Testing two hypotheses, namely media attention and framing, I find that establishment candidates received more media attention, and perhaps more name recognition, than did non-establishment candidates. I also find that centrist print media framed candidate strengths and weaknesses in particular ways. Establishment candidates were portrayed as having competency and electability as their strengths and integrity as their weakness. In contrast, their non-establishment rivals were presented as having integrity as their strength and competency and electability as their weaknesses. This study shows that both the extensiveness and the slant in coverage may have advantaged establishment candidates over non-establishment candidates in terms of their ultimate standing in the polls. A discussion of pre-election and post-election survey results validate these findings by showing that media depictions of candidate competency and integrity were reasons named for candidate support. The value-added of this study is that it examines a macro level outcome in an original and systematic way by focusing on candidate information that voters may have relied on when making (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anthony Mughan (Advisor) Subjects: Political Science, General

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2011, Journalism (Communication)

This study compared depictions of chronic pain in newspapers and magazines with blogs by people with chronic pain. Using critical discourse analysis, the study identified and compared frames, definitions of people with chronic pain, symbols and metaphors, and depictions of otherness/unhomelikeness. Marked differences were found among blogs and mainstream print media, with lesser differences between newspapers and magazines. By defining people with chronic pain by their illnesses, downplaying the impact of persistent pain on everyday life, and relating chronic pain to character or mental fortitude, magazines and newspapers contributed to the stigmatization and otherization bloggers described. Mainstream print media authors also portrayed chronic pain as less impactful, less agonizing, and less real than bloggers' descriptions. As such, newspapers and magazines made chronic pain more palatable to readers, but deprived them of the knowledge people with chronic pain glean through the lived experience of illness.

Committee: Bernhard Debatin Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Sweeney Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joseph Bernt Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Health; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Research

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)

Committee: Mike Vuolo (Advisor); Eric Schoon (Committee Member); Ryan King (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Media; Public Policy; Sociology

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.

Committee: Nancy Manring (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Education; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, Mass Communication (Communication)

Studies of media coverage and framing of armed conflict in Africa routinely focus on the roles of Western media. In the post-independent periods, foreign media provided in-depth news as some African countries degenerated into armed conflicts. As Africa's newest country became dangerous for journalists, South Sudan's post-independence government imposed restrictions on local journalists' coverage of the third civil war (2013-2020). In neighboring Kenya, the East African (TEA) became a de facto regional African media covering the conflict during this period. This dissertation focused its qualitative examinations of TEA archives to explore the newspaper's coverage and framing of the conflict as an African newspaper. This research further examined TEAs' role in agenda-setting and framing theoretical frameworks. Among other conclusions, the dissertation found that TEA shaped the news agenda by using officials' news sources' narratives and framings. The study also concluded that as an African newspaper, TEA did not offer unique coverage or news framing; instead, it followed the traditional journalist practice of using and relying on officials as news sources. This dissertation is limited to the East African newspaper as a case study.

Committee: Steve Howard (Advisor) Subjects: Mass Communications; Mass Media

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Media and Communication

Media affect audience cognition and impact public and foreign policy decisions. People are influenced by the news narratives, and the sources from which the media obtain their information to report on political, economic, social, and security events influence what audiences internalize from the news. This study examines news narratives surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war from four media outlets within the two political camps: NATO allies (US and UK) and non-NATO allies (China and India). Through a document analysis of official government announcements for government positions and content analysis of news articles (n =230) examined for their news framing and source attribution strategies within the New York Times (US), Guardian (UK), China Daily (China), and The Times of India (India), the study finds that media objectivity remains a myth to news reporting and the unavailability of competing frames in the news report on the war across the media is an evidence of news reporting bias. The higher use of pro-Ukrainian sources within NATO ally media and pro-Russian sources within non-NATO ally media showed that political alliances influence media portrayal. Attribution of the cause of the war differed significantly across media with NATO ally media attributing the cause of the war to Russia/Putin whereas Chinese media made attributions to NATO and its allies (especially the U.S.). The research finds that the New York Times, the Guardian, and The Times of India used more provocative narratives against Putin/Russia in their news report, whereas China Daily's use of provocative narratives targeted only NATO. This research confirms the indexing and media propaganda hypothesis in reporting political and security events. The research also finds that news framing of the Russia-Ukraine war across both the NATO ally and non-NATO ally news outlets corresponded with the news media's home government's position of the conflict with US and UK media being pro-Ukrainian and China and Indi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Louisa Ha Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lara Martin Lengel Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yanqin Lu Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; International Relations; Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Arts Administration, Education and Policy

The research examines a comparative case study of two historical cities, Xi'an and Santa Fe, with an emphasis on the exploitation and revitalization of cultural heritage in urban areas. An in-depth investigation of the relationship between social media city branding and the prominence of cultural heritage in the tourism planning agenda has been conducted in both Chinese and American urban contexts. Through the analysis of relatively understudied cities, the purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of cultural heritage consumption, as well as the contribution of digital communication to tourism. The findings and implications of this research also intend to explore creative tourism strategies to combat homogenized tourism offerings and recent market declines as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This research examines the incorporation of cultural heritage into the tourism agenda through the application of theoretical approaches from multiple disciplines. An analysis of city branding theory through a focus on social media application and brand co-creation, and a discussion of creative tourism through the lens of heritage-based tourism, form the basis of the study. Issue framing and stakeholder theory are used to identify the key stakeholders and their contributions to the salience of issues for agenda-setting through the lens of social media city branding. Stakeholder relationships are analyzed and grouped using Kavaratzis' city branding communication circles (2005). Lastly, Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework is applied to compare Xi'an and Santa Fe based on the analysis of the window of opportunities and policy entrepreneurs, which contributes to a better understanding of the role social media branding plays in integrating cultural heritage into creative tourism. Through a relational comparison, this research indicates similarities and differences between the two cities at different levels. Both cities regard cultural heritage as a distincti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Joni Acuff Dr. (Committee Chair); Richard Fletcher Dr. (Committee Member); Max Woodworth Dr. (Committee Member); Tiffany Bourgeois Dr. (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Arts Management; Public Policy

MA, Kent State University, 2019, College of Communication and Information / School of Media and Journalism

Media depictions of protesters can alter how audiences perceive them. Specifically, when news media frames a protest as an exercise of First Amendment freedoms, audiences are more tolerant of the group's activities. Here, I use a survey experiment (n = 168) to test these framing effects in the context of protesting athletes. I also examine theoretically relevant mechanisms that may moderate how individuals process civil liberty media frames. Specifically, I test whether racial resentment and blind or constructive patriotism moderate civil liberty framing effects on tolerance toward protesting athletes. In addition to providing a test of media framing effects in the context of a timely and salient social issue, this study elaborates on mechanisms by which civil liberties frames may operate on tolerance. My results do not show a main effect of receiving either a “free speech” or a “disrespect” frame on tolerance for protesting athletes. This lack of a statistically significant main effect may simply be a result of an underpowered study. Conversely, it may reflect a genuine inability of media to alter tolerance for protesting athletes as a unique social group. I also find blind patriotism and modern racism are positively related to tolerance for athletes regardless of frame exposure. I find no interactions between treatments and these participant dispositions, suggesting tolerance for athletes was primarily a function of participant psychological orientations rather than media influence. These results can be interpreted with some optimism¬—a basic orientation like political tolerance is not as easily altered by media as was found in prior research. In my conclusion, I discuss practical and normative ramifications of framing athlete protests as a matter of First Amendment rights and what can be tested in future studies.

Committee: Chance York Dr. (Committee Chair); Tang Tang Dr. (Committee Member); Danielle Coombs Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Communication and Information

This dissertation was a mixed-methods content analysis and comparative case study of two environmental news stories running between 2010-2015. During this period, the Keystone XL pipeline expansion proposal and the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which produced the largest oil spill in U.S. history, both generated extensive coverage. Articles analyzed come from mainstream U.S. corporate news outlets: the daily newspapers The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and weekly periodicals Time and Newsweek. One goal was building on research regarding types and proportions of environmental ideologies present in mainstream mass media content. The first step was a qualitative textual analysis; the news texts were examined to discover frames relevant to environmental ideologies, using Entman's (2004) conception of frames. Six unique frames were discovered, then thematically sorted by support or critique of the status quo. Categorizing the frames on Corbett's (2006) Spectrum of Environmental Ideologies contributed to the project's second phase, quantitative content analyses. Articles were coded for the presence or absence of each frame; data produced were analyzed for ideologies' frequencies of appearances. Hypotheses were based on two established news models, the propaganda model and the cascading activation model. Neither had previously been extensively deployed regarding environmental or domestic news stories. The findings shed insight into how environmental ideologies are represented in the mediated U.S. public sphere, and suggest refinement for the Spectrum of Environmental Ideologies.

Committee: Danielle Coombs Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Paul Haridakis Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yesim Kaptan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Steven Hook Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Environmental Studies; Journalism

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2019, Communication

The present investigation examines the impact of vividness in portrayals of suicide on empathy, perceived and personal mental health stigma, and help-seeking (treatment) intentions. Through the theoretical frameworks of framing and inoculation, the study examined the impact of vividness in both entertainment portrayals of suicide and the warning messages that precede them. More specifically, the study explored the potential for vividness to impact empathy and sympathy along with stigma (through message framing) and the potential for vividness to increase help-seeking warning messages (through inoculation). With the increase of portrayals of suicide in mass media, this study examines one such portrayal from the Netflix television series, 13 Reasons Why, to provide recommendations for future portrayals.

Committee: Angeline Sangalang Ph.D. (Advisor); James Robinson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Brittany Beckner Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Communication; Health