Six GSU Journalism Scholars

Present Historical Research

At Regional AJHA Colloquium  


Scarlett O’Hara, a southern accent, and the Civil War bring to mind the enthralling historic Atlanta for many people.

Lexi Sowers, a Georgia State University graduate student in the Department of Communication, drew upon this fascination when she researched mainstream and even Communist Party journalism coverage of the 1939 Atlanta premiere of Gone With the Wind.

Sowers’ paper, “The Different Faces of Scarlett,” was among research papers presented by six GSU Department of Communication students at the American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) Southeast Colloquium in Panama City , Florida , Feb. 2-3.

  • Jim Hobgood’s “The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and
    Nagasaki
  • , 1945: Fascination and Fear Reflected in the Press,” looked at media coverage of the bombings that ended World War II. Hobgood  is in his second semester in the graduate Mass Communication program. 
  • Shanna Gildersleeve presented “The Struggle for Justice: How the Press Helped Convict and Free the Scottsboro Boys, 1931-1937.” Gildersleeve is pursuing a graduate degree in Film Studies. She is also a research assistant in the Center for International Media Education (CIME).
  • Kat O’Neill presented “The Short Road to Nationhood: U. S. Media Coverage of the Panamanian Independence Movement, 1903.” Kat is a graduate student in Mass Communication

Two undergraduate students whose papers were judged first and second place by the GSU Journalism History Society also presented at the conference.

·      Katie Hawkins looked at media coverage of the trial of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in “A Verdict from The Times: New York Times Coverage of the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, January-February 1935.”  Hawkins will graduate in May with a degree in Journalism. She is also the Vice-President of the Journalism History Society (JHS) at GSU and is associate director for research at CIME.

·      Ron Moses’ paper, “The Convict Candidate: Press Coverage of the 1920 Presidential Campaign of Eugene V. Debs,” explored media coverage of the U.S. Socialist Party candidate’s campaign for office from prison in the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta .

            The American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) was founded in 1981. It fosters research and teaching of journalism history, provides a forum, and serves as a resource. The association defines journalism in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of mass communication studies.

 

RECENT MEDIA RESEARCH

U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab World: A Study of Students' Perceptions of Radio "Sawa" and Television "Alhurra" News Credibility,
AUSACE Conference, Nov. 18, 2005
Mohammed el-Nawawy.
Abstract:

       This study surveyed a convenient sample of Arab college students in five Arab countries about their perceptions of the news credibility of U.S.-sponsored Radio Sawa and Television Alhurra, and whether these perceptions are correlated to the students' favorability levels toward U.S. foreign policy and the American people. To assess the credibility of these networks, the students were asked to use a 12-item credibility scale developed by Gaziano and McGrath. The study found no correlation between the respondents' frequency of using Radio Sawa and Television Alhurra and their favorability level toward the U.S. foreign policy. The study revealed that the students' attitudes toward the U.S. foreign policy have worsened slightly since they started listening to Radio Sawa and watching Alhurra. The study also showed that students who watched Arab 24-hour satellite TV news more frequently had a lower tendency to perceive Television Alhurra news as credible. This is thanks to today's rich Arab media mix, which includes indigenous Arab channels that enjoy high trustworthiness among.

Between the Newsroom and the Classroom: Education Standards and Practices for Print Journalism in Egypt and Jordan, AUSACE Conference, Mohammed el-Nawawy, 2005.

Abstract:

       This study surveyed a convenience sample of journalism educators at Arab universities and journalism practitioners at daily Arab newspapers in Egypt and Jordan to determine the degree of alignment between journalism theory and practice in both countries. The researcher adapted, with some modifications, three scales by Dickson and Brandon to compare the perceptions of educators to those of practitioners regarding the importance of the following aspects for preparing fresh journalism graduates for entry-level journalism positions: types of media-related courses, journalism competencies, practices adopted by academic journalism programs, and qualifications of journalism faculty. Results showed that while educators agreed with professionals on most journalistic competencies and practices that ought to be taught by academic journalism programs in Egypt and Jordan, educators' rankings of courses on media theory, journalism skills and computer were significantly higher than those of professionals. The study also revealed that most journalism educators and practitioners believed that there was a gap between journalism education and professionalism in Egypt and Jordan. Respondents' answers to the open-ended questions suggested some ways to bridge this gap.
[More information about AUSACE]

Public Journalism Interest Group
A Public Journalism Model for the Middle East and North Africa:
Developing Media-NGO Relationships in Emerging Civil Societies
AEJMC Conference, Kansas City, 2003
By

David C. Coulson : School of Journalism University of Nevada, Reno

Leonard Ray Teel: Center for International Media Education Georgia State University, Atlanta

Contact:
David C. Coulson
School of Journalism
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557-0040
775/784-6898
coulson@unr.edu


Paper presented at AEJMC National Convention,
Kansas City, August 2003


Abstract:

         This study examines how the media and non-governmental organizations might work with each other to develop a model of public journalism in partial autocracies in the Middle East and North Africa. The authors found that a form of public journalism can be practiced in the region. It appears that, despite working in partial autocracies where media generally are owned or controlled by government, journalists cooperating with NGOs can represent the needs and concerns of sectors of civil society. [Download Full Text]
CIME