MASS COMMUNICATION DIVISION

Welcome all the new and returning members of the Mass Communication Division of NCA! I hope that everyone who attended the 2001 NCA Convention in Atlanta, GA, November 1-4, 2001, had a wonderful time. The Mass Communication Division held several special CNN events during the convention to fully capitalize on the opportunity of having the convention in the capital of cable news. Kyra Phillips, four time Emmy award winning journalist, spoke about the future of investigative reporting in a Division sponsored session, several CNN personnel participated in a triple session discussing global news trends, and a VIP tour was held for Division members in CNN. The Division also sponsored two sessions on terrorism and 18 paper sessions on mass communication topics. The Division appreciated the contribution of everyone who organized, presented in, or attended these events. Special thanks go to Ralph Begleiter (University of Delaware) and all the Division officers for their great work that made 2001 NCA Convention a success.

As we look ahead to the 2002 annual NCA convention in New Orleans, we are relying on the expertise, creativity, and talent of our members to bring about another set of great convention programs for all. Members who have interest and expertise in areas of mass communication research that examine issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sex/sexuality, or any topics/programs that address the convention theme, “Communication in Action,” are strongly encouraged to submit a paper or a thematic panel for consideration.

The Division officers look forward to a productive year, and we hope that you can stay in touch with us and share with us your ideas and thoughts about the Division.

Have a great year, everyone!

Warmly,

Shing-Ling Sarina Chen

Chair, Mass Communication Division, NCA

Minutes of Business Meeting—NCA 2001

National Communication Association (NCA)

Mass Communication Division Annual Business Meeting

Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia

Friday, November 2, 2001, 11:00-12:15pm

Mary Beth Oliver (Chair) Presiding

Before the call to order:

Chair passed out meeting agenda.

Research Committee Chair passed out paper review sign-up forms.

Secretary passed out minutes of 2000 meeting.

Vice Chair passed out report on mass communication panels and call for papers for 2002 conference.

I. Call to order.

Mary Beth Oliver called the meeting to order at 11:04am.

II. Introduction of Mass Communication Division officers.

Oliver thanked officers, in particular Research Chair Shing-Ling Chen, for their contributions.

III. Minutes of the 2000 Business Meeting.

Secretary Mary Step offered minutes of the 2000 meeting. The minutes were approved without alteration.

IV. Reports and Announcements from Committee Officers.

A. Nominating Committee Chair Heather Hundley began the process of electing new officers by passing out ballots for the first position, Vice Chair Elect. Hundley continued to pass out and collect ballots throughout the meeting until all new officers had been elected.

B. Vice Chair Shing-Ling Chen reported on the 2001 convention program. She extended her thanks to officers, reviewers, and presenters, and reported briefly on panels. Meeting attendees were reminded of the special events involving CNN, including a VIP tour of CNN facilities Friday at 1:00 and a reception occurring Saturday at 12:30. Chen also reminded attendees about special panels on mass media and terrorism. She ended with a statement of thanks and encouragement to serve the division in an official capacity.

C. Mary Beth Oliver spoke for Research Chair Norbert Mundorf. Awards were presented for the Top Three Papers and the Top Student Paper in the division. The recipients were:

Top Three Papers:

“Prime time violence in the ‘90s: Has the picture changed?” by Nancy Signorielli, University of Delaware

“Appropriate for all viewing audiences? An examination of violent and sexual portrayals in movie previews” by Mary Beth Oliver and Sriram Kalyanaraman, Pennsylvania State University

“Does the public notice important abstract issues? A time series investigation of the social security / Medicare agenda, 1995-1999” by Patrick Jablonski, David Bertucci, Raquel Filipek, Susan Hubscher, and Josh Roseman, University of Central Florida

Top Student Paper:

“Who is the female voter? Excavating the ideological character of women within presidential interviews with Oprah” by Lisa Forster, University of Texas at Austin

D. Shing-Ling Chen gave special recognition to Ralph J. Begleiter for his role in organizing the CNN panel sessions and events, for posters advertising these events, and for the CNN VIP tour. Begleiter was given a service award and one year NCA membership. He responded with thanks and encouragement for meeting attendees to show up at the CNN-related sessions and events.

E. Vice Chair Elect Betsy Perse presented the Mass Communication Division teaching award to Michael Murray, who received a plaque.

F. Mary Beth Oliver presented the Legislative Council Report. Three matters of interest were identified. First, the council voted for the establishment of a new journal, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies. Oliver read the mission statement of the journal. Second, the council voted for a slight dues increase, the first in six years. Dues for all memberships will increase by an average of about $25. Student dues, however, will only increase by $10, whereas sustaining members’ dues will increase by $35 to compensate for the small increase in student dues. Attendees were reminded that sustaining membership dues cover conference registration fees, so even with the dues increase, a sustaining membership is still a good value. Third, Oliver reported that there will be changes in the NCA bylaws, and announced that there would be two sessions (Friday at 2:00 and Saturday at 3:30) detailing the precise changes that will occur. The main rationale for changing the bylaws is that NCA has doubled in size, and there is an interest in improving member representation. Three changes have been proposed, all dealing with representation:

1. There will be no practical distinction between divisions and commissions

2. The Committee on Committees will enlarge the size of the Legislative Council

3. Rather than representation reflecting the size of each division, there will be one voting representative for each unit

Oliver called for feedback from the floor. Attendees’ comments focused mainly on the dues increase. There was some concern that student dues were not increasing as much as other members’ dues, because many students receive departmental support. One attendee commented that this is not always the case, and that the smaller dues increase for students is appropriate.

V. Old Business

A. Report on Electronic Newsletter:

Mary Beth Oliver extended her thanks to Publications Committee Chair and newsletter editor Larry Mullen. It was noted that an electronic newsletter saves paper and money. Oliver then called for Web Wizard Jeff Shires to speak.

B. Report on Division Web Page:

Shires reminded attendees of the MCD website address and called for submissions to the newsletter and hits to the website. The website URL is www.wartburg.edu/masscomm.

Oliver extended her thanks to Shires for his work, and offered her thanks to division members for the opportunity to serve as Chair. Shing-Ling Chen extended her thanks to Mary Beth Oliver and reminded attendees to attend CNN-related events. Attendees were also reminded to attend the 2002 convention in New Orleans, where there will be an emphasis on sex, gender, and race as special topics.

VI. Installation of New Officers

Nominating Committee Chair Heather Hundley presented the results of the elections for news officers. The following people were elected and installed:

Vice Chair Elect: Jim Walker (St. Xavier University)

SecretaryElect: Dwight Brooks (University of Georgia)

Research Committee: Lisa Barry (Trinity College)

Publications Committee: Glenda Balas (University of New Mexico)

Web Wizard: Jeff Shires (Wartburg College)

Grad Student Representative: Jennifer Stromer-Galley (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

Resolutions Committee Rep: Heather Hundley (Cal State University)

Nominations Committee: Zizi Papacharissi (Chair, Temple University)

Robert Avery (University of Utah)

Cary Horvath (Westminster College)

Tom Reichert (University of Alabama)

David Roskos-Ewoldsen (University of Alabama)

VII. 2002 Convention Program

Vice Chair Betsy Perse handed out postcards advertising the 2002 NCA convention in New Orleans, and commented that the organization of the 2002 conference will be similar to that of the 2001 conference. As usual, there will be two ways to get on the program, by submitting a paper or proposing a panel. Judy Pearson called for attendees to think creatively with panel proposals, and noted that MCD members may also co-sponsor panels with other divisions. Research Committee Chair Mehdi Semati promised to do his best to make the 2002 program an excellent one, and reminded attendees to sign up as paper reviewers. It was noted by all that Semati promised to buy drinks for reviewers.

Shing-Ling Chen reminded attendees about the CNN events, and called for newly installed officers to supply their addresses at the end of the meeting.

VIII. The meeting closed with no new business.

Mass Communication Division Call for Papers

The Division invites competitive papers and thematic panel proposals for program sessions addressing theory, research, or methodological issues in mass communication.

Send Completed Paper Submissions to:

Mehdi Semati, Department of Speech Communication, 1825 Coleman Hall,

Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920; 217-581-6314 (o); 217-581-5718 (fax); msemati@eiu.edu

Copies: 5

Submission method: Traditional

Deadline: February 1, 2002

Specify student papers: yes

Specify debut papers: no

Maximum length: 25 pages (excluding tables and references)

The Division Research Committee will evaluate papers anonymously and those selected will be critiqued by a respondent. Paper length is limited to 25 pages excluding tables and references, double‑spaced. Longer papers will not be considered. Paper submissions must include the following: (1) a title page showing author(s) name(s), complete mailing address, telephone number, email address, and any A/V requirements; (2) a separate 100‑150 word abstract. Student papers (whose author(s) must all be students) should be prominently marked “Student” on the title page, the abstract page, and the first page of the text. Please note that identifying information should be included only on the title page. Fax and email submissions cannot be accepted. A/V requests must be made at the time of submission; we regret that late requests cannot be accommodated. Refer to “How to Submit Papers and Panel/Program Proposals” at the beginning of the call. Also see “Convention Paper Distribution Center,” “Poster Sessions,” and “Special Note” at the beginning of the call.

Send Thematic Panel Submissions to:

Elizabeth M. Perse, Department of Communication, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, 302-831-8029 (o); eperse@udel.edu

Copies: 5

Deadline: February 1, 2002

Specify student papers: yes

Specify debut papers: no

Proposals for thematic panels must include the following: (1) a title page showing the name, address, telephone number and email address for the chair/respondent, and all panel participants, and any A/V requirements; (2) brief abstract of the proposed program; (3) a brief agreement to attend. Fax and email submissions cannot be accepted. A/V requests must be made at the time of submission; we regret that late requests cannot be accommodated. Refer to “How to Submit Papers and Panel/Program Proposals” at the beginning of the call. Also see “Convention Paper Distribution Center,” “Poster Sessions,” and “Special Note” at the beginning of the call.

NCA Mass Communication Division Call for Paper Reviewers

and Volunteer Sign-Up Form

Dear Fellow MCD Colleagues:

This is a call for help with the review process for our division. Please consider volunteering for this valuable service to our division, and to our community of NCA scholars. This would also be a nice addition to the “Service” section of your vita! We will publicly acknowledge your service to the division. If you did not sign-up during our last business meeting in Atlanta, please mail, or email, or fax the following information to Mehdi Semati (see his contact information below). Thank you in advance.

See you in the Big Easy!

Mehdi

NCA

Mass Communication Division

Paper Review Volunteer Sign-Up

Please fill out this form with the requested information.

Name____________________________________________________________________

Institution_________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address__________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Telephone #(s) ____________________________________________________________

E-mail Address ____________________________________________________________

FAX # ___________________________________________________________________

Area(s) of Interest or Expertise ________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Are you also willing to serve as a chair? ___________ Respondent? ___________

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please return to me or fax/mail to:

Mehdi Semati FAX: (217) 581-5718

Dept. of Speech Communication Telephone: (217) 581-6314

1825 Coleman Hall E-mail: msemati@eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois University,

Charleston, IL 61920

Election Results—NCA 2001

Elections were conducted as part of the business meeting at NCA 2001. The following members have agreed to serve as Division Officers for 2001-2002.

Vice Chair Elect: Jim Walker (St. Xavier University)

Secretary Elect: Dwight Brooks (University of Georgia)

Research Committee: Lisa Barry (Trinity College)

Publications Committee: Glenda Balas (University of New Mexico)

Web Wizard: Jeff Shires (Wartburg College)

Grad Student Representative: Jennifer Stromer-Galley (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

Resolutions Committee Rep: Heather Hundley (Cal State University)

Nominations Committee: Zizi Papacharissi (Chair, Temple University)

Robert Avery (University of Utah)

Cary Horvath (Westminster College)

Tom Reichert (University of Alabama)

David Roskos-Ewoldsen (University of Alabama)

Mass Communication Division Invites Nominations for

Teaching and Service Awards

The MCD Teaching Award is designed to recognize excellence in teaching, using the term "teacher" in a broad sense. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and MCD, have taught for over ten years, and have been recognized for their teaching excellence by their department, unit, college/university, or other group or association. This includes, but is not limited to, awards, merit evaluations, student recognition, etc. Self-nomination is encouraged in addition to nominations by others. The nomination packet may not exceed 25 pages and should include (1) a single, detailed letter of nomination addressing the qualifications of the nominee; (2) the teacher's curriculum vitae; (3) three letters of recommendation; and (4) representative publications or presentations dealing with teaching and/or curriculum, course outlines/syllabuses, innovative teaching ideas or tools, teaching evaluations and citations, evidence of mentoring and/or advising, or other forms of recognition pertaining to the nominee.

The MCD Service Award is designed to recognize exemplary service in the field. In order to be considered, the nominee must be a member of NCA and MCD, have served the NCA and MCD in a number of capacities, and have evidence of exemplary service to several of the following: NCA, MCD, the profession, the community, the department, the college or university. The nomination packet may not exceed 25 pages and should include (1) a single detailed letter of nomination addressing the qualifications of the nominee; (2) a curriculum vitae; (3) three letters of recommendation; and (4) evidence of service.

Send five copies of the packet to James R. Walker, Department of Communication, Saint Xavier University, 3700 West 103^rd Street, Chicago, IL 60655. Faxed or electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Nominations should be received by May 15, 2002. Over the summer, an award committee will discuss the nominations. The award committee will consist of the immediate past chair, chair, vice-chair, vice-chair elect and secretary of the MCD. The final decision will be made by August 15. The award recipient will be contacted and asked to attend the MCD Business Meeting during the NCA annual convention to receive the award. The MCD reserves the right to not give any awards.

Top Paper Awards—NCA 2001

The Division’s Top Three Paper Awards were awarded to the following scholars:

Nancy Signorielli, University of Delaware: “Prime time violence in the ‘90s: Has the picture changed?”

Mary Beth Oliver and Sriram Kalyanaraman, Pennsylvania State University:

“Appropriate for all viewing audiences? An examination of violent and sexual portrayals in movie previews”

Patrick Jablonski, David Bertucci, Raquel Filipek, Susan Hubscher, and Josh Roseman, University of Central Florida: “Does the public notice important abstract issues? A time series investigation of the social security / Medicare agenda, 1995-1999”

The Top Student Paper was awarded to Lisa Forster, University of Texas at Austin, for her paper, “Who is the female voter? Excavating the ideological character of women within presidential interviews with Oprah.”

Congratulations to all!

Call for Nominations of Division Officers for 2002-2003

The Mass Communication Division Nominations Committee is seeking nominations and self-nominations for division officer positions for 2002-2003. Nominations are sought for the offices of (1) Division Chair, (2) Secretary, (3) Research Committee Member, (4) Publications Editor, (5) Web Wizard, (6) Nominations Committee membership, (7) Resolution Representative, and (8) Graduate Student Representative. If you or someone you know is interested in serving, please contact Zizi A. papacharissi, Temple University (zpapacha@astro.temple.edu).

Murray Receives 2001 MCD Teaching Award

Michael D. Murray was recipient of the MCD Teaching Award presented by Elizabeth Perse at the division’s business meeting, November 2, 2001, in Atlanta.

Murray serves as the UM Curator’s Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is the first communication professor in the UM system to hold such an appointment. He received his Ph.D. from UM-Columbia in 1974 and was nominated as Outstanding Young Teacher in the Central States while still in school. He received a teaching excellence award at Virginia Tech University in 1975, then founded the Communication Program (now Communication Department) at the University of Louisville.

Murray has received a number of other honors for teaching excellence, including the Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Emerson Electric Teaching Excellence Award, and International Radio and Television Society (IRTS) Frank Stanton Fellowship for Lifetime Achievement. He was the recipient of a distinguished teaching award from the broadcast news division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Theodore Clevenger Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the American Communication Association (ACA).

Mass Communication Division Website

Jeff Shires writes to remind members of the MCD website. It is in need of links, bibliographies, papers, research announcements, job announcements, and other helpful material. Send to Jeff at shires@wartburg.edu.

The Website Address: http://www.wartburg.edu/masscomm

Spotlight on Scholarship…

Bob Gassaway, Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism,

University of New Mexico

This section of the MCD Newsletter will address the current work of one of our members. In this issue, we look at Bob Gassaway and his ethnographic research of crime scene investigators and the narratives they develop during the initial on-site phase of investigation.

Gassaway’s background includes twenty years as a working reporter and editor, and his beats have been as varied as the Waco, Texas courts; space shots; and the Vietnam War. He received a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Missouri in 1984 and was an Assistant Professor in the University of Missouri School of Journalism from 1984-87. He joined the Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico in 1987. He typically teaches skills-related journalism courses, media ethics, and qualitative research methods. Gassaway speaks Spanish fluently and has conducted several cross-cultural research projects in Mexico.

His current project involves ethnographic research of senior crime scene investigators in the Albuquerque Police Department. Since beginning this line of research in January 2001, Gassaway has accompanied investigators to fourteen different crime scenes in the Albuquerque area. These events have included cases of murder, aggravated battery, and suicide. Gassaway’s central questions involve issues of narrative construction and psychological distance. He is especially interested in understanding how investigators may use personal stories and humor to detach themselves from the deaths they are required to document and investigate. Gassaway finds that senior investigators employ these strategies more frequently than junior staff, and he suggests that these narratives may work as a “layering of distance” from the horrors of on-site investigation.

Gassaway expects his research to yield several conference presentations and a non-fiction book about police culture that blends sociological theory and journalistic reporting.

Center for Successful Parenting Small Grants Competition

The Center for Successful Parenting, a non-profit organization established to help reduce the negative effects of media violence on children and adolescents, announces a small grants competition to provide financial support ($2500-$5000) for high-quality research on the topic of media violence. The Center wants to encourage and support research that will ultimately be useful to parents, policy-makers, and others who are concerned with the welfare of youth. The research may be specifically about media violence or about strategies to intervene in media effects on children (including ways to prevent, reduce or discourage viewing, or to intervene in effects that might occur from viewing). Principal investigators should be college or university faculty or academic staff. CSP will help defray expenses incurred in research of a social scientific nature, including quantitative content analyses, surveys, experiments, and meta-analyses. Funds are not available for faculty time or for the payment of university overhead. Applications and additional information can be obtained from CSP's web site (www.sosparents.org). Application Deadline: March 25, 2002. Awards announced: April 22, 2002. For additional information, contact Joanne Cantor at jrcantor@facstaff.wisc.edu.

Center for Successful Parenting Outstanding Article Awards

The Center for Successful Parenting, a non-profit organization established to help reduce the negative effects of media violence on children and adolescents, announces an awards program to reward and promote public awareness of high-quality research that will ultimately be useful to parents, policy-makers and others who are concerned with the welfare of youth. The research may be specifically about media violence or about strategies to intervene in media effects on children (including ways to prevent, reduce, or discourage viewing, or to intervene in effects that might occur from viewing). CSP will provide up to three awards of $1,000 each for articles published in refereed, scholarly journals during the 2 years preceding the deadline for submission. Applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by a third party. Deadline for submission is February 18, 2002, and winners will be announced March 18, 2002. The application should include 4 copies of the article (including an abstract) and 4 copies of a brief letter explaining why the article merits the award. Materials will not be returned. For more information, see CSP’s web site, www.sosparents.org, or contact Joanne Cantor at jrcantor@facstaff.wisc.edu. Applications (hard copy only) should be mailed to:

Center for Successful Parenting Article Competition, Box 179,1508 E. 86^th Street,

Indianapolis, IN 46240.

Don’t Forget! Deadline for Next Newsletter…

Please send news of interest and importance to MCD members to Publications Editor, Glenda Balas, University of New Mexico (gbalas@unm.edu). Deadline for the April newsletter is March 15, 2002.