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Vol 27, No. 2 
Summer 2022
Published three times annually by the Mass Communication Division of NCA.
Publications/Web Editor - Rocky Dailey, South Dakota State University

Sponsored by:

In this issue:

Welcome from the Chair

De Pere, WI - Reflections on "Mirrors and Windows."

In my summer class, I assigned a reading that discussed the mirrors and windows metaphor applied to mass communication. The author described how mirrors are those pieces of media that allow us to see ourselves reflected; whereas windows are those that allow us to see what it’s like to be someone different. As mass communication researchers, we know the value of both. Mirrors can help us to self-reflect, and windows can foster empathy and reduce prejudice. We also know that some social groups see themselves reflected more often than others. My students found this metaphor particularly compelling, and they got me thinking about how it applies to other aspects of my life.
 
In the domain of scholarship, I tend to pay the most attention to work that is like my own. Put differently, I gravitate toward mirrors. Certainly, there is a corpus of research that I need to know, but what would happen if I purposefully sought out more windows? What if, for example, at the next convention, I attended more panels on topics that are not within my area of expertise? Perhaps I would be better for it. In fact, the 2022 NCA convention program was recently published, and there are countless, excellent panels from which to choose.  
 
I particularly look forward to Friday of the convention when we will gather at the Marriott for the division’s top papers panel and top student papers panel. The subjects and methods that will be discussed are varied, providing many potential “window” opportunities. I hope that you’ll join us for these and the business meeting as well.

In the meantime, best wishes for a fantastic rest of the summer.

Sincerely,

Valerie Kretz
Chair, Mass Communication Division
St. Norbert College
valerie.kretz@snc.edu  

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Brookings, SD       

Congratulations to all those selected to present at the NCA 108th Annual Convention!  I hope all of you are getting somewhat of a break this summer from your academic and reseach duties. As mentioned previously, I am working on a redesign of the NCA Mass Communication Division website, which I plan to present during our business meeting on Friday, November 18th at 2pm during the convention. In the meantime, please continue to visit and comment on our Facebook group with any questions or concerns.                          

Take care, 

Rocky Dailey
Publications and Web Editor, The Gatekeeper
South Dakota State University
rocky.dailey@sdstate.edu

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Announcements

Deadline rapidly approaching for nominations for NCA Mass Comm division awards!

Sunday, July 31st is the deadline for nominations for our Teaching, Service and Dissertation awards! Please consider nominating a qualified colleague for one of our division awards. Details can be found at this link.

NCA 108th Annual Convention program is live

The program schedule for the 108th Annual Convention is now live at this link. The main NCA site also has information on registration, hotel and travel. We hope to see many of you there!

Mass Communication Division Sponsored Content at NCA

Click here to see the NCA National Convention content sponsored by the Mass Communication Division.

Critical Media Affects research published in Journal of Communication

Congratulations to Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian and Dr. Omotayo O Banjo for having their research article 'Critical Media Effects Framework: Bridging Critical Cultural Communication and Media Effects through Power, Intersectionality, Context, and Agency' published in the Journal of Communication.

Dr. Debora Wenger

University, MS - Deb Halpern Wenger, a 17-year broadcast news veteran, is an assistant dean and associate professor who oversees undergraduate studies in journalism at the University of Mississippi. Prior to her academic appointments, Wenger worked as a reporter, producer and newsroom manager within multiple TV stations, including WFLA (Tampa, FL), WSOC (Charlotte, NC) and WMUR (Manchester, NH).

Wenger conducts multimedia workshops in newsrooms around the country and is a trainer for SPJ and its Google News Lab program. She is also co-author of two books, Advancing the Story: Journalism in a Digital World and Managing Today’s News Media: Audience First.

What she’s learning about journalism and new media can be found at www.advancingthestory.com. Wenger received her Ph.D. from Kingston University in London and was named as a top journalism educator by NewsPro magazine in 2017.

GK: What got you interested in moving from the journalism profession to academia?

DW: When I was working in television news in Tampa, I signed on to be an adjunct at the University of South Florida. The time I spent prepping and interacting with students in the classroom didn't feel like work at all (and thank goodness, since I was paid less than $1500 for the entire semester!). So, when an opportunity came up to expand a multimedia program (then called "convergence") at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), I decided to take the leap -- on balance, it's been a great decision.

GK:What was that transition like? What were the biggest challenges?

DW: I had wonderful colleagues at VCU who made the transition as painless as possible, but I do remember to this day one particularly pointed criticism in my first round of teaching evaluations: "Professor Wenger needs to realize that we are NOT working in a newsroom and we DO have other classes." I guess you could say that I tried to do too much, too soon in those initial classes.

Along that line, I think my biggest challenge was to figure out how to keep standards high and also achievable. Someone where along the way I adopted a "coaching" vs. a "teaching" approach in my classes and that make all the difference. When I work on stories alongside my students, I find we both enjoy the experience much more.

GK: What are your thoughts on the future of journalism?

DW: It will continue to be an essential part of creating a world that we all want to live in. The work is particularly hard right now -- lack of audience trust in journalism is a huge issue, the job of a journalist has never been more demanding and the industry itself has not come to trips with what it means to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. With all that said, as educators, we simply cannot give up -- The Washington Post's "Democracy dies in darkness" slogan is not just a tag line, it's reality. We must rededicate ourselves to creating the next generation of thoughtful, well-prepared, and committed journalists.

GK: What one piece of advice would you give someone looking to go into the journalism profession?

DW: Regularly spend some time learning about our profession. My colleagues and former students who have gone on to the best jobs and the highest salaries have all been those who keep current, who know what's happening to the business model, for example, and who build networks of people who can help them learn how to stay relevant. If you graduate from college and think your education is done, you won't achieve all that you can.

2022-2023 MCD Officers Chair Valerie Kretz  St. Norbert College Communication and Media Studies 100 Grant Street, Boyle Hall 352, De Pere, WI 54115     valerie.kretz@snc.edu Vice-Chair Veronica Hefner St. Mary's College - California  School of Liberal Arts - Communication 105J Sichel, Moraga, CA 94575 vh10@stmarys-ca.edu Vice Chair-Elect / Ad-Hoc Awards Matt Lapierre    University of Arizona Department of Communication  1103 East University Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85721 mlapierre@arizona.edu Past Chair Laramie Taylor   University of California-Davis Communication Department 396 Ker Hall, Davis, CA 95616   lartaylor@ucdavis.edu Secretary Kristin Drogos University of Michigan - Ann Arbor LSA Communication & Media 7415F North Quad, 105 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 kdro@umich.edu Secretary-Elect Ellie Yang  University of Wisconsin-Madison 5115 Vilas Hall 821 University Ave. Madison, WI 53706 fyang99@wisc.edu Publications & Web Editor   Rocky Dailey South Dakota State University School of Communication and Journalism Yeager Hall 211, Box 2235 Brookings, SD 57007 rocky.dailey@sdstate.edu Graduate Student Rep. Lauren Taylor University of California - Davis School of Communication 469 Ker Hall Davis, CA 95616 lautaylor@ucdavis.edu Ad-Hoc Appointment - Group Parliamentarian Shane Tilton Ohio Northern University Department of Communication Freed PAC 137 Ada, OH 45810 s-tilton@onu.edu Graduate Student Rep. - Elect John J. Brooks Northwestern University School of Communication 710 N. Lakeshore Drive Chicago, IL 60611 johnjbrooks@u.northwestern.edu Research Committee Committee Chair Joseph Hoffswell  Western Kentucky University Department of Communication FAC 145 Bowling Green, KY 42101   joseph.hoffswell@wku.edu First Vice-Chair Arienne Ferchaud  Florida State University College of Communication & Information 4100 University Center, Building C Talahassee, FL 32306 aferchaud@fsu.edu Second Vice-Chair David Stamps Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication 252 Hodges Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803 dstamps@lsu.edu Second Vice-Chair - Elect Hillary Gamble   Auburn Universiy - Montgomery Communication & Theatre 7430 East Drive Montgomery, AL 36117  hgamable@aum.edu Nominations Committee Committee Chair Colin Kearney   University of Dayton Department of Communication St. Joseph's Hall Dayton, OH 45469 Vice Chair Benjamin K. Smith  California State University - East Bay Department of Communication 3011 Meiklejohn Hall Hayward, CA 94542   Vice Chair-Elect Cassandra Alexopoulos University of Massachusett- Boston   100 William T. Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 c.alexopoulos@umb.edu  Nominations Committee - Representitive Jeanette Ruiz University of California - Davis Communication Department 364 Kerr Hall, 1 Shields Ave, Davis CA 95616 jbruiz@ucdavis.edu Representatives to NCA General Assembly Legislative Assembly (Position through 2021-2022)   Stan Tickton Norfolk State University Mass Communication/Journalism 700 Park Ave., Unit 3249 Norfolk, Virginia 23504 sdtickton@hotmail.com Legislative Assembly (Position through 2020-2021) Jennifer Stevens Aubrey The University of Arizona College of Human & Behavioral Sciences  Communication 218 Tuscan, AZ 85721 jlsa@arizona.edu  <<back to top>>