The effects of media effects research

The comprehensive examination at the Missouri School of Journalism is a nerve-racking but fun process. For several weeks I had to read about 100 journal articles, book chapters, and books from five subject areas. These reading lists were developed in consultation with my dissertation committee members. Then, for five days spread in just two weeks, […]

Study comparing bloggers, journalists wins top faculty paper

Here is the abstract of one of my three papers to be presented at the International Communication Association conference in London in June. This paper, co-authored with Dr. Bruno Takahashi of the Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, won top faculty paper from the Environmental Communication Interest Group. THE CHANGING NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOURSE An […]

Teens must think about and discuss politics to learn

By Nathan Hurst MU News Bureau Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 25, 2012) — A strong democracy depends on smart voters who choose their leaders based on their knowledge of important political issues. One of the ways that Americans learn about politics is by following the news. Now, researchers from the Missouri School of Journalism have found […]

Plagiarism pandemic: Is copying contagious?

It is shocking, unthinkable, and embarrassing, that a senator of the Republic of the Philippines will deliver a speech, for everyone to hear, with passages copied from a blog that everyone with an internet connection can access. High-profile copying, however, is no longer an original act. In an online world overloaded with information, where cutting-and-pasting […]

Why freedom of information can make people happy

The Philippines takes pride in having a free press, and yet the Freedom House Index (FHI), the most cited index of press freedom, rates the country as only “partly free.” Having a free press is important for democracy to flourish, and this is especially true for young democracies such as the Philippines. In a study […]

The theory that theory doesn’t work

One night I read a book about building theories. Nope, I did not build a new theory after reading it, but at least it made me write again. So how about discussing “theory” in a national paper? Here is how it looked, as published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/221605/the-theory-that-theory-doesn%E2%80%99t-work COLUMBIA, Missouri—For many industry people, […]