Journalism electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the School of Journalism. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item The American press and the Manchurian question : a quantitative study(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1933) T'ang, Teh-Ch'en"To summarize, the object of the present quantitative analysis is to compare the papers' policies with respect to the Manchurian question. The result of such a study, it is hoped, may represent the taste of the suburban, urban and metropolitan publics with regards to the Sino- Japanese difficulties, since "the modern newspaper is much more of a reflector than a molder of Public Opinion." In the selection of the papers, no attempt, however, is made to represent the American press in its large regional areas."--Summary.Item Proposed : a Chinese associated press(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1935) Shen, James Chien-hung"Nations nowadays live in a new world. They have been brought closer to each other than they were ever before. The increasing contacts among peoples bring enrichment of life, material as well as spiritual, to all parties concerned. But international contacts also breed International misunderstanding and with it international conflicts. How to remove such misunderstanding between nations and how to promote friendship and good-will constitutes one of the most important problems to which people with world peace and prosperity at heart should first turn their attention. It would seem obvious to those who have studied the problem that what every nation today is primarily seeking with reference to other peoples is to be understood. The people of every nation have their ideals, their longings and their convictions. They often feel deeply that their own sincerity of purpose and earnestness of effort are neither appreciated nor understood by others. Indeed, it can be said that the principal desire of nations today, large or small, is that their legitimate aspirations be understood in their proper light by other peoples."--Page 1.Item The siege of Peking as recorded in the London Times(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1932) Lu, David Chi-hsinThirty years ago a miniature "world war"— The Boxer Rebellion—ended in China. It was not China’s war, in fact, but a war between the Manchu Court against the eleven Powers of the world. The leading journals in Europe and America displayed reports of this international struggle with prominence and it was the talk of the civilised world for nearly four months. In this particular period the Siege of Peking took place; the ancient Chinese capital was isolated and communications of all kinds were suspended for weeks. What was thought to have happened in Peking, and which in most eases never happened, continued to be the salient news of the day and gripped the world in a state of horror for many days, what effects on the minds of the readers' and the influence it produced in the leaders of foreign countries, cannot be estimated. This thesis is a comparative study of the news reports regarding the Siege of Peking during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, as published in the "London Times", and the alleged facts as recorded by the historian and official reports. The purpose of this research is to show: First, that the Boxer Rebellion was not a national war waged by China as a whole, neither was it merely an anti-foreign and anti-Christian movement, but that it was a conflict with many difficult and underlying problems; second, to prove by historical and official data that many of the alarming reports as recorded in "The London Times" were erroneous; third, to show how difficult it was to obtain news, to get it confirmed and to have it accepted as authentic; finally, to show how generally such unfounded reports are believed in Europe and America."--Preface.Item No cameras needed : examining documentary filmmaking as the collision site of art and reality in the age of generative artificial intelligence(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Siwak, Bradford Levy; Greenwood, Keith[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] As generative AI video challenges fundamental notions of artistic expression and representations of reality, the perspectives of documentary filmmakers are a pressing area of exploration. This study aimed to uncover areas of the technology's implementation and the related significance for the documentary form. Using theoretical frameworks that centered tensions between truth telling and artistry, properties from cinema's unique relationship with time, and the meaning of machine collaboration in reality interpretation, the researcher conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with cutting-edge documentary filmmakers, considering them as active agents in shaping the future of the form. A qualitative analysis revealed three overarching areas of uses and implications: tool-like deployment; expanding the range of expressed perspectives, human and algorithmic; and radical reinterpretations of the nonfiction cinematic form, from narrative modularity to new ways of visualizing reality. The results highlight the breadth of contextual considerations and personal priorities in truth telling that mediate nonfiction filmmakers' attitudes and artistic-journalistic perspectives. Further research should address evolving legal and economic particularities, stigmas in adopting or resisting using the technology, and specific marginalized communities' deployment of alternative epistemologies through generative AI.Item Technology, trust, and industry transformation : a cross-national study on journalists' perceptions of field dynamics amid generative AI(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Gong, Jiaxin; Schroeder, Jared[EMBARGOED UNTIL 12/01/2026] Journalism has long been influenced by technologies, but generative AI introduces new possibilities and uncertainties for journalism by creating human-like content. Drawing on field theory, this study explores how journalists in the U.S. and China understand the socially embedded dynamics of the journalistic field amid the rise of generative AI, including its role in professional practices and its connections to power relations. Based on 29 in-depth interviews with journalists, 15 from the U.S. and 14 from China, the study finds that both countries are experiencing a transitional stage marked by hybrid and experimental habitus. Flexible newsroom guidance and a shared practical sense lead journalists to engage with generative AI in self-directed ways. Meanwhile, clear cross-national differences appear in AIgenerated visual workflows and in how journalists perceive and weigh forces inside and outside the journalistic field, which shape their understandings of what constitutes legitimate uses of generative AI. U.S. journalists emphasize social capital and prioritize audience trust, resulting in a more cautious approach to AI-generated visuals. In contrast, Chinese journalists emphasize on state-led media transformation policies and tend to internalize these national priorities, viewing experimentation with AI-generated visuals as a legitimate way to fulfill them. By moving beyond technocentric perspectives, this study offers a socially grounded analysis of how journalists interpret and engage with generative AI and advances comparative understanding of global journalism amid emerging technological change.