Journalism electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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.
Items in MOspace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Recent Submissions
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Media and the accessible platform that furthers disability communication
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)This research explores disabled content creators and the experience of the media sphere that talks about those with disabilities. This study talked to 15 media creators who live and work in the disabled community. The ... -
The impact and culture of search engine optimization strategies within smaller news organizations
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Search engine optimization, the practice of curating word choice to rank higher on search engine result pages, has been a major innovation in digital journalism, as many media outlets have migrated onto primarily online ... -
To show or to shield : twin cities news media's gatekeeping of the George Floyd video
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Through the lens of gatekeeping, this study investigates Twin Cities news editors' decision-making regarding publication of Darnella Frazier's video of George Floyd's murder. The goal was to understand how news editors ... -
'You get the sense they're here for us' : the value of local news ownership in a rural, two-newspaper community
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)The state of local news is in a crisis. With newspapers closing or being bought up every day, local news is disappearing, especially in rural communities. But there are exceptions, like Newton, Kansas, where the town of ... -
An initial assessement of moral attitude dynamic model for defusing culture war tensions
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] This dissertation introduces Moral Attitude Dynamic Model (MADM) for defusing conflicts tensions by incorporating the key constructs of Moral Foundation Theory into The Contingency Theory of ... -
Intersectional microaggressions : a study of Asian American women journalists at workplace
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] This dissertation identifies the experienced microaggressions against Asian American women journalists. The researcher analyzed three areas of work -- the newsroom, the audience, and the sources ... -
Embodying an ethic of empathy : journalism's intersection with victims' families, survivors, and community members impacted by the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] This dissertation explores the interactions that victims' families, survivors, and members of the community have with journalists after mass shootings that thrust private citizens into [EMBARGOED ... -
"We can't be paralyzed by fear" assessing risk in local television news : an exploratory study on management strategies and decision making
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] The concept of risk encompasses a wide range of potential negative outcomes, including business losses, audience attrition, credibility challenges, and other journalistic issues. This study ... -
Exploring the views of cultural competence of strategic communication practitioners on the example of public service advertisements against domestic violence through in-depth interviews
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] Cultural competence is one of the cornerstones of effective strategic health communication in public service advertising: the cultural competence of strategic communication practitioners ... -
A study of public relations strategies employed by healthcare organizations in Missouri to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)The development of the COVID-19 vaccine marked a significant milestone in the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. However, along with the invention of the COVID-19 vaccine came the challenge of misinformation, ... -
Diagnosing news deserts : a path towards scalable assessment. An exploration of crictical information needs news ecosystems in Missouri.
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)For over a decade, there has been a crisis of local journalism growing within the United States. Beginning as technological changes undermined the business model of the local newspaper, this market failure was felt across ... -
The ethics of documentary representation in brand storytelling : a conceptual framework
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 05/01/2025] In this thesis, I develop a conceptual framework for the ethics of documentary representation in brand storytelling, broadly described as the advertising practice of using elements and techniques ... -
From reaction to recovery : an examination of cybersecurity incident response
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)This research explores crisis communication principles under the context of cyber and data security incidents from the practitioner perspective. In-depth interviews were conducted to investigate how strategic communication ... -
Effect of newsgames on audience understanding and engagement with news content
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Digital media and the internet have increased the ways in which news can be shared, including through formats like newsgames, which combine journalism and gameplay. Previous studies have found that using newsgames in ... -
Pre-existing conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic : the factors driving female television journalists to leave the news industry
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)This qualitative study investigates the voluntary turnover and job satisfaction of ten female former television journalists following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examines the ways media organizations could ... -
The unwritten edit : gatekeeping images of diversity in higher education
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)The university photographer plays a key role in producing photographs to show and sell the image of diversity through an institution's marketing materials. This research aims to understand the role of university photographers ... -
Funding the news : finding a viable revenue model for Uganda's private news organizations
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)This research examines the revenue models used by private news organizations in Uganda, their impact on the bottom-line, and whether they can facilitate the financial sustainability of these news outlets in the long-term. ... -
Using the elaboration likelihood model to predict the effects of interactive data visualizations about STI testing
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections spread by sexual contact. Young adults aged 18 to 24 have a heightened risk of contracting and spreading STIs. Despite higher risk, testing rates among young adults ... -
How progressive are we, really? : Solidarity reporting in nonprofit local news
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Nonprofit newsrooms have become a larger part of the news ecosystem and commonly claim to challenge stereotypes or cater to new audiences (Usher, 2021, 2023; McLellan et al., 2022). This study examines how these startups ... -
Meanings of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as framed and reified in the New York Times : discourse analysis and visual analysis
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)The high stakes of war stress-tests every practice, tenant, ethos, and ethical code of journalism to the breaking point, making war journalism (herein, writing and photographs) a rich ground for studying meaning-making ...