Newhouse Faculty, Students to Participate in 2023 ICA Conference
Several Newhouse School faculty members, as well as undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, will participate in the annual International Communication Association conference on May 25-29, in Toronto, Canada. Their involvement includes paper presentations, panel appearances and roles as panel moderators and/or paper session discussants.
Note: For times and locations of presentations, please visit the conference website.
Friday, May 26
Game Studies Welcome Meeting
Nick Bowman (moderator)
Media Resistances, Collective Organizing and Global Activism
Srivi Ramasubramanian (chair)
CCA Panel: More than Who: Evaluating Authenticity through Media Literacy Habits
Srivi Ramasubramanian (participant)
Mass Comm Division Top Student-Only Papers
Srivi Ramasubramanian (chair)
Hybrid High-Density: Immersive Media and Metaverse (“Virtual Influencers and their Authenticity: The Effects of Machine Heuristic on Perceived Source Authenticity in Social Media Advertising”)
Heejae Lee, Shengjie Yao, Jeongwon Yang and Makana Chock
High Density GIFTS (“Meanings of Media: Promoting Media Literacy and Social Awareness Among First-Year Media Industry Students through Research Methods”)
Big Ideas Session: Media Entertainment as an Authentic Field of Study: 21st Century Answers to Age-Old Questions
Nick Bowman (chair) and Charisse Corsbie-Massay (discussant)
High-Density: Critical Comm Research with Global Inclusivity (“Combining Critical Perspectives and Quantitative Approaches”)
Srivi Ramasubramanian
Pedagogical Workshop: Decolonizing Comm Pedagogy: Principles and Practices
Srivi Ramasubramanian (chair)
Hybrid: Developments in Corporate Social Responsibility Research
Yu Tian (chair)
Blue Sky Secac Skills Workshop: Show Me the Money: Grant Writing 101 in an Era of Shrinking Academic Budgets
Martina Santia (panelist)
Saturday, May 27
Hybrid: Games and Real World Histories, Economies and Social Norms
Nick Bowman (chair)
Hybrid: Games and Real World Histories, Economies and Social Norms (“Animating a Plausible Past: Perceived Realism and Sense of Place Influence Entertainment of and Tourism Intentions from Historical Video Games”)
Nick Bowman, Yoon Lee and Siyang Chen
High-Density: Info Systems Promising Student Papers (“Mega vs. Nano-Influencer: The Effect of Construal Matching between Endorsers and Ad Messages on Advertising Persuasiveness”)
Ploypin Chuenterawong, Jeongwon Yang and Makana Chock
Ethnicity and Race in Comm Research Escalator (“I’m Asian and Also Not Asian: Deconstructing the Interplay Between Asian Subgroups’ Health Inequities and the Model Minority Stereotype Created by American Media”)
High-Density: Info Systems Promising Papers Session (“AR vs VR: An Exploratory Study Comparing User Responses to Emotional Stimuli Conveyed by AR and VR”)
Heejae Lee
Hybrid High-Density: Feminist Activism and #MeToo Movement: Global and Comparative Cases (“Feminist Activism in China: Coalition Building in Women’s Social Media Conversations”)
Covering Conflicts & Violence
Martina Santia (chair)
Hybrid: Advances in Corporate Social Responsibility Research (“Jumping on the Bandwagon: Exploring the Effects of Virality Metrics on Brand Trust and Customer Engagement in CSR Messaging on TikTok”)
Yu Tian and Erika Schneider
Media, Identity, Ethnicity / Race, Stereotyping
Charisse Corsbie-Massay (chair)
Advances in Crisis Comm Research (“The Effect of Social Engagement Incivility During Corporate Social Irresponsibility Crises”)
Erika Schneider and Yu Tian
Ethnicity and Race in Comm – Research Escalator Session
Srivi Ramasubramanian
Sunday, May 28
Hybrid: Misinformation Solutions
Jason Davis (chair)
Hybrid: Unique National Approaches to Public Diplomacy
Steven Pike (chair)
High-Density: InfoSys-CSaB Co-Sponsored Session in Neuroscience and Psychophysiology (“Concept Explication: News Engagement from A Brain Processing Perspective”)
Hybrid: Player Meaning and Choice (“Gaming on the Go? Translation and Validation of the Video Game Demand Scale to Korean”)
Heejae Lee, Yoon Lee, Nick Bowman, Shengjie Yao and Siyang Chen
Hybrid High-Density Session BEST I: Critical Research in Organizational Comm (“Action-Based Anti-Racism Dialogues: A Trauma-Informed Approach for Organizational Change-Making”)
Srivi Ramasubramanian, Raiana Soriaia De Carvalho and Chelsea Brown
Journalism Studies Poster Session (“Who Covers What: Analyzing Gender Differences in News Beats Coverage”)
Martina Santia, Lars Willnat and Stan Jastrzebski
Hybrid: News Reporting and Consumption: Perceptions and Practice
Martina Santia (moderator)
Feel It: Authenticity of Emotions in Entertainment (“Fun Boxes to Empathy Machines: The Authenticity of Emotions of Digital Games and Virtual Worlds”)
Nick Bowman
Hybrid High-Density: Experiences, Challenges and Learnings of Culture-Based Health Practices and Comm (“Deconstructing COVID-19 PSA through the Lens of Culture: Comparing Taiwan and the USA”)
Chia-Ho Ryan Wen
Game Studies Business Meeting
Nick Bowman (participant)
Monday, May 29
Hybrid High-Density: Extended Abstracts in Game Studies- Effects, Surveys and Experiments (“A Theoretical Framework of the Formation of Eudaimonic Video Game Experiences”)
Nick Bowman
ICA Manipal India Session: “Reclaiming Data: Authenticity, Agency and Advocacy in Data-Driven Communication Theorizing”
Srivi Ramasubramanian
Media Effects in the Context of COVID-19 (“COVID-19 is Politicians’ Lie: Approaching COVID-19 Health Behaviors from Political Ideology, Science Denialism, Misinformation andThird-Person Effects”)
Chia-Ho Ryan Wen
Media Effects in the Context of COVID-19 (“Asian American Mental Health, Ethnic Blame and Media Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic”)
Srivi Ramasubramanian, Shumaila Bhatti and Martina Santia
High-Density: Risky Environmental Issues: The Role of Affective and Cognitive Risk Perceptions (“Perceived Health Risks of Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and South Koreans’ Risk Info Seeking and Processing”)
High-Density Session: Top 20 in Feminist Scholarship: Day 4 (“Exploring Feminist Pedagogy: Cultivating Authentic Comm Curricula in Project-Based Courses”)
Adrienne Wallace and Gina Luttrell
Misinformation Potpourri (“Authenticity in Synthetic Media: A Validation of the Theory of Content Consistency”)
Jason Davis, Gina Luttrell and Phoebe Smith
Livestream: Closing Plenary: Authentic Indigenous Scholarship and Its Relevance to the Comm Discipline
Srivi Ramasubramanian (chair)
‘Infodemic’ Reporting Project Investigates Impact of Scams, Disinformation
The rise of scams and disinformation and its impact on society and daily life are the focus of a comprehensive reporting project produced by Newhouse School students.
“Infodemic” includes more than 30 stories packaged with photos, videos, illustrations, audio, data visualizations and other interactive media. The wide-ranging report was released May 1 on TheNewsHouse.com, a multimedia news site for Syracuse University to teach practical and digital skills needed for the media industry, in conjunction with WAER-88.3 and The Stand South Side newspaper.
The project, which involved more than 100 student journalists, investigated the sources and effects of disinformation that have undermined trust in communities and democracy overall, and explored ways to combat disinformation. About a dozen Newhouse faculty and staff members advised the student editors and contributors who worked on stories during the 2022-23 academic year.
“The truth about so many aspects of life seems rather elusive these days,” said Jon Glass, professor of practice of magazine, news and digital journalism and executive producer of TheNewsHouse.com. “This project gave our students a chance to dive in and explore the prevalence of scams, disinformation and propaganda.”
“Infodemic” drew inspiration from work connected to a Knight Foundation grant project led by Greg Munno, an assistant professor of magazine, news and digital journalism, and Shelvia Dancy, a former Newhouse professor of practice now teaching broadcast and digital journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
That project, “Combatting Disinformation in Communities of Color,” has been developing and testing community-based disinformation interventions on Syracuse’s South Side, according to the Knight Foundation.
Screenwriter and Faculty Member Keith Giglio to Recount Navigating Cancer Diagnoses and Hollywood at Impact Symposium
The idea behind Keith Giglio’s presentation at the Spring Newhouse Impact Symposium came to the associate professor while he was lying in a gurney at Upstate University Hospital.
A screenwriter who teaches in the television, radio and film program, Giglio will recount his two cancer diagnoses and how they compared to the ups and downs of navigating life in Los Angeles during his talk, “Lights Camera Cancer aka How Hollywood Prepared Me for Cancer,” at 3:10 p.m. on Friday, April 21. The symposium, sponsored by the Newhouse School’s Office of Research and Creative Activity, will be held in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“I remember thinking if I survived the ups and downs of Hollywood, I can survive this,” Giglio said.
Giglio is one of 11 presenters at the symposium, which will showcase the school’s wide range of student and faculty research and creative activities, creating awareness and encouraging communications and collaboration at Newhouse and across campus.
Giglio’s most recent produced credits include “Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune,” “Christmas Reservations” and “A Very Nutty Christmas,” the latter of which was produced with his wife, Juliet Aires Giglio. Previous credits include “A Cinderella Story” (producer) and its sequels, as well as “Pizza My Heart,” “Joshua” and “Tarzan.”
In addition, he has written three academic books, “Writing the Comedy Blockbuster,” “Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games,” with Robert Denton Bryant and “Proof of Concept, Writing the Short Script,” along with the romantic comedy novel, “The Summer of Christmas.” A second romantic comedy book, “The Trouble with Tinsel,” comes out this year.
Below, Giglio answers more questions about his work.
What is your research about?
My presentation is entitled “How Hollywood Prepared Me for Cancer.” It is an excerpt from a book of the same name I am writing. I lived in Hollywood — aka L.A. — for 20 years writing and producing movies. I never thought that such an uncertain experience would prepare me for cancer.
Where did you come up with the idea?
On a gurney in Upstate Hospital. I remember thinking if I survived the ups and downs of Hollywood, I can survive this. I also wondered what happened to my hair. And then along the way, I started comparing so many aspects of what goes on in making a movie to treating cancer.
What kind of cancer did you have?
First, I had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had a 13-millimeter mass growing at the base of my spine. And I thought that was just back pain. And then following six rounds of chemo, 25 consecutive days of radiation, I got through it. But then a few months later, I couldn’t play my guitar. I couldn’t hold a glass. And I couldn’t touch my giant nose. I basically had a mini stroke because now I had brain cancer. So then, I did 10 days straight of whole brain radiation. And that seemed to wipe everything out.
When you learned you had cancer, what was that moment like?
It was kind of like a smoking gun. I was in so much pain from what I thought was just a benign tumor or back pain as I had had back problems before. But at that moment I just immediately thought of my two daughters and how I’m going to tell them and tell my parents. But also, I was oddly confident. I said ‘Okay, whatever it is, I’ll get through it.’
During your cancer journey, what stood out as something that you would experience in Hollywood or movies?
After I got through the initial lymphoma, after six rounds of chemo and 25 days of radiation, most people think, okay, you’re done. But in Hollywood or in any movie, you always have a “whammo.” Like every 10 pages, something happens. Some big, emotional thing. It’s the midpoint. So, when that brain cancer came, I said, ‘OK, I was expecting this.’ I was expecting the whammo. Here we go again.
How are you doing now?
I’m doing well. I’ve been cancer free for eight years now, so that’s good. So far no flare ups, and I’m happy about that.
Why was this important for you to share as research?
I wanted to talk about how you have to always believe in yourself and that your ambition always has to exceed your ability. When my back was against the wall during my L.A. writing days, I always believed that something good would come about and I will get through and come out better for the experience. I felt the same way during my cancer journey.
When is your book coming out?
I have no idea when it’s coming out. I’m stacked with a couple of projects that are ahead of it. It’s kind of like landing a plane.
What do you hope people will take away from your presentation?
Positivity. We need more of it.
Garrett Wagner, White and Grode Honored for Teaching Excellence, Yang Recognized for Graduate Research and Work
Three Newhouse School faculty members have been recognized by Syracuse University for teaching excellence, carrying on the school’s tradition of faculty rich in real-world experience who are dedicated to helping students succeed.
Kyla Garrett Wagner, an assistant professor of communications, is a 2022-23 recipient of a Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Performance. Mel White, a professor of practice in advertising, is a recipient of the Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Continuing Excellence.
Eric Grode, director of the Goldring arts journalism and communications master’s program, is a recipient of the 2023 Syracuse University Graduate School Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award.
“These accolades are well deserved for Kyla, Mel and Eric. They are representative of the standards of excellence overall set by our faculty members, whose collective wealth of knowledge, research and experiences help to enrich the classroom environment,” Newhouse School dean Mark J. Lodato said. “I thank each of them for their commitment to our students.”
Jeongwon Yang, a doctoral candidate in mass communications, won the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work. Her research is focused on the use of social media during risk or crisis situations, and she has previously studied how media coverage framed rumors and misinformation during the MERS outbreak.
Kyla Garrett Wagner
Garrett Wagner is an interdisciplinary legal and communications scholar studying the relationship between public health and the First Amendment. She taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for six years before starting at Newhouse in fall 2019.
It meant Garrett Wagner had to navigate teaching through the COVID pandemic the following spring while still relatively new to Newhouse. Hired to primarily teach media law, which is a topic that makes many students apprehensive, Garrett Wagner consistently receives overwhelmingly positive reviews from students who appreciate how easily she makes law relatable to their careers.
“Kyla Garrett Wagner is an enthusiastic and engaging professor who easily connects with students while challenging them to understand and apply complex concepts in communications and law,” said Bradley Gorham, associate professor and chair of the communications department.
The Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Performance is presented to faculty who have completed two years of teaching at Syracuse University.
Mel White
White has brought a wealth of advertising expertise to her role as professor of practice at Newhouse, having worked more than a quarter-century in the industry, including 17 in New York. She has worked as creative director or art director at prominent agencies including Young and Rubicam, Ogilvy, Grey, Publicis and D’Arcy.
White has worked on accounts for high-profile brands in a wide variety of fields, including Microsoft, Land Rover, American Express and Fisher-Price.
“She is an amazing, dedicated and passionate professor who has inspired so many students to choose advertising creativity as a professional career,” said James Tsao, professor and chair of the advertising department. “More importantly, the sheer number of student awards under her mentorship attested the impressive milestone that she has brought our brand to the national level.”
The Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Continuing Excellence is presented to faculty who have five more years of teaching experience at the University.
Eric Grode
Director of the Goldring program, Grode also serves as an associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism. Grode is a regular freelance theater critic and reporter for The New York Times, and he also served as head theater critic for The New York Sun and Broadway.com.
Grode’s extensive journalism experience also includes editorial positions at TV Guide and Good Housekeeping. A former vice president of the New York Drama Critics Circle, Grode has also written two books: “Hair: The Story of the Show That Defined a Generation,” the authorized history of the Broadway musical, and “The Book of Broadway: The 150 Definitive Plays and Musicals.”
Grode’s approach to ensuring a fulfilling graduate experience starts by understanding students’ goals, ambitions, deficits and gifts.
“Eric has consistently shown himself to be a valued colleague, a deft instructor and a deeply committed advocate for his students both in and out of the classroom,” said Joel Kaplan, associate dean of graduate programs.
“As director of one of our signature graduate programs, Eric has now nurtured generations of students who have gone on to work at places like The New York Times and Playbill, as well as arts organizations like the Sundance and Aspen film festivals.”
The Syracuse University Graduate School Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Awards are presented to faculty members who have a significant, positive influence on graduate education through their commitment to superior graduate teaching, dedication to departmental and community presence and work in research initiatives.
Jeongwon Yang
Yang’s work has been published in prominent journals including Public Relations Review, Computers in Human Behavior and Journal of Advertising. She has also received an internal research grant from the Newhouse School on top of several fellowships awarded by the University.
“As evident in her excellent track record of publications, Jeongwon is highly committed to academic research,” said Hua Jiang, associate dean of academic affairs and Jeongwon’s doctoral advisor. “The quality of her research is among the best.”
The Graduate Dean’s Award recognizes recipients for their overall academic record and outstanding quality of their research or creative activity at the University.
Egan Weighs in on Value of Digital Advertising to Small Businesses
Beth Egan, associate professor of advertising, served as an independent consultant on the report, “Maximum Impact: How Digital Ads Level the Playing Field for U.S. Small Businesses,” published by the Data Catalyst Institute on behalf of the Connected Commerce Council.
The research, for the first time, quantified digital advertising’s value to small business advertisers and publishers. “Digital advertising is the great equalizer for small businesses,” Egan said.
Newhouse School’s Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab Releases Annual Fluency Report
The Newhouse School’s Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab (EIL) is excited to announce the release of its signature study, “The 2022-2023 Fluency Report: Industry Crisis.” Through extensive research and data analysis, we have uncovered key trends, challenges and opportunities that shape crisis communications. The annual report provides actionable recommendations and strategic insights that will help organizations make informed decisions.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our society. Not long after the WHO announced that COVID-19 was nearing its end, our society faced a new type of crisis for the first time in two years, the Russia-Ukraine war. This catastrophic crisis once again paralyzed the global economy and tore through many industry sectors through both primary and secondary drivers. For the first time since the pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war emerged as a new dominant issue that adversely affected the global industry landscape.
Our goal for this year’s Fluency Report was to explore the key crises spanning 2022-2023 across 21 industries. Using Fortune 100’s list of most prominent U.S. companies in each industry sector, the research team identified the most significant crisis. “The team examined everything from mail delivery, gas and cosmetics to pharmaceuticals, health care, and even entertainment,” says research professor and EIL co-director, Jason Davis.
Included this year is a special comprehensive report “In-Depth Crisis Analysis: Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on the Global Crisis.” “When researching the Fluency Report, our research team found that manufacturing, transport and energy industry were the top three industries mentioned most often concerning the Russia-Ukraine war crisis,” says Regina Luttrell, associate dean of research and creative activity and EIL co-director. “The study concludes with a special additional report that dives deep into the rippling effects of the Russia-Ukraine war which resulted in a supply chain crisis, energy crisis, cost-of-living crisis and economic crisis.”
The research team is already looking ahead to 2023-2024 and predicts climate change and energy are the crises to watch.
Faculty Researchers
· Jason Davis, Ph.D.
· Regina Luttrell, Ph.D.
· Erika Schneider, Ph.D.
Lead Student Researcher
· Nalae Hong, Media Studies
Liebler co-authors paper on news content analysis
Carol Liebler, professor of communications, co-authored the paper, “Database use, database discrepancies: Implications for content analyses of news” with two Syracuse University graduate students, Kyle Webster and the late Noah Buntain. The paper was published in Newspaper Research Journal.
Abstract
The purpose of this research is twofold. Study I assesses content analyses of news (2015–2020) that sampled from databases to see which are used most frequently and to observe how researchers justify and contextualize their database choices. Results indicate that Nexis Uni is the database most commonly employed, and that researchers rarely justify their choice or include mention of database limitations. Next, Study II compares Factiva, Google News, NewsBank, Nexis Uni and ProQuest, finding considerable differences in number of stories, geographic reach, media type and coverage of a specific news event.
Liebler co-authors paper on coverage of sexual misconduct allegations and media self-criticism by news organizations
Carol Liebler, professor of communications, co-authored the paper, “#MeToo in the Newsroom: Image Repair and Allegations of Sexual Misconduct” with Wasim Ahmad of Quinnipiac University and Qi Ni of Syracuse University. The paper was published in Journalism Practice.
Abstract
This study examines how—and the extent to which—news organizations covered allegations of sexual misconduct in instances of their own employees being caught in the #MeToo spotlight. The study applies Benoit’s image repair theory to investigate what repair strategies—if any—were reflected in the news coverage. It also examines media self-criticism, exploring whether organizations engaged in self-reflection. Content analysis of 138 news items published April 2017–October 2018 included coverage of 55 accused journalists at 33 organizations. In all, 35% of news organizations did not produce any stories about their accused journalist. For those that did, news stories emphasized corrective actions and attempts to reduce offensiveness. Accused journalists were sourced more frequently than their accusers, with the former denying allegations in 42% of stories. Accused journalists also employed the strategy of attacking their accusers. Organizational self-criticism or reflection was evidenced in just over one-third of the stories.
Willnat co-authors paper on pandemic-related xenophobia
Lars Willnat, professor of communications and John Ben Snow Endowed Research Chair, co-authored the paper, “Covid-19 and xenophobia in America: media exposure, anti-Asian stigmatization, and deservingness of Asian immigrants” with Jian Shi of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies and David De Coninck of the Centre for Sociological Research & Institute for Media Studies. The paper was published in Asian Journal of Communication.
Abstract
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, there has been a significant uptick in anti-Asian sentiment in the United States. Many believe these racist attitudes are cultivated by polarizing political messages and news coverage of the pandemic. Based on a 2021 online survey conducted among 913 White Americans, this study examines possible associations between exposure to pandemic-related news, anti-Asian stigmatization, and the perceived deservingness of Asian immigrants. The findings indicate that the consumption of pandemic-related news on Fox News and social media is associated with higher levels of anti-Asian stigmatization, while exposure to such news on traditional media outlets is not. As expected, respondents with higher levels of anti-Asian stigmatization perceive Asian immigrants as less deserving to come to the United States. Among the five criteria of a newly developed immigrant deservingness scale, especially identity, attitude, and need are associated with anti-Asian stigmatization.
Luttrell to present at IPR Bridge Conference
Associate dean of research and creative activity Regina Luttrell will present at the Institute for Public Relations Bridge Conference on March 22 and 23 in Washington, D.C.
The conference bridges the gap between public relations and corporate communications practitioners and academics, allowing academics to learn from senior-level executives, while have an opportunity to present their research at a peer-reviewed conference.
Luttrell will present the keynote speech “Are you Prepared for The Superhero Generation: Engaging GenZ in a Post-Pandemic World,” and be on the panel for “Generative PR: Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on Communications, Writing, and Design.”