Scholastic Journalism Division
Faculty Papers
* Extended Abstract * Investigative vs. Mandatory Reporting: Weaponizing Title IX Against College Journalists • Genelle Belmas, University of Kansas • In 2019, NPR and ProPublica published a series of articles about faculty sexual assault coverups at the University of Illinois. Administrators responded by requiring journalists at the NPR station at Urbana-Champaign to be “mandatory reporters” under federal Title IX rules – eliminating the confidentiality that assault victims might need before telling journalists their stories. This paper discusses the nascent problem and offers both legal and extra-legal solutions to the potential impact on student journalists.
* Extended Abstract * Campus Free Expression and Student Self-Silencing: Why Students Don’t Feel Comfortable Expressing Their Views • Victoria Ekstrand; Kriste Patrow; Shao Chengyuan, University of Tuebingen, Germany • In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, U.S. college administrators have faced increasing pressure on campus free expression. Previous research indicated that although students believe a university education should expose them to a variety of political, social and economic viewpoints, many students reported feeling less comfortable discussing controversial issues. The purpose of this paper is to better understand why students self-silence and how they navigate increasingly polarized campus climates.
“Quizzes or editing exercises? In teaching AP style, both methods work equally” • Christina Littlefield, Pepperdine University • Journalists refer to the Associated Press stylebook as their bible. Educators drill students on AP style, helping them navigate grammar, accuracy and ethical issues. However, there is no peer-reviewed research testing which methods are most effective. This paper used a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest methodology over six semesters to test timed, in-class quizzes versus editing exercises versus take-home exercises. No one method proved statistically superior. All types moved students from high Fs to Cs.
The push and pull of digital skills in journalism curriculum • Gretchen Macchiarella, California State University, Northridge; Elizabeth Smith, Pepperdine University • This exploratory study uses college journalism accreditation self-study documents to assess nine programs for indications that they are moving to push digital competencies into existing courses or pull those skills out to stand-alone courses. Researchers found that, while there was not a strong single direction, programs tended to pull digital skills to specialized courses, especially if there was a program-wide digital emphasis.
* Extended Abstract * Extended Abstract: Supplemental Instruction in Journalism: Efforts to Improve Student Success in a ‘High-Risk’ Gateway Course • Laura Moorhead, San Francisco State University • Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a peer-guided non-remedial academic support program that has proved successful in a range of college courses. This study considers an SI effort to accompany a Reporting course offered by a Journalism department at a large minority-serving institution. This study asks, How, if at all, did SI affect grades and perceived learning experiences among students who opted to attend SI sessions during the semester of their enrollment in Reporting?
Using Micro-Writing Assignments for Qualitative Assessment in Media Lecture Classes • Perry Parks, Michigan State University • This case study examines a constructivist approach to teaching a large media lecture class (N=199) using conceptual readings and micro-writing assignments collected and evaluated through Google forms. The approach sought to bring a critical and qualitative sensibility to a course typically run through a traditional textbook and quantitative exams. Feedback suggests students appreciated the structure and preferred the qualitative online assessment forms to more commonly used quantitative “clicker” technology. Challenges and potential improvements are discussed.
Opting In: Free Expression Statements at Private Universities and Colleges in the U.S. • Erica Salkin, Whitworth University Department of Communication Studies; Colin Messke • While all colleges and universities are challenged by questions about free expression in the current environment, private higher educational institutions do so without the constitutional mandate of their public counterparts. Some private colleges and universities have sought to independently affirm their commitment to free speech through statements of principle or purpose. This study explores those statements in an attempt to understand if – and how – free expression is presented as worth protecting in private higher education.
* Extended Abstract * Seeing and Doing: The Use of Simulations and Training Videos to Increase News Literacy Awareness • Elizabeth Smith, Pepperdine University; Theresa de los Santos, Pepperdine University • In this study, we test the effectiveness of learning from training videos and simulations for increasing news literacy. Using an existing simulation, we manipulated whether high school participants (N= 236) were exposed to a news literacy skills video delivered by a journalist. Preliminary findings suggest the combined effect of exposure to a journalist and experiencing the news decision-making process for long-term change in students’ attention to self-perceived news literacy and news sources.
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