Missouri Faculty, Students Present 36 Papers at ICA Conference

One on Health News Agenda-Building Selected as a Top Public Relations Paper

Columbia, Mo. (May 19, 2009) — Missouri School of Journalism continues to be well represented in research on the national scene, as 36 papers written or co-authored by current students and faculty were accepted for the upcoming International Communication Association convention in Chicago. ICA is one of the leading communication-related academic organizations.

In addition, 33 papers by the School’s alumni are on the schedule for the convention, which will take place over Memorial Day weekend. Scholars’ research ranges from studies done on emotional responses to social networking to health-news agenda building. The work that Missouri Journalism faculty and students will showcase at ICA represents the School’s year-round commitment to research on the issues and effects of mass media and communication.

Strategic communication had 11 papers accepted by current students and faculty, the most populated category this year. This included one of the top three papers in the public relations division, one on health news agenda-building by assistant professors María E. Len-Ríos and Amanda Hinnant; doctoral student, Sun-A Park; Associate Professor Cynthia Frisby; Young Ah Lee, doctoral student, with Glen Cameron, professor.

Saleem Alhabash Rachel Bailey Petya Eckler Elizabeth Gardner Julien Gorbach Sung Wook Hwang
Yan Jin Yusuf Kalyango Jeesun Kim Sun-A Kim Anastasia Kononova Young Ah Lee
Jeongsub Lim Jeremy Littau Michael Martinez Hans Karl Meyer Jensen Moore Uche Titus Onyebadi
Augustine Pang Sara Peters Mark Poepsel Hyun Jin Seo Miglena Sternadori Kjerstin Thorson

Top row, from left: Saleem Alhabash, Rachel Bailey, Petya Eckler, Elizabeth Gardner, Julien Gorbach, Sung Wook Hwang. Second row: Yan Jin, Yusuf Kalyango, Jeesun Kim, Sun-A Kim, Anastasia Kononova, Young Ah Lee. Third row: Jeongsub Lim, Jeremy Littau, Michael Martinez, Hans Karl Meyer, Jensen Moore, Uche Titus Onyebadi. Fourth row: Augustine Pang, Sara Peters, Mark Poepsel, Hyun Jin Seo, Miglena Sternadori, Kjerstin Thorson.


Doctoral student Jeesun Kim had two solo-authored papers, one on self-disclosure and body image in ad campaigns and another on product category effects on purchase intention. She also had a paper on health literacy accepted that was co-authored with doctoral students Young Ah Lee, Elizabeth Gardner, Hyojung Park and Professor Glen Cameron.

Other authors with strategic communication papers accepted included Assistant Professor María E. Len-Ríos, associate professors Cynthia Frisby and Shelly Rodgers, Assistant Professor Amanda Hinnant, and doctoral student Sun-A Park, Chang Dae Ham, Sungwook Hwang, Ji Yeon Jeong and Mi (Rosie) Jahng.

The PRIME Lab also had a successful year, with nine papers accepted across several divisions. An exploratory study that looked at psychophysiological processing for users browsing Web sites involving Assistant Professor Kevin Wise and doctoral students Saleem Alhabash, Petya Eckler, Anastasia Kononova and Jeremy Littau produced three studies. The group examined responses while browsing CNN, Facebook and Amazon.

Other PRIME Lab papers included two different papers related to story structure on processing by Miglena Sternadori, MA ’05, PhD ’08, University of South Dakota, and Wise; another on the role of imagery in text and audio news by doctoral student Jessica Freeman, Wise and Associate Professor Paul Bolls, and processing of political ads by Associate Professor Glenn Leshner, Bolls, master’s student Rachel Bailey, doctoral students Seth Ashley, Hyunmin Lee and Wise. Master’s student Sara Peters and doctoral student Ji Yeon Jeong also had papers accepted as the result of work in the lab.

News and politics also was a standout category, producing four papers. Mark Poepsel had a paper using discourse analysis on coverage of Mexico’s 2006 presidential election accepted. Doctoral students Joonghwa Lee and Ham teamed up with Associate Dean Esther Thorson for a study on the knowledge gap and the 2008 presidential election.

In addition, a longitudinal survey of parents and their children regarding news media use during the 2008 presidential campaign was accepted. Missouri Journalism researchers Hans Meyer, Jeremy Littau and Mi Rosie Jahng worked with Associate Dean Thorson on a paper on parental and environmental influences on adolescent news use in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Doctoral student Michael Martinez had a paper accepted on ethics and “sting” journalism such as that which is practiced by NBC‘s “To Catch a Predator.” Two papers about online newspapers gained acceptance: one by Alhabash on Facebook and stereotyping, another about famous bloggers that were co-authored by doctoral students Nohil Noh Park and Jeong, among others.

Professor Emeritus John Merrill had two different papers on developing further analysis of global communication change accepted. Missouri also had two history studies accepted: one by doctoral student Julien Gorbach on representation of Islam in Lawrence of Arabia; the other on media effects of historical references by Professor Betty Winfield, Leshner, Kononova and master’s student Minji Jung.

News and messages was a common thread in other studies. Assistant Professor Tim P. Vos had a paper accepted on conceptions of journalistic roles, and Renita Coleman (Texas), Thorson and Professor Lee Wilkins had a study that looked at the impact of rich sourcing and public health framing in news. Kenneth Fleming, associate director of research for the Reynolds Journalism Institute, had two papers accepted: one on media expenditures in China and another co-authored with Brian Steffens on news readers in small communities. Steffens is the executive director of the National Newspaper Association.

Missouri Journalism ICA Paper Presentations

    • “Youth 2 Youth: Changing Palestinian-American Images and Stereotypes Through Facebook” Saleem Alhabash, doctoral student.
    • “The “Face” of Facebook: Emotional Responses During Social Networking” Saleem Alhabash, doctoral student; Jeremy Littau, doctoral student; Kevin Wise, assistant professor; Petya Eckler, doctoral student; Anastasia Kononova, doctoral candidate.
    • “Testing the Impact of Public Health Framing and Rich Sourcing” Renita Coleman, MA ’97, PhD ’01, University of Texas; Esther Thorson, associate dean; and Lee Wilkins, professor.
    • “Motivational Activation During Online Shopping” Petya Eckler, doctoral student; Kevin Wise, assistant professor; Anastasia Kononova, doctoral candidate; Jeremy Littau, doctoral student; Saleem Alhabash, doctoral student.
    • “Understanding Readers of Local Newspapers and Editorial Journalism in Small Communities” Kenneth Fleming, associate director of research, Reynolds Journalism Institute; Brian Steffens, adjunct professor.
    • “Patterns of Media Expenditures in China: Beyond the Principle of Relative Constancy” Linsen Su, Renmin University-China; Kenneth Fleming, associate director of research, Reynolds Journalism Institute.
    • “The Role of Imagery in the Cognitive Processing of Text and Audio News Stories” Jessica Freeman, doctoral student; Kevin Wise, assistant professor; Paul Bolls, associate professor.
    • “The Making of a ‘Matinee Idol’: Representations of Islam in Lowell Thomas’s Lawrence of Arabia” Julien Gorbach, doctoral student.
    • “Placing Crisis Management Research in Context: An Analysis and a Call for The State of Crisis Management Research in Public Relations” Chang Dae Ham, doctoral student; Sungwook Hwang, MA ’03, PhD ’08, Myongji University.
    • “Second-Level Agenda Setting in Health Public Service Announcements: How the PSA Influences the Public Agenda on Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Issue” Mi Rosie Jahng, doctoral student.
    • “What Do PR Professionals Do?: Exploring the Core Factors Affecting PR Practitioners’ Perceptions of Their Job Roles in Global PR Firms in Korea” Ji Yeon Jeong, doctoral student.
    • “Developing a Publics-Driven, Emotion-Based Conceptualization in Crisis Communication: Final-Stage Testing of the Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) Model” Yan Jin, MA ’02, PhD ’05, Virginia Commonwealth University; Augustine Pang, PhD ’06, Nanyang Technological University; Glen Cameron, professor.
    • “Are You Feeling Better about Your Body Image?: Self-Disclosure and Psychosocial Benefits in Dove’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ Online Discussion Forum” Jeesun Kim, doctoral student.
    • “Exploring Product Category Effects: The Interplay of Crisis Responsibility Attributions on Attitudes toward the Organization and Purchase Intention” Jeesun Kim, doctoral student.
    • “Cognitive and Emotional Processing While Navigating CNN.com” Anastasia Kononova, doctoral candidate; Kevin Wise, assistant professor; Jeremy Littau, doctoral student; Saleem Alhabash, doctoral student; Petya Eckler, doctoral student.
    • “Extremely Sensational, Relatively Close: Cognitive and Emotional Processing of Domestic and Foreign Sensational Television News About Natural Disasters and Accidents” Anastasia Kononova, doctoral candidate; Rachel Bailey, master’s student; Paul Bolls, associate professor; Narine Yegiyan, University of California-Davis; and Ji Yeon Jeong, doctoral student.
    • “Knowledge Gap in the Media-Saturated ’08 Presidential Election” Joonghwa Lee, doctoral student; Chang Dae Ham, doctoral student; Esther Thorson, associate dean.
    • “Testing a Model of Resource Assessment as a Basis for Developing Strategic Communication Plans” Young Ah Lee, doctoral student.
    • “What’s in a Name? Health Literacy Leaders Say Plenty!” Jeesun Kim, doctoral student; Young Ah Lee, doctoral student; Elizabeth L. Gardner, doctoral student; Hyojung Park, doctoral student; Glen Cameron, professor.
    • Top Papers in Public Relations Session: “Health News Agenda-Building: Journalists’ Perceptions of the Role of Public Relations” María E. Len-Ríos, assistant professor; Amanda Hinnant, assistant professor; Sun-A Park, doctoral student; Cynthia Frisby, associate professor; Young Ah Lee, doctoral student, with Glen Cameron, professor.
    • “The Information Processing of Political Advertisements: Attitude Accessibility, Psychological Processing, and Party Affiliation” Glenn Leshner, associate professor; Paul Bolls, associate professor; Rachel Bailey, master’s student; Seth Ashley, doctoral student; Hyunmin Lee, doctoral student; Kevin Wise, assistant professor.
    • “‘To Catch a Predator:’ An Ethical Analysis of Sting Journalism” Michael Martinez, doctoral student.
    • “Description and Prediction: Understanding Global Communication” John Merrill, professor emeritus.
    • “Global Communication and its Transition From a Craft to a Social Science” Richard Vincent, Indiana State University; Tom McPhail, University of Missouri, St Louis; John Merrill, professor emeritus.
    • “Corporate Social Responsibility as an Organizational Attractiveness/Relationship Building Role for Prospective Public Relations Practitioners” Soo-Yeon Kim, University of Florida; Hyojung Park, doctoral student.
    • “Are Famous Bloggers Political Actors?: Blogs’ Famousness and Bloggers’ Sociopolitical Participation” Nohil Noh Park, doctoral student; Ji Yeon Jeong, doctoral student; Jung Ho Han, Yonsei University.
    • “The Influence of Famousness of Bloggers on Their Sociopolitical Participation” Nohil Noh Park, doctoral student; Ji Yeon Jeong, doctoral student; Jung Ho Han, Yonsei University.
    • “The Effects of Advergames on Game Players’ Processing of Embedded Brands” Sara Peters, master’s student; Glenn Leshner, associate professor; Paul Bolls, associate professor; Kevin Wise, assistant professor.
    • “Searching for Mexican Sovereignty in the Age of Globalization: A Discourse Analysis of Mexico’s 2006 Presidential Election” Mark Poepsel, doctoral student.
    • “Pro- and Anti-alcohol and Tobacco Advertising in Newspapers: Targeting with Models and Social Cues?” Elisia Cohen, University of Kentucky; Charlene Caburnay, Saint Louis University; Shelly Rodgers, associate professor.
    • “Do Men and Women Read News Differently? Effects of Story Structure on Cognitive Processing” Miglena Sternadori, MA ’05, PhD ’08, University of South Dakota; Kevin Wise, assistant professor.
    • “Laboring the Written News: Effects of Story Structure on Cognitive Resources, Comprehension, and Memory” Miglena Sternadori, MA ’05, PhD ’08, University of South Dakota; Kevin Wise, assistant professor.
    • “Adolescent Knowledge and Interest in the 2008 Presidential Election: School and Home Influences and Media Use Motives” Esther Thorson, associate dean; Hans Meyer, doctoral student; Mi Rosie Jahng, doctoral student.
    • “Parental and Environmental Antecedents of Adolescent News Use” Esther Thorson, associate dean; Hans Meyer, doctoral student; Jeremy Littau, doctoral student; Mi Rosie Jahng, doctoral student.
    • “Theorizing Journalistic Role Conceptions” Tim P. Vos, assistant professor.
    • “Historical References in Political News Stories: Credibility, Perceived Newsworthiness, and Understanding the News” Betty Houchin Winfield, professor; Glenn Leshner, associate professor; Anastasia Kononova, doctoral candidate; Minji Jung, master’s student.

Additional Faculty/Student Participation in the ICA Paper Sessions

Session Chairs

    • Paul Bolls
    • Kevin Wise
    • Tim P. Vos
    • Stephanie Craft

Session Participants

    • Paul Bolls
    • Tim P. Vos

Session Respondent

    • Esther Thorson

Missouri Journalism Alumni Participating at ICA

    • Cheryl Ann Bishop, MA ’04, Quinnipiac University
    • Youjin Choi, PhD ’03, University of Florida
    • Renita Coleman, MA ’97, PhD ’01, University of Texas
    • Shahira S. Fahmy, PhD ’03, University of Arizona
    • Mugur Valentin Geana, PhD ’06
    • Xiaoming Hao, MA ’90, PhD ’93, Nanyang Technological University
    • Sungwook Hwang, MA ’03, PhD ’08, Myongji University
    • Yan Jin, MA ’02, PhD ’05, Virginia Commonwealth University
    • Yusuf Kalyango Jr., MA ’04, PhD ’08, Ohio University
    • Sun-A Kim, MA ’05, PhD ’08, Ewha Womans University
    • Yung Soo Kim, MA ’03, University of Kentucky
    • Jeongsub Lim, MA ’04, PhD ’07, Austin Peay State University
    • Brooke Fisher Liu, MA ’03, DePaul University
    • Zhaoxi Liu, MA ’04, University of Iowa
    • Ven-Hwei Lo, PhD ’85, National Chengchi University
    • Jensen Moore, PhD ’07, West Virginia University
    • Uche Onyebadi, MA ’05, PhD ’08, Southern Illinois University
    • Augustine Pang, PhD ’06
    • Bryan Reber, PhD ’01, University of Georgia
    • Charles Self, MA ’71, University of Oklahoma
    • Hyunjin Seo, MA ’07, Syracuse University
    • Jae-Hwa Shin, PhD ’03, University of Southern Mississippi
    • Miglena Sternadori, MA ’05, PhD ’08, University of South Dakota
    • Kjerstin Thorson, MA ’07, University of Wisconsin–Madison
    • Bu Zhong, MA ’00, Pennsylvania State University

Session Chair

    • Jae-Hwa Shin, University of Southern Mississippi
    • Shahira Fahmy, University of Arizona
    • Miglena Sternadori, University of South Dakota

Session Respondent

    • Yusuf Kalyango, Jr., Ohio University

Updated: May 4, 2020

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