Elon Communications Faculty Participate in Boston Convention

Eleven faculty members and a student in the School of Communications participated in the 2009 national convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Boston, Mass., on August 5-8.

Dean Paul Parsons, an elected member of AEJMC’s Standing Committee on Teaching, gave a presentation on the Fulbright Scholars Program and participated in a day-long planning event for the second World Journalism Education Congress, to be held in July 2010 in Grahamtown, South Africa. Parsons will coordinate the Administrators Workshop at the World Congress.

Undergraduate student Sara Portoghese and Assistant Professor Barbara Miller presented a research paper titled “Enhancing Social Capital Between Journalists and Public Relations Practitioners? The Social Media Release Uncovered.”

Miller and Associate Professor Brooke Barnett presented a research paper titled “Use of Infographics in Understanding an Environmental Health Risk.” Barnett also was a panelist in recognizing Professor
David Weaver of Indiana University as the 2009 recipient of the Deutschmann Award, presented by AEJMC’s Standing Committee on Research.

Associate Professor Frances Ward-Johnson was a panelist who spoke on “Newspaper Framing of Presidential Candidates’ Wives During the 2008 Campaign.” Ward-Johnson also was in the Journalism Leadership in Diversity class that concluded its year-long activities with meetings in Boston. Ward-Johnson was also elected by members of the Minorities and Communication Division to serve a second year as the division’s Mid Winter Conference Coordinator.

Assistant Professor Rich Landesberg was a panelist on the topic “Channeling What They Already Know about Social and Mobile Media,” moderated a session on political coverage in the age of Facebook and
multiple media, and was a discussant of refereed research presenter in the Radio-Television Journalism Division.

Associate Professor Anthony Hatcher moderated a session titled “Coping with People who Hate the Media” and was a discussant of refereed research presented in a poster session.

Associate Professor Harlen Makemson was a discussant of History Division research presented in a scholar-to-scholar session.

Faculty members Jessica Gisclair, Byung Lee, Ocek Eke and Kenn Gaither participated in workshops and sessions during the AEJMC convention.

Parsons, Ward-Johnson and Elon development officer Rick Owen also joined in a Development Workshop on the final day of the convention.

In addition, Anders Gyllenhaal, executive editor of the Miami Herald and a member of Elon’s School of Communications Advisory Board, was a luncheon panelist on civic news partnerships.