From Super Bowl halftime shows to debates over book bans, the most recent edition of the Elon Journal investigates some of the most contested media issues of the moment.
Spanning topics such as major entertainment spectacles, extreme weather coverage, celebrity court cases and debates over book access, the fall 2025 issue of the Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications reflects how Elon undergraduates are engaging with some of today’s most complex and consequential media issues.
Drawing on a range of qualitative and analytical approaches, this latest edition features 10 research papers that span popular culture, political communication, journalism ethics, digital communities and workplace inclusion.
Several studies explore how media texts and coverage shape public meaning. Journalism major Caroline Bienfang analyzed Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, demonstrating how layered cultural references and symbolic messaging operate across audience discourse and media interpretation. Meanwhile, strategic communications major Lydia Cohen examined the news coverage of Hurricane Helene, finding that mainstream news headlines may not produce significant shifts in audience perception but may play a role in maintaining public dialogue about climate change and extreme weather.
Other research examines ethical questions that emerge as audiences respond to high-profile media controversies. Elizabeth Flieger, a strategic communications major, investigated online commentary surrounding high-profile defamation trials, including Depp v. Heard, finding that commenters often prioritized emotional authenticity and moral judgment over formal legal outcomes. With book bans and challenges surging across the United States, journalism major Audrey Geib interviewed K-12 educators, discovering recurring themes of professional tension, fear of retaliation, and a commitment to students’ right to access diverse perspectives through literature.
Moving beyond media texts to professional and social communication environments, additional student research addresses the challenges of work and digital community building. Betsy Schlehuber, a journalism major, interviewed autistic journalists to identify barriers to inclusion and examined the accommodations needed to support success in newsrooms. Ashley Josey, a communication design major, analyzed online discussion forums exploring how digital nomads form and maintain social connections. The study offers insights into communication tools that may better support mobile work cultures.
The fall issue also highlights research that applies communication theory and analysis to film, political coverage and digital policy. Cinema & television arts major Joey Fisher examined editing patterns in contemporary films, identifying how pacing aligns with – and occasionally departs from – traditional genre expectations. Angelina Giallella, a strategic communications major, analyzed media coverage of Kamala Harris’s sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, highlighting themes of historical legacy, political influence, and Black women’s empowerment. Additionally, strategic communications major Angela Pecora explored “sharenting” and parents who share content about their children with special needs that can raise ethical concerns related to consent and stereotyping.
Concluding the issue, Charlotte Turner, a strategic communications and media analytics double major, employed eye-tracking technology to study online privacy policies, finding that visual icons can enhance user engagement and information retention when consistently placed.
To assemble the fall 2025 edition, journal editor Harlen Makemson worked with an editorial board of 24 School of Communications faculty who participated in a blind-review process to select the strongest submissions. Since launching in 2010, the Elon Journal has published 32 issues, with each research article on its own dedicated webpage.
Among more than 200 undergraduate research journals cataloged by the Council on Undergraduate Research, the Elon Journal remains one of the few focused exclusively on student work in journalism, media and communications.