Faculty Research

Cronkite School faculty members engage in a variety of research and creative activities, resulting in books, papers, television programs, newspaper and magazine articles and public relations campaigns that are disseminated to members of the public as well as the academy. In a recent six-year period, the school's faculty:

• Published numerous books with major commercial houses and university presses.
• Published scores of refereed journal articles in such prestigious outlets as Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Communication Law and Policy and the Journal of Media Economics.
• Produced award-winning television documentaries and other productions.
• Wrote frequent op-ed columns and magazines stories.

Some examples: Professor Don Godfrey, Associate Professor Craig Allen and Instructor Michael Casavantes are authorities on media history and broadcasting. Associate Dean Marianne Barrett writes on media ownership and Professor John Craft has produced a number of documentaries, including one on Route 66 that has been shown internationally.

Race and media issues are critically important areas for the Cronkite faculty. Associate Professor Sharon Bramlett-Solomon's work examines media depictions of race; Assistant Professor Xu Wu’s work on cybernationalism has been published both in English and Chinese; and Dean Christopher Callahan, Assistant Dean Kristin Gilger and Knight Chair Steve Doig have done important national research on news diversity issues.

Associate Professor Bill Silcock examines newsroom culture and how it differs from one country to another. Associate Professor Carol Schwalbe studies the role of images in shaping ideas and public opinion, ethical concerns about publishing violent images and the visual framing of the Iraq War. Assistant Professor Leslie-Jean Thornton writes on professional journalism practices, convergence and new media. She is particularly interested in the various "digital divides" that may or may not form as a result of changed distribution and reporting forms for news.

Assistant Professor Serena Carpenter has published several articles on online journalism, news quality, citizen journalism and the sociology of news production, while Assistant Professor Dawn Gilpin studies the interactions between organizations, media and public policy, particularly in terms of organizational and issue identity and the dynamics of knowledge and power.

Associate Professor Mary-Lou Galician is a media literacy scholar who has given talks to national and international audiences on product placement and mass media depictions of romance. Associate Professor Fran Matera's work on Hispanic audiences is conducted in both English and Spanish. Associate Professor Dennis Russell is concerned with mass-mediated popular culture, critical studies and film, literary and music analysis. Associate Professor Joseph Russomanno is an expert on First Amendment law, and Professor Ed Sylvester focuses on health and medical journalism.