News 37 | College of Media

Illinois Student Newsroom at IPM trains students alongside professionals in new campus collaboration

November 5, 2021 | Liz Westfield, Illinois Public Media

Illinois Student Newsroom students — *Students learn about audio tools in the Illinois Student Newsroom at Illinois Public Media. (Photos by Isabella Pennebaker, photography intern.)*

Illinois Public Media and the Department of Journalism are thrilled to officially announce the founding of the Illinois Student Newsroom at Illinois Public Media—a collaborative place for journalism students to work side-by-side with professionals in all facets of a public media newsroom.

“The Illinois Student Newsroom at IPM is a great reflection of our educational strategic priorities at the College of Media,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “We’re bringing together two parts of the college—IPM and the Department of Journalism—to foster experiential learning.”

“Illinois Public Media is proud to support the next generation of upcoming journalists through this new student newsroom initiative, created in partnership with the Department of Journalism,” said Moss Bresnahan, executive director of IPM, which is a non-profit public media service of the College of Media.

“IPM is an ideal space for students to gain experience working in the field, while receiving personal guidance from journalists, and producing content for a professional media organization,” said Professor Stephanie Craft, head of the Department of Journalism.

The program is led by Chris Evans, clinical assistant professor in journalism (pictured at right). His position was created in 2020 to facilitate students gaining real-world experience at IPM. The Illinois Student Newsroom at IPM offers space for students to learn how to report, write, interview, and anchor, as well as build a portfolio of work across audio, video, and multimedia platforms, right in the heart of a dynamic working newsroom.

“Student journalists can now produce segments, create multimedia content, and experiment with a variety of tools, while also gaining a unique experience in a fast-paced professional environment and supporting our public service mission,” Bresnahan added.

In the past year, as the Illinois Student Newsroom was being developed, Evans has connected students with the IPM news team to produce impactful journalism for the greater central Illinois community.

“We have already shown if they’re willing do the work, a first-year student has as much of an opportunity to get on the air as a senior or even a grad student,” Evans said. “And as an educator, it’s been just thrilling to watch the students grow and thrive and begin their careers here at Illinois Public Media. The fact that the students have already started winning state and national awards for their work is awesome, too.”

For example, as an inaugural member of the Illinois Student Newsroom last year, Farrah Anderson—now a sophomore in journalism and senior student producer—reported on University of Illinois athletes’ response to the Black Lives Matter movement and their decision to lead a march in August 2020, which earned her first-place accolades in the Student Spot News category of the Public Media Journalists Association Awards.

“My experience with the Illinois Student Newsroom has been formative in my career as both a journalist and a multimedia storyteller,” Anderson said. “As a reporter, I was plunged into the world of audio storytelling and had the opportunity to report on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and the surrounding community. By moving into my role as a producer in the student newsroom, I now edit and mentor other students that were in my same position just a year ago.”

Not only do the students learn from the professional journalists and journalism educators, but the program is also structured where they can learn from each other. Both Anderson and fellow inaugural member, Vivian La, a sophomore in journalism, have gone from student reporter to senior student producer in their short tenure.

“I’ve really enjoyed guiding new reporters on the complexities of audio journalism,” La said, “and hearing their stories on the air is so exciting! I’m very honored to be a part of the newsroom and tell stories that impact our local community. With the guidance of Professor Chris Evans and some of the full-time reporters, I’ve learned something new every week that solidifies my interests in the wide world of journalism.”

The newsroom experience also ensures that student reporters receive professional mentorship and feedback along the way.

“The Illinois Student Newsroom at IPM helps put more central Illinois voices on the air,” said Reginald Hardwick, news and public affairs director for IPM. “These talented University of Illinois journalism students help cover the news on-air and online while working alongside some of the best journalists in public media. We’re glad to broaden coverage, but we are also delighted to help guide the careers of America’s next generation of storytellers.”

Follow the students’ work at will.illinois.edu/studentnewsroom and hear their stories on WILL-AM 580 or illinoisnewsroom.org.

New Voices Internship Program pairs Media students with in-house opportunities to build job skills

November 2, 2021 | Holly Rushakoff

As part of a commitment to provide internship opportunities for first generation students and students from underrepresented populations, the College of Media launched the New Voices Internship Program this fall. Interns in the program will gain a variety of media-related skills through in-house projects and career development workshops.

The pilot program, supported by the Office of the Provost, will be coordinated by Media Career Services within the college’s Student Services Center. This year, approximately 10 students, mostly freshmen and new transfer students, will be provided with a year-long paid internship experience.

“This program is designed to provide Media students with career-building experiential learning opportunities from the day they arrive on campus,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “The experience will also broaden their network of resources within the college. In turn, we’re benefitting from the interns’ unique perspectives, such as getting feedback on preferred ways to reach and communicate with prospective students who are beginning to research Media majors.”

At their initial meeting, the interns expressed interest in learning more about traditional and non-traditional career options and creating content for an academic institution. For their first project, the interns shared insights and ideas about the college’s communications channels, and offered ways in which they could help.

“We’re excited to match students with faculty and staff within the College of Media to develop skills related to their major and career interests,” said Katie Clark, senior assistant dean for student services. “The students will be able to build their resume quickly with projects that will entail interviewing, writing, photographing, storyboarding, video editing, and more.”

Jackie Barba, a freshman in journalism (pictured at right), is excited to be one of the inaugural interns who can help shape how the program functions and grows.

“I hope to explore other strengths I might have,” Barba said. “For example, some of the projects we’ve already done have helped widen my understanding of what working in communications can be like, and I actually really enjoyed that. I also hope to gain friendships and connections with other College of Media students who are involved in the program!”

Help our students by investing in an endowment

We invite our alumni and friends to help support the New Voices Internship Program and sustain its future. Your gift is an investment in our next generation of media leaders and will give a diverse group of students the opportunity to develop valuable skills applicable to the media industry. To give, visit our Giving page, click on the orange button, and under “Other,” type in “New Voices Internship Program.”

To learn more about this program and how you can help support first generation and underrepresented college students, please contact Deanne Johnson, assistant dean for advancement, at 217-333-0752 or jhns@illinois.edu.

Media faculty and TAs make list of teachers ranked as excellent

Congratulations to all of the College of Media faculty and teaching assistants who were ranked as excellent by their students!

This list is based on Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) questionnaire forms completed by students during the Spring 2021 semester. Only those instructors who distributed ICES forms at least once during this time period and who released their data for publication are included in the list. View the complete list.

Note: * denotes that the instructor ratings were outstanding.

ADVERTISING

JACOB FISHER – ADV 305

STEVE HALL – ADV 150

CHANG-DAE HAM – ADV 460

JACQUELINE HITCHON – ADV 283

* TERRY KASDAN – ADV 409

* AMANDA MABRY-FLYNN – ADV 283

* SHACHAR MERON – ADV 498

MICHELLE NELSON – ADV 582

SANG-HWA OH – ADV 410

* MARISA PEACOCK – ADV 350, 491

PETER SHELDON – ADV 390

JOURNALISM

CHRISTOPHER BALL – JOUR 199

STEPHANIE CRAFT – JOUR 250

KEN ERDEY – JOUR 445

CAROL LOMBARDI – JOUR 220

* JEAN MCDONALD – JOUR 460

ERIC MEYER – JOUR 425

MARGARET YEE-MAN NG – JOUR 460

NIKKI USHER – JOUR 199, 452

MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES

* VICTOR FONT – MACS 480, 481

JOSH HEUMAN – MACS 320

SUSAN MUIRHEAD – MACS 372

HARSH TANEJA – MACS 572

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

S. DAS – MACS 100

Y. GAO – MACS 100

Y. LEE – ADV 281

* G. MALO – MACS 101

A. MUKHOPADHYAY – MACS 100

J. PYO – MACS 100

Media Technology Center set to launch for 2022-2023 academic year

October 6, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

Room 9 Gregory Hall — Gregory Hall Room 9 (circa 2014) was previously used as a collaboration classroom. The space will serve as the Media Technology Center by Fall 2022.

An idea long in the making—a Media Technology Center for students in the College of Media—will finally come to life in the basement of Gregory Hall during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The center was made possible by a generous $50,000 gift from Jim and Amy Schlueter to the College of Media Innovation Fund, and by a $100,000 investment from the Office of the Provost.

“We’re excited to establish a physical space that meets and supports instructional equipment needs for our students,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “We will have a variety of technology and resources that students can check out or access online. They can explore equipment that they’d like to use for class projects and receive guidance on how to use it from the staff.”

The project is just getting underway this fall. The college is currently clearing out furniture stored in Greg Hall Room 9, the future location of the center, so a new coat of paint and floor repairs can take place. Then equipment lockers will be added, as well as a workspace for students to experiment with new technology in time for Fall 2022 classes.

“Over the past few years, the College of Media has been taking important steps in pursuing the new technologies and innovative research that will give our students the opportunity to be future leaders in our fields,” said Jim Schlueter (BS ’80, journalism). “We are thrilled to help the college establish a place where our students can get access to the equipment, training, and assistance with using the tools they need. It’s our hope the center will be another special space in the basement of Greg Hall that will prepare our students for their careers and also be a place where they build great memories.”

Meghan Burnett, director of IT and operations for the College of Media, will be the staff lead for the renovation and launch of the facility.

“The Media Technology Center will provide students with a location to get some hands-on experience with different media technology,” Burnett said. “It will be a space where students can come to ask questions about their own equipment or to borrow something they need for an assignment.”

The College of Media is considering each department’s distinct needs in developing the facility. The Media Technology Center will enhance the services available to students, and at the same time, provide departments with flexibility.

Members of the college’s Technology Committee, which will play an important role in shaping the space, will work with their respective department heads to decide how the facility can best serve student and faculty needs.

The College of Media Innovation Fund supports projects like this, contributing to faculty and student research, technology advancements, and cutting-edge pedagogy. To give, please visit the College of Media giving page, click on the orange “Give Online Now” button, and select the College of Media Innovation Fund under “Champion Innovation in Media Research & Collaborations.”

Balz receives inaugural College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award

October 6, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

When Dan Balz (BS ’68, MS ’72, journalism) arrived at the University of Illinois, he had no idea that he would choose journalism as his lifelong profession. His older brother, the late Doug Balz, who was also a journalism alumnus, had recommended that he join The Daily Illini. It was there that he fell in love with the craft as well as the camaraderie that he shared with fellow student journalists.

Balz, chief correspondent at The Washington Post, said his Illinois education and the College of Media have shaped his life and career in all kinds of ways, “from the classroom learning, to the mentoring from faculty members, to working on The Daily Illini, to the friendships that have been maintained. I am incredibly grateful for all of that.”

He has held a unique vantage point of history in the making, covering national politics since joining The Washington Post in 1978. He is also a regular panelist on PBS’s Washington Week, a frequent guest on other public affairs programs, and the author of several books on politics and elections, including two bestsellers.

Because of his extraordinary career, Balz has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the College of Media Distinguished Alumni Award.

“This new annual award honors an alum whose career accomplishments and engagement with the College of Media are exemplary,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “Dan has greatly contributed to the profession of journalism, reporting on our democracy for four decades, and has generously supported the College of Media and our students over the years.”

“I really enjoy political reporting,” Balz said. “You get to go around the country, you learn about the politics in different states—which every state has its own rich political heritage—and it gave me the opportunity to cover presidential campaigns and to see the evolving nature of the person who eventually gets elected as the President of the United States.”

After working as a Capitol Hill intern during his sophomore year, Balz knew that he wanted to go to Washington, D.C., as a reporter. For most of his career, he has had front-row seats to the presidential candidates before they are bound by the trappings of the Oval Office, and he gets to observe how newly appointed presidents handle high-pressure situations.

For him, a presidential campaign is like a Rorschach test for the nation.

“The candidates are important, obviously, but a lot of it has to do with the mood of the country and what voters are looking for, and trying to understand all those forces that come together as a campaign,” Balz said. “To me, that has always been stimulating and that has always been different, so it keeps you fresh.”

Balz described political reporting as part biography. “You are watching people, and learning about people, and writing about people. But it also gives you a chance to understand the country and its history.”

Some of his most memorable stories include covering the election of President Barack Obama and the death of Princess Diana.

“The 2008 election campaign was just infused with history and the competition between [Barack] Obama and [Hillary] Clinton was unlike anything that I have ever covered in a presidential campaign,” Balz said.

“The death of Princess Diana was also just an incredible story, in part because it was so revealing of the country as a whole, and the outpouring of anger towards the Royal Family and the tabloid media,” he added.

He said the most rewarding part of his career is to have been at The Washington Post for as long as he has been. He considers it to be a great fortune to have worked under talented editors and to continuously learn from other members of the newsroom for more than 40 years.

“In a sense, I have had to reinvent myself every few years as faces change and demands change and stories change,” Balz said. “That, for me, journalistically, has been the greatest thing.”

For journalism students, Balz shared: “As you start out as a journalist, you will see that every great journalist, no matter what they do, there’s intellectual curiosity, desire to read widely, a fundamental energy to chase and get the story, and a self-critical nature of never believing you’ve figured out how to do the job as good as it ought to be done.”

Davis receives inaugural College of Media Emerging Leader Award

October 6, 2021 | Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

Suheily Natal Davis (BS ’04, broadcast journalism), senior director of global diversity, equity, and inclusion at McDonald’s, has led a life of championing others through her professional and personal endeavors.

She felt the difference that a welcoming community and a strong support system can make during her time at the University of Illinois.

“I think there were so many instances where such a big school felt very cozy and warm because of how other diverse students looked out for some of us who were coming in, especially from Chicago,” Davis said.

Davis notably has compassion for others—whether helping people navigate the legal system, encouraging underrepresented populations to work in law, or providing resources to expectant families.

Because of the impact of her work and volunteerism, Davis has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the College of Media Emerging Leader Award.

“We created this new annual award to honor an alum whose early career accomplishments and engagement with the College of Media are exemplary,” said Dean Tracy Sulkin. “We’re proud to acknowledge the important work that Suheily has dedicated her career to, while serving her community in leadership roles, and engaging with and supporting students in the College of Media.”

Davis currently serves on the board of directors for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and the National Employment Law Council. She previously served on the College of Media’s Leadership Council, on the board of directors for the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program, and on the associate board for CARPLS, the largest provider of free legal aid to Chicago area residents. Davis also stays very close to her roots on the south side of Chicago through the graduate chapter of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, by working on mentorship programs aimed at supporting young girls from her neighborhood.

Davis has also held leadership roles in legal organizations aimed specifically at increasing the meaningful retention and participation of women of color in the legal profession, both the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Chicago and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago. In 2017, Davis was named by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the top 40 attorneys under 40 to watch.

“In my house we didn’t always have much, but what we did have we always shared with anyone who needed it. The truth is, I would not be in the rooms I am in today had it not been for others who invested in my development and brought me along with them,” Davis said. “The least I can do to honor the people who created opportunities for me is to help open doors and break down barriers for others. The experiences I have had serving my community, legal or otherwise, have helped give me so much perspective and serve as constant reminders that we are all better when we work together.”

She joined McDonald’s Corporation in 2014 as senior counsel for global labor and employment, where her work primarily focused on counseling around issues of fair treatment in the workplace, including maintaining a safe and respectful workplace free of harassment and discrimination of any kind. In 2019, after working exclusively with McDonald’s U.S. business, Davis transitioned into the role of general counsel for McDonald’s Latin American markets. During her time in the legal department, Davis helped develop and lead the legal department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. She was promoted this year to her current role, in which she partners with the McDonald’s U.S. leadership team to drive strategic diversity initiatives.

“The role combines my passion for equity and fairness with my love for counseling, people, development, and community service,” Davis said. “My best days are when I get to work alongside one of our leaders to help them grow in their journey to be more inclusive and empathetic, or when I get to weigh in on how our brand will use our size and scope to produce meaningful change in society. This is a big, new role with a lot of responsibility, but I am honored that I get to do this work.”

Her roots in journalism stemmed from being fascinated with news and people’s stories. (So much so that her childhood punishment was that she couldn’t watch the news or her favorite investigative shows, 20/20 and Dateline.)

“I think that journalism to me felt like a very good vehicle to learn more about people and how they function, what makes them tick and also to think about whose stories are being told and whose stories are being left behind,” Davis said.

It was during a First Amendment course in journalism at the University of Illinois when Professor Steve Helle, noting that the subject matter sparked excitement in her, pulled her aside and asked if she ever considered pursuing law as a profession.

After discussing it with her family, she decided to follow that career path and eventually earned her JD from DePaul Law School.

Other experiences at the University of Illinois influenced her dedication to inclusion.

She recalled how she was the only person of color in her first class as a college student and realized she would need to navigate spaces with people of different backgrounds, communicating about differences, and across cultures.

“I feel like I grew a lot,” Davis said. “I was stretched in different ways beyond just academics. That concept of lifting while you climb and making room at the table for everyone, that collaborative nature, is something that was fostered at the time I was in college.”

Davis has been lifting others in many ways. Six years ago, she and her husband started a foundation called The Perfect Cadence following the tragedy of losing their daughter. The foundation provides baby showers and celebrations for families who do not have access to resources, and it also provides support for families who have experienced similar losses.

“For me, frankly, I had to give some sort of meaning to that loss to be able to cope,” Davis said. “The foundation was a way to create memories that could stand in place of the memories that we couldn’t have with our daughter, and it’s given us just that.”

Davis has come a long way since being a college student who regularly battled self-doubt. She offered words of encouragement for current students:

“Trust that you are here for a reason, your voice matters, your instinct and your presence are valuable,” Davis said. “There’s frankly so much in the world to deter you and you may have your own difficulties or conflicts, but trust that you are right where you are supposed to be and take a moment to enjoy what’s around you.”

The Frank Center for Leadership & Innovation in Media Presents: A Panel on Sports and Social Media

From Naomi Osaka announcing her French Open exit on Instagram to the viral video of Illini gymnast Evan Manivong brandishing his vaccination card, how social media platforms enable and shape interactions among athletes, sports teams, fans, brands, and many others is increasingly clear. Athletes and teams can and do control what they post to social media accounts, but not what happens afterward, as those messages are shared, commented on, used as source material in news stories, and so on. This panel will consider some of the issues, pitfalls, benefits, and concerns where social media and sports intersect.

Panelists include:
Josh Whitman, University of Illinois Athletic Director
Colleen Kane (BS ’03, Journalism), Sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune
Alex Iniguez (BS ’11, Journalism), Senior Editor at The Athletic
De’Myla Brown, Fighting Illini women’s basketball player and journalism student
Moderator: Alison Davis (BS ’91, MS ’11, Journalism), Lecturer in the Department of Journalism

ICR student accomplishments in 2020-2021

Congratulations to our students in the Institute of Communications Research for all of their hard work in the 2020-2021 academic year. They have written articles for publication, edited a journal, presented research at conferences, and received numerous awards, grants, and honors. Below is a roundup of their accomplishments.

PUBLICATIONS

Craft, S., & Kristensen, M. (2020). Noise and the Values of News. In M. Powers & A. Russell (Eds.), Rethinking Media Research for Changing Societies (pp. 78-88). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108886260.006

Goel, K., Cai, S., Ogwal, S., Wong, A., Engel, L.C., & McCarthy, C. (2020). The world before us: reappraising globalization in education in the tumult of contemporary change, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2020.1836744

Gu, J. (2021). Regulating Obscenity in Chinese Livestreaming: An Ongoing Mediation between the Private and the Public, the Nation and the Market. Asiascape: Digital Asia, 8, 71-92.

Ham, C. D., Chung, U. C., Kim, W. J., Lee, S. Y., & Oh, S. H. (In press). Greener than Others? Exploring Generational Differences in Green Purchase Intent. International Journal of Market Research. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14707853211034108

Ham, C. D., Ryu, S., Lee, J., Chung, U. C., Buteau, E., & Sar, S. (Accepted for publication) Intrusive or Relevant? Exploring How Consumers Avoid Native Facebook Ads through Decomposed Persuasion Knowledge. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising.

Hu, X., & Wise, K. (2021). How playable ads influence consumer attitude: Exploring the mediation effects of perceived control and freedom threat. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(2), 295-315, DOI: 10.1108/JRIM-12-2020-0269.

Hu, X., & Yao, M. Z. (2021). Judging a book by its cover: Investigating consumer responses toward sponsored YouTube product review videos. Journal of Media Business Studies, DOI: 10.1080/16522354.2021.1960721.

Jarreau, P. B., Su, L. Y.-F., Chiang, E. C.-L., Bennett, S. M., Zhang, J. S., Ferguson, M., & Algarra, D. (2021). COVID ISSUE: Visual Narratives About COVID-19 Improve Message Accessibility, Self-Efficacy, and Health Precautions. Frontiers in Communication, 6(164). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.712658

Jiang, H., & Zhang, M. (2021). Online information adoption about public infrastructure projects in China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 310, 127527.

Kang, Y. (2021). Beyond the layout: reading South Korean animations as affective-performative assemblages, Feminist Media Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2021.1939401

Khan, A., Natarajan, S., & Bhalla, S. (2021). Climate Strikes in Millennial India: Social Capital and “On-Ground” Networks in Digital-First Movements. Communication, Culture and Critique. https://doi.org/10.1093/ccc/tcab035

Kim, W. J., Ryoo, Y. (Accepted for publication) Hypocrisy Induction: Using Chatbots to Promote COVID-19 Social Distancing. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Kim, W. J., Ryoo, Y.,Yoon, S., & Kim, K. (Accepted for publication) Ethical Dissonance in Environmental Advertising: Moderating Effects of Self-Benefit vs. Other-Benefit Appeals. International Journal of Advertising.

Lee, S.Y., Yao, M., & Su, L.Y.-F. (In press). Unpopular Opinions vs Trolling: What can Dark Personalities Predict? Telematics and Informatics. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101645

Lim, D., Lin, J.S., Chung, U.C., & Ko, Y. (2021). The role of construal fit in threat appeal to persuade young drivers not to text while driving. Journal of Social Marketing, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-06-2020-0109

Liu, Q., Tang, Q., & Wang, Y. (2021). The effects of pretraining intervention in immersive embodied virtual reality cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Behaviour & Information Technology, 1-13.

Liu, Q., Wang, Y., Tang, Q., & Liu, Z. (2020). Do You Feel the Same as I Do? Differences in Virtual Reality Technology Experience and Acceptance Between Elderly Adults and College Students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2555.

Nelson, M.R., Das, S., & Ahn, R.J. (2020). A Prescription for Health: (Pseudo)Scientific Advertising of Fruits and Vegetables in the Early 20th Century. Advertising & Society Quarterly 21(1), doi:10.1353/asr.2020.0007.

Ryoo, Y. & Kim, W. J. (Accepted for publication) Social Norms and Compliance in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Communication

Samayeen, N., Wong, A., & McCarthy, C. (2020): Space to breathe: George Floyd, BLM plaza and the monumentalization of divided American Urban landscapes, Educational Philosophy and Theory, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2020.1795980

Samayeen, N., Wong, A., & McCarthy, C. (2021). Espacio para Respirar: George Floyd, la Plaza CLM y la Monumentalización de los Paisajes Estadounidenses Urbanos Divididos. Revista Enfoques Educacionales, 17(2), 73-88. doi:10.5354/0717-3229.2020.60637

Shabalina, O.I., & Nelson, M.R. (2020). Knowledge and Experience of Targeting and Retargeting in Online Advertising across Age Cohorts. In L.P. Shestyorkina & L.K. Lobodenko (Eds.), Media communications and Internet marketing in digital civilization (Vol. 2, pp. 270-298). Chelyabinsk: South-Ural State University publishing center.

Wang, Y., & Yao, M. Z. (2020). Did you notice the ads? Examining the influence of telepresence and user control on the effectiveness of embedded billboard ads in a VR racing game. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 20(3), 258-272.

Wong, A. (2020). Mapping signs and making them stick: discursive power and the semiotic construction of a ‘world’s leader’, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, DOI: 10.1080/01596306.2020.1836748

Xu, X. (2021). Can Artificial Newscasters Bring Us Closer? A Comparison of Human and Artificial Newscasters on Outgroup Empathy. An extended abstract of 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference.

Zhang, M., Wang, X. and Hu, Y. (Accepted for publication), Strategic Framing Matters but Varies: A Structural Topic Modeling Approach to Analyzing China’s Foreign Propaganda about the 2019 Hong Kong Protests on Twitter, Social Science Computer Review.

JOURNAL EDITORSHIP

Goel, K., Cai, S., Ogwal, S., Wong, A., Engel, L.C., & McCarthy, C., (Eds.) (2021). Reassessing globalization: new perspectives on education in the tumult of global change, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.

CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS

Bhalla, S., & Ray, R. (2021). Foregrounding space and context: A discursive study of fact-checking in India. Presented at SACA-AEJMC.

Cano, A. A., & Perez S. (2020). The Chola Wannabe: A Chicana Reflection on Culture Appropriation of Chola and Aesthetics. Plática presented at the La Chola Conference, Oceanside, CA.

Cano, A. A. (2021). Panel presentation for the Social Dilemma Netflix Documentary Open Conversation at California State University of San Bernardino.

Chen, C., Hu, X., & Fisher, J. T. (2021). A systematic review of immersion: exploring the cognitive and social processes underlying immersive experiences. Paper accepted to be present at the National Communication Association 107th Annual Convention.

Chung, U. C., Ham, C. D., Lee, S. Y., Kim, W. J., & Oh, S. H. (2021). Understanding Ad-block Wall and Its Effects on Online Publisher and Advertising through Psychological Reactance. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Chung, U. C., Ham, C. D., Lee, S. Y., Kim, W. J., & Oh, S. H. (2021). Understanding Ad-block Wall and Its Effects on Online Publisher and Advertising through Psychological Reactance. Korea Advertising Society (KAS) 2021 Global Colloquium, Gangneung, Korea.

Chung, U. C., Seok, A.Y., & Ham, C. D. (2021). Seeker or Sentry? Consumers’ Coping Mechanism with Third-Party Cookie Driven Advertising: Multidimensional Persuasion Knowledge Perspective. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Gong, Z., Su, L. Y.-F., Zhang, J. S., Chen, T., & Wang, Y.-C. (2021). How Are Food Date Labels Associated with Consumer-level Food Waste? A Mixed-design Experiment. Presented at the 71st Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, virtual.

Gu, J. (2021). Mediating Intimacy and Performing Labor: Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Live/Life Streaming. Presented at the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.

Gu, J. & Pyo, J. (2021). All-in-one Apps: Formation of Transnational Cultural Identity on WeChat and KakaoTalk, the 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference, Virtual.

Ham, C. D., Chung, U. C., Kim, W. J., Lee, S. Y., & Oh, S. H. (2021). Greener than Others? Exploring Generational Differences in Green Perceptions and Purchase Intentions of the US Consumer: Consumer Socialization and Social Intelligence Perspectives. American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Ham, C. D., Chung, U. C., Kim, W. J., Lee, S. Y., & Oh, S. H. (2021). Greener than Others? Exploring Generational Differences in Green Perceptions and Purchase Intentions of the US Consumer: Consumer Socialization and Social Intelligence Perspectives. Korea Advertising Society (KAS) 2021 Global Colloquium, Gangneung, Korea.

Heo, S. J. (2021). Stick to the task when I am serious about my shopping: the effects of conversation styles of recommendation agents on consumer trust and privacy concerns. ICA annual conference.

Hu, X., & Chen, C. (2021). Visual or textual superiority effect? Investigating the effect of presentation format and individual processing propensity on mental imagery of online product information. American Academy of Advertising conference.

Kim, S.J., Lee, S.Y., Lee, H., Yao, S (2021). How News Usage and the Perceived Credibility of Government News Sources Contributed to Engaging in Preventive Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Korean American Communication Association Division of AEJMC annual conference, Virtual.

Kim, W. J., Ryoo, Y., & Yoon, S. K., Kim, K. (2020). Ethical Dissonance Influences on the Effectiveness of Other-Benefit versus Self-Benefit Appeals in Environmental Advertising. 2020 ICAMA-KAS International Conference. Online.

Kim, W. J., Ryoo, Y., Chung, U. C., & Kim, M. J. (2021). How Moral Failure Leverages Online Ethical Behaviors. American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Kim, W. J., Ryoo, Y., Lee, S. Y., & Lee, J. A. (2021). Chatbot Advertising as a Double-edged Sword: The Roles of Regulatory Focus, Ad Personalization, and Privacy Concern. American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Online.

Kristensen, M., & Craft, S. (2020) Making News (Values) Relevant Again: A Ritual Approach. Journalism Division of ICA 2021.

Lee, H., Kim, S. J., Lee, S.Y., Yao, S., Wongmith, N., & Chock, T. M. (2021). Confusion about the Coronavirus: The effects of uncertainty on information seeking behaviors. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Virtual.

Lee, H., Kim, S. J., Yao, S., Lee, S.Y., and Chock, T. M. (2021). The Harder the Battle, the More We Talk: The Effects of Perceived Risk of Player-death on Game Enjoyment in Mobile FPS Game. Communication and Technology Division of the International Communication Association annual conterence, Virtual.

Lee, J. A., Lee, S. Y., Ryoo, Y., & Kim, W. J. (2021). Envying social media influencers makes me happy because I am inspired. International Communication Association (ICA), Online.

Lee, S.Y., & Yao, M.Z. (2021). Unpopular Opinions vs Trolling: What can Dark Personalities Predict? Communication and Technology Division of the International Communication Association annual conterence, Virtual.

McKasy, M., Cacciatore, M. A., Yeo, S. K., Zhang, J. S., Cook, J., & Olaleye, R. M. (2021). The Impact of Emotion and Humor on Support for Global Warming Action. Presented at the 71st Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, virtual.

Mukhopadhyay, A. (2021). Fragmented nation televised: “Buniyaad” and the narrative(s) of postcolonial India. Television Histories in Development conference hosted by the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

Mukhopadhyay, A. (2021). Racial Orders and Neoliberal borders: Digital media and Racialized citizenship during Covid in India. Royal Geographic Society Annual Conference. London, UK.

Nelson, M. R., Ham, C. D., Haley, E., & Chung, U. C. (2021). Political Advertising in the United States: Persuasion Knowledge and Support for Regulation in Social Media. American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Oh, S. H., Lee, S.Y., Kim, W. J., Chung, U. C., & Ham C. D. (2021). The Differential Effects of News Media and Social Media on Health Prevention for E-cigarettes: Focusing on the Mediating Role of the Influence of Presumed Media Influence. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Annual Conference, Virtual.

Ray, R. (2021). Does SNS platform choice matter? Analyzing perceptions of the U.S-China trade conflict through item-response theory. Adjudged as one of the 4 promising student papers of the Information Systems Division of ICA.

Ray, R., Bhalla, S., Taneja, H. (2021). Do fact-checkers overcome partisan divides? An investigation of Indian Twitter users. The 71st Annual International Communication Association Conference.

Ryoo, Y., Jeon, Y.W., & Kim, W.J. (2021). Attributions of Blame Following Robot Serivce Failure, The 2021 Korean Society for Consumer Advertising Psychology (KSCAP) Annual Convention, Online.

Ryoo, Y., Soheil, K. Lee, J.A., Kim, W. J., & Sung, Y. (2020). When Does (Does not) Neutralization Lead to Prosocial Actions? 2020 ICAMA-KAS International Conference. Online.

Shabalina, O. (2020). Layout Complexity of Social Media Feeds and Goal-Oriented Visual Search Behavior. Attention & Perception Brown Bag series (Daniel Simons), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Shabalina, O., Hu, X., & K. Wise (2021). Trade-Off Between Layout Congruency and User Experience in Visual Search Behavior on Pinterest Boards. The virtual 104th Annual AEJMC Conference.

Valdivia A., Baez, J., Leon-Boys D., Perez S., & Cano, A. A. (2021). Quinceañera Studies: Intersectional Approaches to a 21st Century Mediated Latinidad. Panel presented at the Cultural Studies Association Conference

POLICY PAPERS

Chan, A., Wong, A., Oliver, M. (2021). Walking Through Time as One: Contextualizing the Impact of the Champaign County Community Coalition. Community Data Clinic in Partnership with the Champaign County Community Coalition.

AWARDS, GRANTS, HONORS

Bhalla, S. (2020-2023). Illinois Distinguished Fellowship

Cano, A. (2021) National Conference in American Higher Education Student Scholarship on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE).

Chung, U. C. (2021). Best Paper (second place) of the Korea Advertising Society (KAS). Greener than Others? Exploring Generational Differences in Green Perceptions and Purchase Intentions of the US Consumer: Consumer Socialization and Social Intelligence Perspectives. Global Colloquium, Awarded by Korea Advertising Society (KAS).

Gu, J. (2021). Donald and Barbara Smalley Graduate Research Fellowship, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Hu, X. (2021). American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Graduate Student Scholarships.

Hu, X. (2021). Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Advertising Division Graduate Student Highlight https://mlashley4.wixsite.com/aejmcaddiv/xiaohan-catherine-hu

Kim, W. J. (2021). Best Conference Paper Award, Korean Society for Consumer Advertising Psychology Annual Convention

Kim, W. J. (2021). American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Graduate Student Scholarships

Kim, W. J. (2021). Best Paper of the Korea Advertising Society, 2021, Global Colloquium,

Kim, W. J. (2021). Graduate Student Conference Scholarship, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Lee, S.Y. (2021). Top Graduate Student Paper Award. Awarded by AEJMC-Korean American Communication Association (How News Usage and the Perceived Credibility of Government News Sources Contributed to Engaging in Preventive Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic).

Mukhopadhyay, A. (2021). Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grant.

Wong, A. (2020). Research Cluster Grant. Humanities Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Community Research Cooperative: Methodologies for Research Justice, with Anita Say Chan, Rachel Magee, Gilberto Rosas, & Karen Rodriguez’G

Wong, A. (2021). Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowship. Center for Global Studies, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign U.S. Department of Education Grant.

Wong, A. (2021). Minorities and Communication Paula Poindexter Student Grant: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Project: Affective Communication within the Context of Localized Media: How journalism and local Asian and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAAPI) communities respond to the anti-Asian hate initiatives with Qinglin Luan and Jane Pyo

Wong, A. (2021). Student Sustainability Committee Grant. Student Sustainability Committee, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Project: Resuscitating Soil for Sustainable Futures. In collaboration with Dr. Esther Ngumbi, Dr. Faye Harrison, Dr. Krystal Smalls, Dr. Ann Yeung, Ken Salo, Lila Dodge and Chibundo Egwuatu

Wong. A. (2020). Research Cluster Grant. Humanities Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Problems in Decolonizing Academia, with Faye Harrison, Cameron McCarthy, Esther Ngumbi, Ken Salo, Krystal Smalls, Chibundo Egwuatu & Lila Dodge

Zhang, M. (2021). Grant from SICSS-Chicago (Summer Institute of Computational Social Science)

Wilson-Brown adds new dimensions to PR courses in College of Media

Carrie Wilson-Brown returned to campus this fall as a lecturer in the Department of Media & Cinema Studies and the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising. She previously attended the College of Media’s Institute of Communications Research as a graduate candidate in 1993 through 1999.

This semester, she is teaching new courses in Public Relations and Entertainment Industry, Becoming an Influencer, and Intro to Public Relations.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join the advertising and media and cinema studies faculties,” Wilson-Brown said. “This dual appointment gives me an opportunity to mentor students with varied media interests and a strong academic focus.”

Wilson-Brown said she is looking forward to connecting with digital-savvy students who are already comfortable creating social media content daily, which is an invaluable skill for those interested in influencer marketing and entertainment public relations.

She plans to develop and teach additional courses that fuse digital storytelling, video production, and public relations.

“I always strive to put classroom content into practice by creating course materials that aid academic discovery and community engagement,” Wilson-Brown said. “I want to expose students to the dynamism of public relations and content creation.”

Since 2001, she had been a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University where she received teaching honors including Outstanding Faculty Member.

Wilson-Brown received her bachelor’s and master’s from Eastern Illinois University, both with a focus on speech communication, and worked towards her doctorate at the University of Illinois concentrating on film and media studies, cultural studies, critical race studies, and Latina/o studies.

—Da Yeon Eom, Communications and Marketing Intern

ICR welcomes 2021 cohort

The Institute of Communications Research is excited to announce our newest cohort! Please learn more about their research interests in their profiles below and join us in welcoming them to the University of Illinois College of Media community this fall.

Tingyu Chen received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and her master’s degree in communication at Renmin University of China. With critical-cultural approaches to media study, she situates her research interests at the intersection of media industry practices, cultural studies, and media criticism. Her recent research focuses on realist media (mainly realist film and documentary) and the culture of production and consumption in contemporary China.

Kirby Cook received her master’s degree in advertising at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and her bachelor’s degree in classical languages and literature from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. Kirby’s master’s thesis, “Evaluating Gender in Retail Servicescapes: Beyond the Heteronormative Binary Approach,” explored how retail companies communicate gender norms and how consumers of diverse backgrounds receive such messages and process shopping experiences. In her doctoral program, Kirby is interested in research pertaining to branding strategy, consumer behavior, and media effects as they relate to consumer identity. Prior to joining the ICR program, Kirby worked for UIUC as a career advisor and communications coordinator for Engineering Career Services at the Grainger College of Engineering, and as an international student advisor at the International Student and Scholar Services office. Before joining the University, Kirby worked abroad in Germany and South Korea as a consultant, adjunct lecturer, and high school English teacher.

Seo-Jeong (Rachel) Heo graduated from Yonsei University (South Korea), receiving her bachelor’s and master’s in communication. She also received a master’s degree in advertising at the University of Texas at Austin. She studies media psychology and marketing communications. Her research interest lies in understanding the social/moral implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and psychological processes in AI-powered technologies, Virtual Reality (VR), and social media. Her recent research focuses on exploring how people make moral judgments toward robots’ behaviors and how we can effectively implement AI in assisting people’s decision-making processes. She is also interested in online consumer privacy and gave a presentation about conversational agents and privacy at the 2021 International Communication Association conference.

Youngin Kang attained her master’s degree in gender, media and culture at Goldsmiths, University of London in 2018. As a new ICR student, she wants to examine the inextricable relations between individual subjectivities in producing, distributing, and appropriating “culture(s)” within various socio-political processes, which construct a discursive mega-text, with which we cognitively, materially, and affectively engage in our everyday lives. Her research interests focus primarily on the unique characteristics of contemporary South Korean popular culture, which are hybrid, albeit, distinctively Korean.

Ketan Krishna holds a master’s degree in media and cultural studies from TISS, Mumbai, and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Hindu College, New Delhi. His research interests are centered around user-generated audio-visual content, art cultures on the internet, and technological change. His previous work includes writings on cinema and music. He has also worked as a documentary filmmaker and video editor on several projects.

Yan (Anna) Liu’s research interest lies in exploring consumer’s cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral responses to brand messages on social media from the socio- psychological perspective. Specifically, she is interested in the influence of relational factors in the process, such as online network, consumer’s relationship with message source, etc. Before joining ICR, she has been working as a professional marketing researcher in Ipsos for about four years.