Academic Copy & Visual Aids

In this section of my portfolio, you will find examples of academic work which demonstrate my ability to write for a specialized audience and effectively communicate complex ideas in straightforward terms. I have included my Master's thesis from the University of South Carolina, a historical research paper with Chicago style citation, and a digital poster for research-in-progress shared at the 2019 Broadcast Education Association conference.

Master's Thesis:

How S.C. Daily Newspapers framed the removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in 2015 through letters to the editor and editorials

I completed the majority of my M.A. degree while working at WSPA and presented the final version of my thesis to my committee at the University of South Carolina while in the first semester of my Ph.D. program at Arizona State University. Mentally juggling these tasks was difficult but rewarding.

The thesis itself reflects my desire to understand forms of journalism outside of my occupational familiarity: television production and digital publication. I had limited experience with print media in college working for our on-campus newspaper.

I wanted to understand how the newspapers in my home state of South Carolina discussed the controversial topic of the Confederate flag's removal from a Civil War memorial on the State House grounds. The flag's removal was a direct result of the racially-motivated Emmanuel AME church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

The research demonstrates my ability to use academic theory (framing) to better understand the field of journalism and how the public interacts with news sources as a platform for discussion. As a result, I discovered that the distribution size of the newspaper and audience participation matters just as much as the demographics of where a newspaper is located. I also learned more about the history of South Carolina and the variety of perspectives that can be held by the public on an issue that appears binary on its face - symbol of "hate" or "heritage".

Historical Research:

A critical analysis of newspaper coverage of the raised fist as a symbol of the Black Power Movement from 1966-1969

Historical research is fascinating to me, and I love any opportunity to learn more about historical events through the journalistic lens.

This research sample originated as part of an assignment for a methodology course taken at the University of South Carolina. I loved the idea of the research so much that I continued developing the paper after I completed the class.

Utilizing an archive of newspaper articles published across the U.S., I collected all instances where the terms "raised", "fist" and "Black Power" were written in the same article. To narrow my search, I looked for the origins of the raised fist imagery associated with the Black Power movement, which led me to 1966. While a few articles appeared that year, the association in newspaper articles didn't really stick until 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and presidential election coverage of George Wallace began. The last articles in 1969 showed the sign being co-opted into the military to shore up ranks in the face of potential dissent by Black U.S. soldiers as the conflict in Vietnam was surging.

This research demonstrates my ability to collect, organize and analyze historical documents, as well as the ability to use Chicago style citations. Also, I emphasize the importance of the theory of semiotics (signs and symbols) as shared through journalists in their reports. The raised fist has found renewed symbolic popularity in contemporary society as protests against police brutality have increased in the past decade. Acknowledging public use of this symbol and its representation by journalists in news media can help us understand how the sign evolves and will likely be co-opted again in the near future, if it hasn't already.

Digital Poster Presentation:

Examining Exchange between Local Television News and Public Information Officers

This digital poster was created from a research proposal design that was used for a class assignment at Arizona State University. The intended research design had to be submitted to a committee and approved before I was selected to present with 30 other graduate-level scholars. I then turned the proposed research into a poster to be displayed on a large monitor in the main convention hall.

The proposed research differs from my other work, which focused on newspapers, by looking critically at local television news workers and how they view information exchange with public information officers working for law enforcement agencies. Prior research utilizing the theories of Social Exchange and Network Exchange are used to guide this proposed research. These theories look at the value of intrinsic elements like information, status and love in trades or exchanges, compared to extrinsic elements like money or valuable goods.

I have included the poster in my portfolio to demonstrate that I know how to effectively condense information into a one-page document. Also, I had to present this research proposal to interested academics at a large academic conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, who would go down the line of presentations and ask about your work. I am able to effectively respond to questions and potential criticism of my work in front of strangers, and I feel comfortable presenting my work to others, even if it is not complete at the time.