Study on Media Development now available

My study titled "Making Meaning of Media Development Today" is now available in the International Journal of Communication. Here is the abstract:

This article aims to fill a gap in the academic literature on how employees at a media development intermediary construct meaning of their work. Based on in-depth interviews with 18 employees of Internews, this research shows that employees believe the organization has “evolved” from the past to include the entire “information ecosystem” today. Themes that emerged include a focus on information as a solution, an emphasis on local communities, the desire to give voice to marginalized communities, and a practice of listening. Interviewees strictly adhered to official narratives of their work and to contemporary development orthodoxy, perhaps because of group think and participant bias. Despite these narratives, we have to consider the ulterior motives of media development as a neocolonial project. Although some of the results may seem obvious, there is merit in documenting these findings to demystify media development work today.

Launch of International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies

Happy to celebrate the publication of the International Encyclopedia of Journalism Studies at the ICA conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday with co-editor Tim Vos and co-associate editors Annika Sehl and Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou. The encyclopedia includes more than 250 entries in three volumes. I enjoyed working with about 40 authors on their entries over the past few years.

With Tim Vos, Annika Sehl and Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou

Showing Off My New Regalia

Very proud to be wearing my new University of Texas regalia

Social Justice and Diversity and Vocation Fellows

I was fortunate enough to be selected as a Social Justice and Diversity and Vocation Fellow at Butler this year. The university will soon require the completion of a Social Justice and Diversity course for all students as part of the Core Curriculum. We are thinking about SJD as well as vocation as part of this fellowship.

Social Justice and Diversity and Vocation Fellows 

New Article Alert

My article on gender in media development at Internews was published in The Journal of International Communication at the end of March. It is available here. 

Happy to see my research in print!

With my IDL mentor, Lori Bergen

Lori and I on the last day of my visit

I learned a lot about academic leadership from Lori this week and am thankful for this opportunity provided by AEJMC's Institute for Diverse Leadership.

Visiting Boulder

I am in Boulder, Colorado, this week to visit my leadership mentor, Dean Lori Bergen, as part of the AEJMC's Institute for Diverse Leadership. It has been great so far, but today we are snowed in because of the "bomb cyclone" that hit Colorado.

View from my hotel 

ASJMC Winter Workshop

I am attending the ASJMC Winter Workshop in Houston this weekend as part of the AEJMC's Institute for Diverse Leadership. Lots of interesting sessions!

Members of the IDL  group