Research and Insights

CJC at Broadcast Education Association Convention 2016

April 17-20, 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada

Conference papers

Clay Calvert, Brechner Eminent Scholar in Mass Communication, Department of Journalism

Newsgathering Takes Flight: Legal Obstacles Facing Drone Use by Broadcast News Operations

Co-Authors: Charles D. Tobin & Matthew Bunker

Award: Top Faculty Paper, Law and Policy Division

Abstract: This paper examines legal challenges confronting journalists who use drones to gather images. Initially, it traces the history of drones and the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to regulate them, as well as new state legislation that aims to restrict drones.  The paper then illustrates that a wide array of legal remedies already exist for individuals harmed by journalistic drone usage, and it argues that calls for additional, piecemeal state laws to regulate drones are unnecessary and unduly hinder First Amendment interests in newsgathering and the public’s right to know.  Furthermore, the paper asserts that the reasonable-expectation-of-privacy jurisprudence developed in aerial Fourth Amendment cases should be brought to bear in drone intrusion cases.

Defamation Live: The Confusing Legal Landscape of Republication in Live Broadcasting

Co-Author: Matthew Bunker

Award: Second Place Faculty Paper, Law and Policy Division

Abstract: Live, broadcast defamation is a murky area of law garnering surprisingly scant scholarly attention.  But because libel law typically creates republication liability for broadcasters who air defamatory statements uttered by third parties – even when news organizations have no idea what the third parties are about to say – broadcasters covering live, breaking news events face significant risks of liability for remarks by people at the scene. This paper analyzes the case law of live and spontaneous broadcast defamation, explores the statutory backdrop in such cases and, ultimately, proposes a solution in the form of a “breaking news doctrine” that relieves broadcasters of republication liability if five prerequisites are satisfied.

Ginger Blackstone, Ph.D. Candidate and Nicki Karimipour, Ph.D.

Setting the Standard: Millennial Women’s Role Models in the Digital Media Age

Award: Open Paper Competition, Gender and Sexuality Division

Abstract: Media coverage is buzzing with the generational cohort that has captivated the attention of their Baby Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y predecessors. Millennials have been characterized in a multitude of ways: as liberal, lazy and technologically dependent, to name a few. Current news articles contain conflicting conclusions about Millennials and their values. Do they have role models, or has the concept of role models lost its salience altogether among this cohort? Research is conflicted as to whether or not Millennials admire or aspire to be like mediated role models, as their Baby Boomer and Gen X counterparts did. Some findings even suggest that Millennials have rejected the idea of role models altogether.

The purpose of this study is to assess the salience of role models in Millennial women’s lives (n=265). Survey methodology is used to test these women’s knowledge of prominent women who are known for being highly visible celebrities, or for their political, corporate, or social activism-related accomplishments. Familiarity, admiration, perceived physical attractiveness, and self-identification were the constructs tested using the following eight women: First Lady Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton (politicians), Gloria Steinem and Maya Angelou (social activists), Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Sandberg (business leaders), and Beyoncé Knowles and Kim Kardashian (celebrities). Results show that the Millennial respondents most admire women known for social activism and politics. Overall, we argue that Millennials may not be the shallow, seemingly celebrity-obsessed generational cohort the media suggests.

Nicki Karimipour, Ph.D.

Feeding the Male Gaze: Deconstructing the Visual Portrayals of Hypersexualized Women in Carl’s Jr. Fast Food Advertisements from 2005 to 2015

Award: Debut Paper Competition, Gender & Sexuality Division

Abstract: This study uses visual analysis and case study method to explore the visual rhetoric, thematic elements and cultural meanings of the televised advertisements from popular fast-food chain Carl’s Jr. over the span of a decade. In particular, these advertisements have been criticized for their representation of normatively beautiful women as hyper-sexualized objects.

The goal of this study is to critically dissect these advertisements in which female bodies function as consumable commodities. Thirteen commercials were examined as case studies, and the following elements were critically analyzed: clothing and mannerisms of the female actors (from the perspective of Mulvey’s male gaze, voyeurism/scopophilia), sexual objectification, use of female voiceovers (or lack thereof), and use of close-up camera shots isolating individual body parts. Limitations, directions for future scholarship, practical and theoretical implications and implications for advertising are discussed within.

Panels

SorelTim Sorel, associate professor, Department of Telecommunication

Beyond Technology: Making Content Palatable in a Tech Environment

Using Certification Curriculum and Materials in Undergraduate Classes.

EsterlineEric Esterline, lecturer, Department of Telecommunication

The Evolving Landscape of Student Coverage of College Sports: The impact of Technology, Rights Management, Educational Outcomes and Branding.

coffeyAmy Jo Coffey, associate professor, Department of Telecommunication

Digital Media And Business Model Innovation

Converting Media Content into Revenue – Exploring Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching Content Value and Media ROI.