News & Events - Communication and Journalism

2022-2023

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Penobscot Marine Museum Photography Exhibits
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Penobscot Marine Museum Photography Exhibits
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Dr. Michael J. Socolow has been promoted to Professor at the University of Maine in recognition of his groundbreaking research on America’s original radio networks, extensive publications in top-tier journals, and acclaimed book, “Six Minutes in Berlin: Broadcast Spectacle and Rowing Gold at the Nazi Olympics.” As a former broadcast journalist and prolific commentator on media regulation, Dr. Socolow’s expertise is widely recognized. He has also demonstrated exceptional dedication to teaching and interdisciplinary scholarship as Director of the McGillicuddy Humanities Center. Congratulations on this well-deserved promotion!

Dr. Lily Herakova Promoted to Associate Professor

Dr. Lily Herakova has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor at the University of Maine. With her exceptional research in Health Communication, Food Studies, Pedagogy, and Social Justice, and her nearly 10 years of teaching experience, Dr. Herakova has made invaluable contributions to our Department of Communication and Journalism. Her dedication to inclusive, engaged, and critical teaching practices has resulted in national and international publications, further enriching our academic community. Congratulations to Dr. Herakova on this well-deserved promotion, and we look forward to her continued success in our department!

Virtual Panel Discussion on Sexual Health and Interpersonal Communication Among College Students

Join a virtual panel discussion on sexual health and interpersonal communication among college students on April 5th from 6:30-7:30 PM. The event will feature experts in the field, including Dr. Sandra L. Caron, Dr. Patty Goodhines, and Aspen Ruhlin. The discussion will be moderated by Kendra Rand and will cover topics such as attitudes and behaviors towards sex, LGBTQ+ health psychology research, and gender-affirming care access. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from these knowledgeable speakers! To register for this virtual panel discussion, please click here.

Breaking the Bubble: Boosting News Literacy Workshop

On April 3, Fogler Library will host the “Breaking the Bubble: Boosting News Literacy” workshop, which is open to all undergraduate students. Led by Sanne Tamboer, a postdoc in Communication and Media at Radboud University, Judith Rosenbaum, associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism and Jen Bonnet, Social Sciences and Humanities Librarian at UMaine, the workshop aims to creatively evaluate news production and consumption. It will address how to determine the reliability of news content, ethically consume and share information, and be an informed 21st-century citizen.

The workshop is scheduled from 4:30-6 PM in the Lynch Room on the second floor of Fogler Library. Please, contact Jen Bonnet for any queries.

Dr. Rosenbaum's Talks About Community-Building and Dialogue on Social Media

On March 24, Judith Rosenbaum, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department will deliver a keynote at the Annual Convention of the Connecticut Association for Adult and Continuing Education (CAACE). The talk will focus on the topic of “Community-Building and Dialogue on Social Media: Examining Democracy in the 21st Century.” For more information, click here.

The Evolving Relationship between News Media and Criticism

Associate Professor of Journalism, Michael Socolow, has published an insightful article on The Conversation, exploring the complex relationship between news media and criticism. In the piece, Socolow delves into the last fifty years’ evolution of criticism towards the media and how it influences public discourse both positively and negatively. Read the full article here.

Dr. Rickard's Risk Analysis Work Named Among Top 10 Journals in ISI Citation Reports

We are delighted to share that Dr. Laura Rickard, Associate Professor, has been recognized for her exceptional contributions to the field of risk analysis. Her work, “Pragmatic and (or) Constitutive? On the Foundations of Contemporary Risk Communication Research,” published in Risk Analysis (ranked among the top 10 journals in the ISI Journal Citation Reports under the social sciences and mathematical methods), is among the journal’s top cited publications and has generated immediate impact in the community. This highlights Dr. Rickard’s expertise and the significant influence of her research in this field and is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Rickard’s outstanding work and dedication to advancing the field of risk analysis. Congratulations, Dr. Rickard, on this remarkable accomplishment!

Willow Wind named CLAS Outstanding Graduating Senior of the Year

We are excited to announce that Willow Wind has been named the CLAS Outstanding Graduating Senior of the year. This prestigious honor is a testament to Willow’s exceptional academic achievements and outstanding contributions to the department. We are incredibly proud of Willow and grateful for all the hard work she has put in during her time with us. Congratulations, Willow, on this well-deserved recognition of your achievements!

Romany Melek Hetta's Arabic Translation of "Propaganda" Takes the Stage at Cairo Book Fair

The first Arabic translation of Jacques Ellul’s renowned book “Propaganda” was showcased at the Cairo Book Fair in Egypt last January 2023 by Romany Melek Hetta, who graduated with a MA in Communication from CMJ in 2016. This momentous achievement was made possible after Romany first encountered Ellul’s insightful study of attitude formation in a course taught by his advisor and Associate Professor Michael Socolow, titled CMJ 525: Propaganda and Political Communication.

Dr. Michael Socolow Wins Essay Contest on the History and Importance of Television

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Michael Socolow, Associate Professor, has emerged as the winner of an essay contest sponsored by Journalism History. The contest, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of television news coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, sought to examine the history and significance of television over the past 60 years.

Professor Socolow’s winning essay, entitled “Commercial Television’s Secret Goldmine: The Hidden Riches Generated by U.S. Network TV News, 1960-1970,” will be published in the Fall edition of Journalism History and provides an in-depth examination of the impact and influence of television over the decades.

Read more on the Journalism History website.

Maine Press Association awards scholarships to CMJ students

We are pleased to announce that two CMJ journalism students received scholarships from the Maine Press Association in January. Grace Bradley of Orono, a senior and editor-in-chief of the university’s chapter of Her Campus, and Hope Carroll of Portland, a junior and opinion contributor to The Maine Campus, were the recipients.

Every year, the Maine Press Association awards a scholarship to a junior or senior with financial needs who wish to pursue a career in journalism.

Dr. Socolow writes an article about Barbara Walters' journalistic and cultural impact

Michael Socolow, Associate Professor, wrote an article for Slate about the journalistic and cultural impact of Barbara Walters, who died on December 30, 2022, at the age of 93. “For all her intrusive questions, her skillful interrogating, her sharp and incisive commentary, Walters’ legacy extends far beyond those famous interviews. She provided a model for women to unapologetically pursue their ambition, no matter how often it got them called ‘rude,’” Socolow wrote.

Dr. Rosenbaum-Andre was a panelist in Maine Calling

Judith Rosenbaum-Andre, Chair and Associate Professor, was a panelist on a recent episode of Maine Calling on Maine Public Radio. The theme was “Finding Common Ground.”

In addition, the episode’s VIP caller was Caty DuDevoir, a third-year student studying anthropology and journalism; DuDevoir is also the news editor for Maine Campus Media.

You can find the episode here.

Dr. Stormer was interviewed for his article "Rhetoric by Accident" at Live Theory

Nathan Stormer, Professor of Rhetoric, was interviewed at Live Theory, a program sponsored by the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences at USC that honors scholars who bring writing and rhetoric scholarship to life. He discussed his article “Rhetoric by Accident,” which was published in Volume 53(4) of the Journal of Philosophy & Rhetoric, in which he articulates a view of accidents that shape rhetorical work but are not themselves purposeful, motive-driven, directed, or ethical. You can listen to the episode here.

Dr. Socolow spoke with the Observer about a Congressional bill to help news organizations

Dr. Michael Socolow, Associate Professor, spoke to the Observer about a bill in Congress that would require platforms like Facebook to pay news publishers when links to their articles appear on their sites. Socolow noted that under a similar law in Australia, Facebook and Google are estimated to pay media publishers $140 million per year, which he described as “chump change.”

Willow Wind is named McGillicuddy Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellow

Willow Wind, a Communication major, Media Studies and Spanish minor, and Honors student, has been named as one of the four recipients of a McGillicuddy Humanities Undergraduate Fellowship. Willow received the fellowship to carry out research into the conceptualization and enactment of gender euphoria. Willow is advised by Dr. Liliana Herakova.

Dr. Couture Bue wins distinguished article award at NCA

Professor Couture Bue won a Distinguished Article Award from the National Communication Association’s Social Cognition Division. She received the award for a co-authored paper entitled. “Marr’s Tri-Level Framework Integrates Biological Explanation Across Communication Subfields.” The article was recently published in the Journal of Communication

The department is incredibly proud of Dr. Couture Bue for this amazing achievement.

Professor Markovitch joins "Maine Calling" for an episode on baking bread

On Monday November 7, Ellie Markovitch, Lecturer in Journalism, joined Maine Calling to discuss the art of baking bread in Maine. You can listen to Ellie, who is both a photojournalist and a multi-media storyteller with Story Cooking, here.

Dr. McGreavy wins 2022 NCA J. Robert Cox Award in Environmental Communication and Civic Engagement

Bridie McGreavy has won the 2022 National Communication Association J. Robert Cox Award in Environmental Communication and Civic Engagement. This award is given to members of the NCA’s environmental communication division who have shown a substantial commitment to environmental issues through organizational leadership, service, and/r activism, who have been actively engaged for several years at a regional, national, or international level.

The Department of Communication and Journalism is incredibly proud that Dr. McGreavy was recognized for her substantial environmental achievements.

CMJ faculty and graduate students take home top poster award at AEJMC conference

Dr. Laura Rickard, Associate Professor, Nathan Smith, first year doctoral student, and Ella Gurney, first year MA student took home the top poster award for the Communicating Health, Science, Environment, and Risk division at the 2022 convention for the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication held in Detroit. Their poster was based on their research entitled “Fairest fish of all: Perceptions of procedural and distributive justice in proposed aquaculture facility siting”

Ph.D. Student Smith-Mayo wins CLAS Outstanding Graduate Student in Research/Creativity Award

Jennifer Smith-Mayo, a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Communication and Journalism, was named the 2022 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate Student in Research/Creativity. The award is given to a CLAS graduate student each year in recognition of excellence in research and/or creative activity over the course of her graduate studies The award will be presented at the CLAS awards ceremony on April 26th. Congratulations, Jen!

Dr. Rickard wins CLAS Outstanding Faculty Member in Research Award

Dr. Laura Rickard, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism, was awarded the 2022 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Member in Research/Creativity award in recognition of her outstanding research contributions. The award will be presented at the CLAS award ceremony on April 26th, 2022. Congratulations, Dr. Rickard!

Sarah Walker Caron publishes cookbook

Sarah Walker Caron, an instructor and part-time faculty member in the CMJ department, recently published The Disney Princess Tea Parties Cookbook with Insight publishing. The cookbook features more than 50 recipes inspired the canon of Disney Princesses. This is Caron’s 8th book and 6th cookbook.

PhD Student Smith-Mayo featured in UMaine News

Smith-Mayo wasn’t a stranger to UMaine when she started her doctorate. She completed her master’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in new media at UMaine in 2011. “I love UMaine,” Smith-Mayo says. “This is a thriving campus. We’re not afraid to try to do new work and build relationships. That’s really important to keep a university moving forward.” Smith-Mayo’s graduate research focuses on the communication between groups in the Maine-eDNA (environmental DNA) Project, a research, education, and outreach program that is working to establish Maine as a leader in the groundbreaking process of collecting environmental DNA, or eDNA. eDNA are genetic samples collected from the surrounding areas rather than the subject itself to determine the presence or absence of the subject in an area.

Event: Visiting journalist presents a talk on "The intersection of local campaigns and national politics"

On Thursday, March 31 at 4 p.m. in the Arthur St. John Hill Auditorium (and remotely via Zoom), the Alan Miller Fund Visiting Journalist Program presents a talk by Bangor Daily News politics editor Michael Shepherd titled “The Intersection of Local Campaigns and National Politics: Reflections on Political Reporting in Maine.” This event is sponsored by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center, the Department of Communication and Journalism, and the Department of Political Science.

Dr. Socolow published an article about "Headlines stress disorder"

Dr. Socolow published “Is ‘headline stress disorder’ real? Yes, but those who thrive on the news often lose sight of it” on The Conversation.

Dr. Rosenbaum-Andre presents keynote speech on "Spoilers and the Narrative Experience"

Dr. Rosenbaum-Andre will be giving a keynote address at a conference on spoilers organized by the University of Zurich during March 17-19. The keynote is entitled “Spoilers and the Narrative Experience: Lessons from Ten Years of Empirical Research.” Dr. Rosenbaum-Andre’s research has specifically looked at the role played by spoilers in the narrative experience; how social media usage impacts people’s attitudes, behaviors, and connections; and media literacy, fake news, and misinformation.

Dr. Rickard helps train state agency staff in PFAS risk communication

Dr. Rickard offered an online training in November 2021 for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) staff whose primary work will be testing for PFAS at people’s homes. Rickard says that DEP wanted these staff members to be prepared for engaging with homeowners about PFAS and the associated risks. In the training webinar, Rickard presented an overview of risk communication and when and how it’s practiced, and guided the group in a discussion of how this relates to their work.

Event: CMJ showcase features academic, community, and creative endeavors

The Department of Communication and Journalism (CMJ) and Lambda Pi Eta, the CMJ honor society, will be hosting a showcase on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, to feature and celebrate CMJ students’ academic, community, and creative endeavors. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit their work in three categories: research, engagement, and creative work. To submit your work, 1) please fill out this form to state your interest in participating by March 11, 2022: https://forms.gle/XotgNTVCPH6q3diH8; 2) email complete project to Dr. Lily Herakova, liliana.herakova@maine.edu by Thursday, March 30.

PhD student Zhang awarded Don Yoder Prize

The American Folklore Society (AFS) Folk Belief and Religious Folklife Section awarded the 2021 Don Yoder Prize for the Best Graduate Student Paper in Folk Belief and Religious Folklife to the University of Maine PhD student Minglei “Hart” Zhang. Zhang’s essay shows integration of insights and theories from the disciplines of American Studies, Folklore, and Communication.

Dr. McGreavy's research team highlights the value of communicating across disciplines

Dr. McGreavy’s research team conducted their research as part of the Maine-eDNA Project, a statewide, multi-institutional initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the Maine-eDNA project is to establish the state as a national leader in environmental monitoring, ecological understanding and sustainability of coastal ecosystems. They used a technique known as knowledge mapping to identify different perceptions and definitions of eDNA across the group, and to foster discussion about how the transdisciplinary nature of the project creates space to explore the ethical issues associated with the new science.

Dr. Socolow published an article on the viewership of the Beijing Olympics

Dr. Socolow published an article entitled “The Real Viewership Story of the Beijing Olympics” on the Slate.com. In this article, Dr. Socolow demonstrates how the reports of low TV ratings misrepresent how many people actually watched the Beijing Olympics.

PhD candidate Spaulding awarded the George Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship

Clint Spaulding, a 4th-year doctoral candidate, won the UMaine Graduate School George Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship! This award will assist Clint in his research and his professional development throughout the academic year of 2022-2023.

Dr. McGreavy leads a collaborative publication and shares insights on the Maine eDNA project

Dr. McGreavy shares initial findings from the communication and team science research on the Maine eDNA project in her collaborative article published in Frontiers in Communication. This is an open-access article entitled “How Does Strategic Communication Shape Transdisciplinary Collaboration? A Focus on Definitions, Audience, Expertise, and Ethical Praxis.” In this research paper, Dr. McGreavy and her team addressed core concepts in using participatory approaches to knowledge mapping and data management to promote ethical transdisciplinary collaborations. Additionally, Dr. McGreavy and her team will share some of these findings at the Maine Sustainability and Water Conference this year.

Project contact: Dr. Bridie McGreavy (bridie.mcgreavy@maine.edu)

Dr. Amelia Couture Bue named CUGR Research Faculty Fellow

Dr. Amelia Couture Bue was named the UMaine Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) 2022–2024 Research Faculty Fellow. This fellowship is designed to support faculty efforts to improve undergraduate research mentoring skills, expand curricula to include research and scholarship experiences, and develop proposals for additional funding.

Event: CMJ hosts a live Zoom session with Dr. Nirav Shah on March 7, 2022

The Department of Communication and Journalism will host a live Zoom session themed “Health communication during a pandemic: COVID-19 and the media” with the director of the Maine CDC, Dr. Nirav Shah (Image: The Courier-Gazette), on March 7 (Monday), 2022, 12:00-1:00 pm.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/UmJVJPn5sDqXFabS9

Event contact: Dr. Judith Rosenbaum-Andre (judith.rosenbaumandre@maine.edu)

Event: Dr. Sutton presents "Wabanaki Fisheries: What rivers can teach us about partnerships"

Dr. Anthony Sutton, community food facilitator, ME Shellfish Learning Network, and CMJ adjunct instructor, will present a talk, “Wabanaki Fisheries: What rivers can teach us about partnerships,” on February 14, 3:00 – 4:00 pm.

Two UMaine journalism majors awarded the Maine Press Association scholarships

The Maine Press Association announced that it has awarded two journalism scholarships totaling $2,500. The recipients of the 2022 scholarships are two UMaine journalism majors: Emma H. Smith (Right) and Meaghan Bellavance (Left).

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