Department of Journalism and Creative Media

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Equality, y'all: newspaper coverage of first wave feminism and suffrage in the American South
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) McLeod, Kylie Brianna; Roberts, Chris; Bragg, Dianne M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The American South has long been characterized by institutionalized racism and highly traditional Christian values. It would be easy to assume that the Women’s Suffrage Movement would not have been welcomed in this particular region of the United States; however, newspapers that covered the seventy-year fight for women’s right to vote indicate this is not completely true. This paper will examine the presentation of this first wave of feminism in southern newspapers. It is vital to examine the ways the southern media portrayed feminism’s first wave for two reasons. The first is the perpetual need for society to look back and recognize mistakes made in the past and think about ways to avoid remaking them in the future; the second is to discover how the South specifically reacted to and treated this social movement, considering the cultural and religious context present in the newspapers of the time.
An examination of Barnett Newman and Isamu Noguchi's artistic works in relation to World War II photojournalism in the New York Times, Life, and Time
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Robinson, Rebecca Danielle; Bragg, Dianne M.; Bunker, Matthew D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The events of World War II fundamentally changed Barnett Newman and Isamu Noguchi, both Abstract Expressionist artists. Although neither artist served in the military, their distinctive heritages influenced how they reacted to three major occurrences during the War: the Holocaust, the Japanese internment, and the detonation of the atomic bombs. Upon seeing the images of liberated concentration camps publicized in popular media, Newman, a Polish-Jew, actually destroyed most of his pre-War art, arguing that after such violations of human rights, what subject was worthy of painting? Noguchi, a Japanese-American, spent much of his childhood on the West Coast, and was interred in a Japanese camp following Pearl Harbor, an experience that forever altered the rationale behind his sculpture. Lastly, the image of the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima and Nagasaki transformed the entire post-War generation, not just Newman and Noguchi. Using the images promulgated in three popular publications--the New York Times, Life magazine, and Time magazine--this study seeks to examine the stories and the photojournalism that had a direct influence on the two artists' War and post-War works. Additionally, artist statements accompanying the selected pieces will further illustrate just how influential these popular media outlets were to their subsequent creations throughout the next decades.
First impressions: an analysis of media coverage of first ladies and their inaugural gowns from Jackie Kennedy in 1961 to Michelle Obama in 2009
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Sullivan, Amy; Roberts, Chris; Bragg, Dianne M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The Presidential Inaugural Ball is a special moment for every president’s wife because it is her first official public appearance as first lady of the United States. Historically, the manner in which the first lady presents herself in the way she dresses often contributes to her public image. Scrutiny from the media includes a focus on what she wears to the inauguration, as well as examination and analysis of her inaugural ball gown that evening. The gowns have a tradition of setting the tone for the first lady in the new administration as well as providing glimpses of a first lady’s personality. The gown gives the world a look at her personal style and a glimpse at her potential influence on fashion trends. Most first ladies recognize and understand the expectations of the role and what it means to the public. Some, however, have questioned why their appearance should matter so long as they are true to themselves. In positions of power, though, appearances are important because the media can use fashion as a lens to filter and interpret information to the public. Research on the news media coverage of first ladies and their inaugural gowns identified four themes: Feminism and the media’s reflection of society’s changing views of the first lady’s role; the media’s descriptions of first ladies, specifically references to their dress sizes and their physique; ethnocentrism and the fashion industry’s unbridled interest in and reliance on what the first lady wears; and the perspective of moderation in that the inaugural gown should be nice but not too expensive. Each theme has an intrinsic news value interjected into that coverage as revealed by Herbert J. Gans: Individualism, altruistic democracy, ethnocentrism, and moderatism, respectively. The media’s tendency to fixate on the first lady’s fashion style and clothing choices is best described as a fascination, almost an obsession at times, beginning with her selection of the inaugural gown. This thesis examines newspaper and magazine coverage and reaction to inaugural gowns from First Ladies Jackie Kennedy in 1961 to Michelle Obama in 2009.
The hardest to achieve, the easiest to imagine: an examination of predictions about outer space during The Space Race in the Huntsville Times, Houston Chronicle, and Orlando Sentinel
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2020) Stafford, Lane; Bragg, Dianne M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
For thousands of years humans have made predictions about outer space in fictional and non-fictional works. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union proved space exploration was possible with the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik I. This event marked the beginning of The Space Race, a fierce competition between the United States and Soviet Union that changed the world forever. American newspapers not only aided in documenting the Space Race, but also featured predictions about outer space. This study examines newspapers published near NASA’s main centers during the Space Race’s pivotal years, 1957 until July of 1969. This study aims to reveal what journalists and other citizens who lived near Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida predicted and discussed regarding space exploration. Journalistic theories such as framing and agenda-setting are employed to explain how conversations in these newspapers may have affected public opinion or the efforts of NASA. The themes that emerge within these articles reveal diverse attitudes about space travel, biased reporting, and hopeful predictions that may have inspired the future.
Individual, technological, socio-cultural factors affecting Facebook and Instagram use
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Kim, Bumsoo; Kim, Yonghwan; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study explores the differences between Facebook and Instagram use by investigating the influence of technology attributes (visualizing elements, the friend recommendation algorithm, privacy settings, openness, perceived ease of use and usefulness), individual factors including innovativeness and motivations/gratifications (social interaction, entertainment, peeking, passing time, need for recognition) in using Facebook and Instagram, and socio-cultural factors (subjective norms, SNS culture) on the general use and use change of both sites. Whether and what kind of different characteristics of using the both platforms exist between younger and older generations were also examined. The findings of the current study indicate that individual, technological, and socio-cultural factors differently influenced individuals’ Facebook and Instagram use. Among the technology attributes, visualizing elements were positively related to Instagram use, and the friend recommendation algorithm was a positive predictor of using Facebook. In terms of the individual factors, while Facebook users were likely to utilize it to get a good reputation and to access it when they want to spend time alone, Instagram users tended to employ it for entertainment. SNS culture, which refers to using Facebook (or Instagram) because it is part of the culture of one’s generation, was the only socio-cultural factor that had a significant relationship with Facebook use. Generational differences of the proposed factors influencing Facebook and Instagram use were also found. More specifically, Instagram’s visualizing elements were the only significant predictor of use by younger generations; older people tend to use Facebook and Instagram for passing time and to fulfill their need for recognition. The findings of the current study expand the theoretical frameworks of the technology acceptance model (TAM), uses and gratifications (U&G), the theory of reasoned action (TRA), and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by revealing how perceived ease of use and usefulness can differently activate the level and change of Facebook and Instagram use; which motivations/gratifications can significantly stimulate the two stages (general use and use change) of Facebook and Instagram use; and how subjective norms differently influenced level of using Facebook or Instagram. Further specific findings will be valuable assets for practical social media industries.
Lois Long, 1925-1939: playing Miss Jazz Age
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Qualls, Meredith Louise; Bunker, Matthew D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This study demonstrate's how Lois Long's career at the New Yorker, which lasted 45 years, serves as evidence of Long's place in the annals of New Yorker history, past her initial success as a society writer. Her work, including the popular "Tables for Two" and "On and Off the Avenue" features, as well as her longevity with the magazine show Long was unique in that she outlasted many of the original New Yorker writers, eventually falling into a workhorse role rather than glorified writer. This paper uses Long's published work in the New Yorker and additional unpublished sources to provide depth to the story of Long's professional career and personal life, from 1925 to 1939. Going beyond her initial success as fashion critic and nightclub writer, it demonstrates how Long's career evolved as her own life and the society around her changed throughout the early twentieth century.
Millennials and the future of magazines: how the generation of digital natives will determine whether print magazines survive
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Bonner, Elizabeth Margaret; Roberts, Chris; Bragg, Dianne M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In today’s rapidly evolving media ecosystem, two important narratives emerge: the demise of print publishing and the rise of the Millennial generation—the digital natives—as media consumers. In the midst of the persistent discussion that print journalism is dying in this era of digital revolution, data and literature suggest that many magazines are thriving, particularly with Millennials. This discovery, while noteworthy given its direct contradiction to the popular belief that Millennials have forsaken traditional media, is where knowledge pertaining to this phenomenon is prematurely truncated. This study seeks to contribute to a greater understanding of the motivations behind these quantitative conclusions by giving voice to Millennials’ reasons for continued magazine consumption in a way that the available data from closed-response surveys and questionnaires has not. Through a mixed-methods study grounded in uses and gratifications theory, utilizing a preliminary survey and subsequently concentrating on a qualitative design built around focus groups with Millennials (ages 18-25), this work seeks to reveal how this instrumental demographic—the industry’s audience for the years to come and the population whose lives have been most immersed in digital technologies—feels about magazines. Participants reported reading magazines for reasons that pertain to content, aesthetics, entertainment, escape, habit, and ease of use. Findings revealed three instrumental themes: (1) although participants admit that “everything is going digital,” they still overwhelmingly prefer print magazines; (2) while print remains their magazine media preference, they will consume digital content when it infiltrates their daily lives; and (3) despite their strong feelings for print magazines, they think print magazines could cease to exist at the hands of the generation that follows them—Generation Z. Participants feel they are the “in-between” generation, and Generation Z is the one most likely to force future media into the realm of digital-only. The future of print is one of the most pivotal points of discussion trending across the publishing industry today. These digital natives will inevitably dictate the course of the industry through their collective consumer behavior in the coming years. Therefore, the motivations behind their use of such media are of more importance than ever.
Newspaper coverage of cavalry raiders during the American Civil War
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2016) Campbell, Donald; Bragg, Dianne M.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
During the American Civil War, military actions took place across a vast distance, from southern Pennsylvania to the future state of New Mexico. While a majority of the war was fought in the Eastern Theater, essentially the region east of the Appalachian Mountains, the Western Theater, roughly stretching from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River, saw plenty of action as well. Unlike the Eastern Theater, which saw large armies of infantry repeatedly clash against each other, the Western Theater was more suited to long range cavalry operations. Between 1863 and 1865, several bodies of Union forces pushed into Alabama, doing their part to hinder the Confederate war effort in that state. At the same time, Confederate cavalry raiders were harassing northern troops in Mississippi and Tennessee, hampering their plans to end the rebellion. Southern cavalry forces even pushed into the North, bringing the war to the American Midwest. This research will not only attempt to tell the stories of the men who led these raids and who are oft overlooked in the war’s historical narrative, but also fairly closely examine how newspapers of the time wrote about their campaigns, including the many different sets of facts received, unconfirmed rumors and discrepancies being widely reported, and the inability, many times, to see these raids in the larger picture of the war.

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