SJMC Weekly Announcements

Week of September 16–20, 2024

Kudos

PhD student Tahereh Rahimi passes preliminary exams

A huge congratulations to Tahereh who has passed all five of her preliminary exams that she took in late August! It is onward to the dissertation for Tahereh, who is studying the Iranian press, its history and its dynamics, including how journalists self-censor when they cover an authoritarian state.

Sports Communication Certificate ranked third fastest growing certificate at UW–Madison

In a recent UW News article, the Sports Communication Certificate was ranked as the third fastest growing certificate at UW–Madison. The certificate has added 251 students from fall 2019 to fall 2023. “The Certificate in Sports Communication program prepares [students] to enter the industry by providing them basic skills in shaping sports narratives, marketing sports brands, and understanding the influential role sports plays in society," said Matt Hermann, Sports Communication Certificate adviser. Read the full article.

WSUM Director Kelsey Brannan featured in Wisconsin Broadcasters Association newsletter

Kelsey's column, "More than radio: Expanding multimedia opportunities for students," was recently featured in the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association newsletter. Her column speaks to the importance of radio broadcasting and multimedia opportunities available to students. Read the full article.

Over 150 students attend Manu Raju lecture

Huge congratulations to the Public Engagement Committee (Deb Pierce, Dhavan Shah, Matt Hermann, Pete Long, Pam Garcia-Rivera, Kara Rheingans and Rowan Calyx) for another very successful Nafziger lecture yesterday evening. Over 150 students filled the room to hear Manu Raju, CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent. Manu spoke to students about his career and what it's really like to cover Capitol Hill. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event a success!

Also, a huge thank you to Manu Raju for sharing his time and experiences with our students! We are so fortunate to have incredible alumni passionate about giving back to future communicators.

Publications

Professor Lucas Graves publishes article in New Media & Society

Lucas recently published an article titled "Making them pay: Comparing how environmental facts matter in two accountability contexts" in New Media & Society. This article makes the case for what we call accountability contexts as a valuable heuristic to think about how facts matter in public life, drawing attention to how different discursive and institutional contexts shape the ways in which facts can count. Read the full article.

Associate professor Lindsay Palmer publishes article in the International Journal of Press/Politics

Lindsay Palmer just published a co-authored article titled "What Am I Doing Here? Self-Reflexivity in Cross-Border Journalism Research" in the International Journal of Press/Politics. This open-access piece reflects upon the complexity of using ethnographic methods in cross-border journalism studies. Read the full article.

Vilas Hall Happenings

The latest happenings at the SJMC and links for easy sharing with your networks.

SJMC Welcomes Seven New Board of Visitors Members

We are thrilled to welcome seven new members to our Board of Visitors: Herman Baumann (BA'75), Laura Brenner (BA'87), Angela Dallman (BA'89), David Grossman (BA'87), Patty Loew (MA'92, PhD'98), Sandy Newman (BA'98) and Courtney Quaye (BA'99). These new members have distinguished themselves in their respective fields and will provide insights from a variety of industries, including strategic communication, law, indigenous affairs, academia and broadcast news. Read more about our new members.

Graduate Student Highlight: Chenjie Zheng

Congratulations to PhD student Chenjie Zheng for winning the Top Student Paper Award at the National Communication Association 2024 Conference! Watch to learn more about her research and why she chose our program for her graduate studies.

Upcoming Events

September 23: Ivan L. Preston Research Colloquium with Jasmine McNealy

Join us on Monday, September 23 at noon in the Nafziger Room (5055 Vilas) for a talk by Jasmine McNealy, professor at the University of Florida and Faculty Associate with Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard. Her talk, "Bring the Noise: Building a Framework for Sonic Privacy in the Age of AI," will how policy change surrounding AI can better protect us and mitigate harm. Lunch will be served at noon, before the start of the talk.

October 9 & 10: CCCR Conference – Local News in American Civic Life

Join the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal for their fall conference, Local News in American Civil Life, on October 9 and 10 at the Pyle Center. More information to come.

October 15: Morgridge Center Education for Democracy Panel and Discussion

Join the Morgridge Center on Tuesday, October 15 from 5:30–8 p.m. for a panel featuring SJMC professor Hernando Rojas. The panel will focus on the role of higher education in supporting democracy and how our institutions can prepare students to be informed and engaged citizens. Learn more and register for the panel.

Have news to share?

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