Journalism Graduates Win Top Paper Awards at Journalism and Communication Research Conference

Alexis Campbell

Alexis Campbell & award ceremony via Zoom

Two U of A former journalism students, Alexis Campbell and Rachel Braun, had their honors theses win the Top Six Paper award at the 2021 Annual Symposium of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication on Oct. 15-16.

Campbell presented her honors thesis, Alcohol Advertising on Social Media: A Content Analysis on Message Strategies of Alcohol Advertisements on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, which examined the message strategies of alcohol advertisements on social media.

Braun's paper, Save the Amazon Rainforest!: Message Strategies of Charity Advertising in Social Media, studied the different advertising tactics that are beneficial in gaining donations for charities. Braun hopes to one day be employed with a non-profit organization that focuses on deforestation or ocean pollution.

Both papers were virtually presented in the "Getting Your Message Out: Advertising and Communication Strategies in Online Media" research session on Oct. 16.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute valuable research to my field; it would not have been possible without support from my mentor Dr. Chung, the U of A faculty and my honors college research grant," Campbell said. She is expanding this topic as her master's thesis in an experiment to directly explore how such alcohol advertisements influence behavior of the viewer.

Campbell and Braun both graduated this past spring summa cum laude with honors Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism, both with a concentration on advertising and public relations. This year Campbell is attending the U of A to pursue her Master of Arts in journalism and works as a graduate assistant for the Center for Ethics in Journalism. Braun has been traveling the country and recently began a position as a digital advertising associate at DealerOn, a social media/web marketing company for auto dealership.

Jee Young Chung, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, served as the thesis chair for both Campbell and Braun and co-authored both papers. Assistant professor Lucy Brown and professor Chris Tompkins III served on Campbell's committee, and assistant professor Ray McCaffrey and professor Sarah Jensen served on Braun's committee.

Chung said each paper made a meaningful contribution to social media advertising: understanding alcohol advertising messages in social media and developing charitable advertising message strategies.

The SWECJMC promotes the recognition, welfare and progress of journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest of the United States. The annual symposium recognizes significant research by faculty and students in journalism and mass communication programs in the Southwest. The top six papers will be eligible for publication in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal spring edition without additional review.

About the School of Journalism and Strategic Media: The School of Journalism and Strategic Media is dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and media discourse. Students in our journalism degree programs receive instruction, guidance and access to hands-on experience from our seasoned, award-winning faculty and staff. Areas of study include news editorial and reporting, broadcast, public relations, advertising and digital media. Follow us at @uarkjournalism.