Browsing by Author "Kodrich, Kris, advisor"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Open Access
Decoding U.S. media through framing theory: examining the coverage of Hugo Chavez in the New York Times and the Washington Times
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Richardson, Heather, author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Kim, Jangyul, committee member; Stallones, Lorann, committee member
The U.S. media frame news stories with certain keywords, sources, themes, tones, and concepts that influence what media consumers think about and how they think about certain issues or public figures, particularly international issues and leaders. In order to examine media framing of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, this qualitative content analysis compares media coverage in the liberal The New York Times and the conservative The Washington Times during the last year of the Bush administration and the first year of the Obama administration. By utilizing framing theory and Robert Entman's definition of political framing, this study explores how article themes, tones, and sources may differ among newspapers and may differ during different U.S. presidential administrations. This study suggests that U.S media often reflect the views of the American president and government, that a change in presidential administrations did affect how Chavez is portrayed in the U.S. newspapers, and that different newspapers framed the Venezuelan president differently.
Open Access
Decolonizing transness in sport media: the frames and depictions of transgender athletes in Sports Illustrated
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Matthews, Tammy Rae, author; Knight Steele, Catherine, advisor; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Souza, Caridad, committee member
This discourse analysis examines depictions of trans athletes in Sports Illustrated and sport culture through the lens of queer theory and the interpretive-packages model proposed by Gamson & Modiglani (1989). Four interpretive packages emerged from the print content: (1) Marginalization, (2) Labeling, (3) Fighting and Fairness and (4) Pride and Affirmation. The results illustrate that discourse has generally become more sensitive to trans issues. The author presents these results with cautious optimism. Blindingly affirming and romancing the transgender can be equally as superficial as marginalization, and representations of trans athletes secured by one person are problematic. Researchers and sport organizations should dismantle antiquated, coercive sex segregation in traditional sport and decolonize how it contributes to gender-based oppression. The author recommends that media outlets focus on presenting fair, accurate and inclusive representations of transness that combat oppressive positions.
Open Access
Media framing and public perception: a content analysis of the Nation and ThisDay newspapers' coverage of the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Ogundare, Olukayode Kay, author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Wolfgang, David, committee member; McIvor, David, committee member
This thesis explores the role of prominent Nigerian newspapers, The Nation and ThisDay, in helping to shape public perception of the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria. With framing theory as a framework, the study conducts a detailed content analysis to examine how these newspapers portrayed political candidates, issues, and events during the election campaign. Analyzing each newspaper's thematic and episodic frames, the research uncovers noticeable patterns in media framing strategies and discusses how they may impact public perception and understanding of the electoral process. This study contributes to the broader understanding of media influence on political communication in Nigeria and highlights how newspapers may shape public opinion during critical democratic events.
Open Access
Mind over machine? The clash of agency in social media environments
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) McConnell, Stephen J., author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Wolfgang, David, committee member; Champ, Joe, committee member; Williams, Elizabeth A., committee member; Opsal, Tara, committee member
Underlying many social media platforms are choice recommendation "nudging" architectures designed to give users instant content and social recommendations to keep them engaged. Powered by complex algorithms, these architectures flush people's feeds and an array of other features with fresh content and create a highly individualized experience tailored to their interests. In a critical realist qualitative study, this research examines how individual agency manifests when users encounter these tools and the suggestions they provide. In interviews and focus groups, 45 participants offered their experiences where they reflected on how they perceived the engines, e.g., their Facebook feed, influenced their actions and behaviors, as well as how the participants felt they controlled it to achieve personal aims. Based on these and other experiences, this study posits the Social Cognitive Machine Agency Dynamic (SCMAD) model, which provides an empirically supported explanatory framework to explain how individual agency can manifest and progress in response to these tools. The model integrates Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory concepts and emergent findings. It demonstrates how users react to the engines through agentic expressions not dissimilar to the real-world, including enacting self-regulatory, self-reflective and intentionality processes, as well as other acts not captured by Bandura's theory. Ultimately, the research and model propose a psycho-environmental explanation of the swerves of agency experienced by users in reaction to the unique conditions and affordances of these algorithmically driven environments. The study is the first known extension of social cognitive theory to this technology context. Implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations for future research provided. The study recommends that future research and media discourse aim for an individual-level psychological evaluation of these powerful technologies. This stance will afford a greater understanding of the technology's impacts and implications on individuals, particularly as it is anticipated to significantly evolve in the coming years.
Open Access
News in a tumultuous border region: how journalists at the El Paso Times report on their Juarez neighbors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Carter, Cathleen, author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Champ, Joseph, advisor; Byrne, Zinta, committee member
This ethnographic study examines the complexity of reporting the news in a tumultuous border region. Using observation and in-depth interviews, it reveals how reporters and editors at the El Paso Times define their roles and responsibilities as they cover both the violence and the daily life on both sides of the United States/Mexico border. It investigates the way journalists attempt to meet the needs of the community, which in this case encompasses two major cities, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Ciudad Juarez, where thousands of men, women and children have been murdered in recent years, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The El Paso Times newsroom is seven blocks from Juarez. This study was conducted in the El Paso Times newsroom during October and November of 2009. It documents journalists at the El Paso Times as they attempt to accurately cover Juarez, despite the danger.
Open Access
The promotion of breastfeeding in Malaysia - what works, what doesn't, and why?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Girerd-Barclay, Lena C., author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Hallahan, Kirk, committee member; Yasar, Gamze, committee member
Breastfeeding is a topic of global concern, particularly in developing countries. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a network of people working on a global scale to address and overcome challenges to breastfeeding. This study analyzed WABA's 2011 World Breastfeeding Week campaign, in an effort to assess the campaign's relative strengths and weaknesses, and to identify recommendations for future WBW campaigns. The research sought to determine the extent to which the WABA World Breastfeeding Week campaign 2011 achieved its goals of focusing on engaging and mobilizing youth, and which specific factors should be considered in developing future communication strategies aimed at promoting breastfeeding. Surveys and in-depth interviews with the target groups of the Penang campaign, secondary students from a local teacher's college, were used to collect data. Interviews also were conducted with WABA's 2011 WBW development team. Qualitative data were transcribed and summarized. The campaign was largely successful in increasing awareness, promotion, and discussion of breastfeeding among the students in Penang. Communication for Development and Diffusion of Innovations theories were used to explain the findings, while Social Marketing theory was used to put forward recommendations. Improvements for future campaigns should ensure that all activities are engaging, easily understood, and transferable from one context to another. Discrepancies in student and staff responses indicate that WABA also should conduct intensive audience analysis, including pre- and post-campaign research. WABA's website and social media presence was found essential to the development and success of future WBW campaigns. For future campaigns, WABA should draw from Social Marketing theory, and identify a desired "product," "price," and "place," followed by strategies for promotion and positioning of the product. Finally, a method of assessment of such strategies should be implemented.
Open Access
Understanding Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs and their adoption of social media: a study of gender, diffusion, and culture in the Middle East
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Alghaith, Shaikhah, author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, committee member; Anderson, Karrin Vasby, committee member; Hirchi, Mohammed, committee member
The growing number of small businesses owned by Kuwaiti women in recent years is an indication of a new progress that Kuwaiti women are achieving. This study through the lens of Diffusion of Innovations theory examined why and how Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs adopt social media. It investigated the attributes of social media that made social media appealing to be adopted by Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs. It also investigated the pros and cons associated with social media when used as a marketing tool. This study specifically looked at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram comparing these three types of social media. This study integrated concepts such as gender, entrepreneurship, social media, Diffusion of Innovations theory, and culture. The snowball sample of this qualitative study included in-depth interviews with owners of 20 businesses which revealed detailed data examining women’s entrepreneurship and their adoption and use of social media as a marketing tool. Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs were asked in 2014 to answer 18 questions that included inquiries regarding Rogers’ (2003) five attributes of innovation: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. The results showed that most Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs in this study prefer using Instagram, the photo and video sharing social networking platform, over Facebook and Twitter when marketing to their customers. Findings also revealed Rogers’ attributes associated with adopting an innovation, such as relative advantage, complexity, and observability, apply to adopting Instagram as a marketing tool by Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs. Kuwaiti women entrepreneurs adopt and incorporate Instagram in their marketing strategy because of Instagram’s photo-sharing nature (relative advantage), ease of use (complexity), and popularity (observability). This study’s findings also unveiled the perceived pros of using Instagram as a marketing tool – Instagram is like a photo album, it enlarges the circle of customers, it is widely used, and it is suitable for smaller businesses. However, the study also showed several cons to Instagram – including that products may not be what they seem and that the business owners have to deal with rude and discouraging comments. The women entrepreneurs also worry about providing unique content. They worry that their accounts will be stolen or lost and their products’ photos may be copied. They also wonder how long Instagram will be the preferred social media.