Murrow News

In partnership with Northwest Public Broadcasting, a team of Murrow College students at WSU will compete as finalists in the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute’s 2021 Student Innovation Competition.

The team is one of 10 student journalism finalist teams from colleges across the country that will be partnering with local newsrooms as part of the national competition. The team of Murrow College students includes Alana Lackner (Multimedia Journalism – WSU Pullman), Albert James (Broadcast News – WSU Pullman), Heather Stribling (Integrated Strategic Communication – WSU Everett) and Cheryl Aarnio (Multimedia Journalism – WSU Pullman).

“I think we have strong team members … » More …

*Note: all photos were taken prior to the pandemic and social distancing guidelines

One of the great benefits of studying at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is the countless opportunities that the college offers to gain professional experience. Murrow College professors have been fortunate enough to partner with WSU Athletics to provide students with the opportunity to apply their journalism skills to real life events during the fall sports season.

Scholarly Assistant Professor <a ... » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – Advertising and location of cannabis retailers influence adolescents’ intentions to use marijuana, according to a new study in the Journal of Health Communication by Washington State University researchers.

Stacey J.T. Hust, associate dean in the Murrow College of Communication, and Jessica Fitts Willoughby, associate professor of communication, conducted a survey of 13- to 17-year-olds in Washington State to find out how marijuana advertising and the location of marijuana retailers influence adolescents’ intentions to use the drug. The researchers also asked participants about their outcome beliefs—whether or not they thought using marijuana would be good for them personally and/or socially.

PULLMAN, Wash. – Prospective voters will have their emotional responses recorded in real time during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22. The lead researcher, Washington State University’s Paul Bolls, will be available to comment on the results shortly after the debate ends at 8:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

A research team led by Bolls, associate dean of research at WSU’s Murrow College of Communication, in collaboration with HCD research, will use media psychophysiology tests on a sample of 45 voters. These tests involve placing sensors on the hand that detect sweat gland activity revealing the intensity of emotional response. These involuntary responses will be correlated … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – Teen-age boys exposed to pro-cannabis advertising and social media posts are more likely than female peers to associate marijuana use with improving sexual activity, new research from Washington State University suggests.

Researchers found that the adolescent males expected cannabis users to be less inhibited and enjoy sex more, leading them to express an intention to use marijuana in the future. Adolescent girls and young women, however, were less swayed to future cannabis use by the messages and perceived links.

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Asian American Journalists Association’s Seattle chapter awarded the 2020 Northwest Journalists of Color Visual Journalism scholarship to a Murrow College student.

Angelica Relente, a senior studying journalism and media production at Murrow College, won the NJC scholarship and was one of seven students statewide to also receive an AAJA Seattle Founders’ Scholarship.

“Angelica has excelled both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities, including as editor of The Daily Evergreen,” said Benjamin Shors, chair of the Journalism and Media Production Department and a scholarly associate professor at Murrow College. “She’s a fantastic journalist and a worthy … » More …

The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University announces five new faculty members.

Jordan Foley and Tracy Simmons are now part of the Journalism & Media Production department and Justin Barnes, Wei Peng, and Margaret Ritsch join Murrow College’s Strategic Communication department.

Justin Barnes, most recently an instructor at Murrow College, has been hired as a scholarly assistant professor to continue teaching advertising and media planning. Before joining Murrow College last year, Barnes was a faculty member in the sport management program at WSU and at the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of Idaho … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – LGBT Latinx adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms may seek parental support differently than their non-LGBT Latinx peers, according to research from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

Lead author and Assistant Professor at Murrow College, Traci Gillig, along with a team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, found that LGBT Latinx teens experiencing more depressive symptoms were more likely to seek parental support than non-LGBT Latinx teens, according to their research, “Depressive symptoms and parental support-seeking in Latinx adolescents: Analyzing variation based on LGBT identity”.

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PULLMAN, Wash. – More than 25 faculty members and Ph.D. students from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University will present research, participate in panels and accept awards at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s all-virtual annual conference Aug. 6-9.

Murrow College received six awards this year and had 19 papers accepted to present, along with three faculty members participating in panels and discussions.

Ph.D. students, Yan Su and Danielle Ka Lai Lee, won the “Chaffee-McLeod Top Student Paper” in the Communication Theory and Methodology Division. Associate Professor Porismita Borah … » More …

WSU Everett faculty members from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, the Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture and the Carson College of Business observed that several industries challenge Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education to incorporate business and communication experiences to prepare students for the workplace. These recommendations encouraged WSU Everett faculty to design this experiential learning project for students, as highlighted in their research, “STEM-Oriented Alliance for Research (SOAR) An educational model for interdisciplinary project-based learning.” The study was presented at the 127th ASEE Annual … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – With social media use being as prevalent as ever, a new study from Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication shows that adolescents may share marijuana-related content on social media in an effort to fit in with their peers.

Led by Murrow College Associate Professor Jessica Willoughby, this recently published study, “An Exploratory Study of Adolescents’ Social Media Sharing of Marijuana-Related Content“, examined the types of marijuana-related content that adolescents are posting on social media and what factors may influence adolescents’ decisions to share marijuana-related content on social media.

The team … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – Frequent social media use can impact depressive symptoms over time for LGBTQ youth, according to research from a Washington State University communication professor.

Traci Gillig, an assistant professor in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, found that when LGBTQ adolescents attended a social media-free summer camp, they experienced a reduction in depressive symptoms, as outlined in her 2020 research “Longitudinal analysis of depressive symptoms among LGBTQ youth at a social media-free camp”.

According to Gillig, social media use may foster a positive sense of self and a perception of being valued … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Society of Professional Journalists announced the 2019 Mark of Excellence Awards national winners earlier this year, which included two students from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University.

Connor Henricksen took first place in the Online Opinion & Commentary category with his piece “Anxiety shapes my life, but I’m not alone” and Jasmine Darakjy won the Television General News Reporting category with her story “From Puerto Rico to Washington, dogs find their forever homes”.

Murrow students Noak Schmick and Jakob Thorington finished as finalists in the Online Sports Reporting category with their story … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash. – With the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that workers cannot be fired for being gay or transgender, policies and opinions about the LGBTQ community are receiving worldwide attention. Research by a Washington State University professor examined the effects of TV portrayals of transgender individuals on peoples’ attitudes toward the transgender community.

Traci Gillig, an assistant professor at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, and a team of researchers at the Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, found that exposure to transgender characters on television influences viewers’ attitudes and … » More …

PULLMAN, Wash.- Previous research by faculty members at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communication at Penn State University found that celebrity disclosures of illness can be associated with increased information-seeking, screening behaviors or other potential health behavior changes.

Actor Tom Hanks became a celebrity face of the COVID-19 pandemic when he announced in early March that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for the virus. The announcement came as Americans were trying to understand the novel coronavirus and its potential impacts. Although no direct correlation between Hanks’ … » More …