Research Summary

My historical research primarily explores how journalists have reflected and created communities, especially in the American West. Examples include newspaper coverage of dam-building on the Colorado River and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

Education

  • B.A., History, DePauw University
  • M.A., Journalism, Indiana University
  • Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Project: Conscience of the Calling: How Journalists Used Three National Commissions to Blend a New Professional Ethic, 1963-1975.

Biography

After a stint in weekly newspapers, I worked for more than 15 years as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers in Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio, and Nevada. I taught at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before coming to Salt Lake City.

Service activities have included chairing the University Publications Council, advising the campus chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, serving on the board of the Utah Headliners (professional) chapter of SPJ, and judging the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics' Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl. I currently serve on the board of Wasatch Public Media.

Favorite book

Tao Te Ching