2025 Publications

2025 Annual Report

Publications

Kelli Boling, seen here in the podcast studio in Andersen Hall, is the co-author of new research highlighting the impacts of true crime media on the family and friends of crime victims.

Our commitment to bridging the gap between academia and industry drives our latest endeavors in areas such as artificial intelligence, crisis communication, health communication, social media, esports and more. Our faculty and students are pushing the boundaries of media and communications, translating groundbreaking research into real-world solutions. Discover how our creative activity and cutting-edge research are shaping the future of journalism and mass communications, preparing our graduates to lead and innovate in an ever-evolving media landscape.

Journal Articles

International Journal of Sport Communication

"He Either Has a Gambling Addiction or He is an Idiot”: Analysis of Social Media Posts Surrounding Athlete Gambling Scandals

Brian Petrotta

Frontiers in Public Health journal, Public Health Policy section

Health Equity in Nebraska: Addressing Disparities Through Place-Based Policy Innovation

Changmin Yan

Mass Communication and Society

“Media Pressure is What Makes Law Enforcement Move”: Insights from Co-victims About the Positive Impacts of True Crime Media Attention

Kelli Boling

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

Verify, accept, or ignore: The complexities of media trust along Southeastern U.S. coastal communities during severe weather events

Cory Armstrong

Pain Management Nursing journal

Interactive AI Routines for Pain Symptoms and Loneliness in Older Adults

Valerie Jones, Changmin Yan

Health Communication

#Bopo or Bounce Back?: Investigating the Impact of Social Media Videos on Postpartum Mothers

Ciera Kirkpatrick

Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender & Class

Anti-Racism as a National Security Imperative: The Safeguarding of Core Democratic Values

Michael Park

Journalism and Mass Communication Educator

“The Employment Landscape Has Shifted Massively, and We Must Shift With It:” A Review of Sports Public Relations Courses within Sports Communication Programs

Betsy Emmons, Brian Petrotta

Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal

“What an invasion, an immense invasion”: Examining the adverse effects of true crime media on co-victims

Kelli Boling

Weather, Climate and Society

Expertise or Experience: Comparing Discussion of Drought Between Audiences and Agencies in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri

Cory Armstrong, Sharon Baldinelli

Journal of Applied Communications

Debated, deluged or disappeared: The flow of public discussion surrounding drought in FEMA Region 7

Cory Armstrong, Sharon Baldinelli

Health Communication

“I Respect Whatever Decision You Make!” How Autonomy Support and Exemplars in Short-Form Videos Influence Clinical Trial Recruitment

Ciera Kirkpatrick

International Journal of Sport Communication

From Soccer to Gridiron: Exploring Brand Communication and the Rise of NFL Fandom in Germany

Frauke Hachtmann

Journal of Gambling Studies

Constructing Mediated Betting Discourse: A Typology of Responsible Gambling Language Identified through ESPN’s Sports Wagering Shows

Brian Petrotta

Journal of Rural Studies

Who is responsible? Examining the way U.S. newspapers in rural agricultural and ranching states cover water quality

Jessica Walsh

Communication & Sport

“Can You Believe This Was Once a Football School?:” Social Media Fan Discourse Before, During, and After Nebraska’s Record-Setting Volleyball Game

Kelli Boling

Journal of Advertising Education

Exploring Generative AI as Part of the Design and Creative Process

Adam Wagler

Journal of Risk Research

Twisted up about potential tornados? Examining factors that amplify one’s need for information

Cory Armstrong

JMIR Formative Research

Evaluating Older Adults’ Engagement and Usability With AI-Driven Interventions: Randomized Pilot Study

Valerie Jones, Changmin Yan

International Journal of Sport Communication

Discrimination and deterrents affecting female sports journalists and sports coverage in Tanzania

Kelsey Slater

Journal of Educational Psychology

ManyClasses 2: The Effects of Prequestions on Media Interactions and Learning

Kelli Britten, Matt Waite

Public Understanding of Science

Effects of epistemic beliefs, science populism, and social media use on climate change misperceptions

Bryan Wang

Health Communication

"This is What a Speculum Looks Like!” Effects of Medical Instrument Demonstration and Message Framing in Pap Test Videos on Social Media

Ciera Kirkpatrick

Journal of Information Technology & Politics

Effects of state-sponsored political posts on perceived credibility and persuasion

Ryan Tan

Tulane Law Review

Foreign Control and the Corporate Form: National Security Imperatives and First Amendment Limitations

Michael Park

Books

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Advertising Account Planning, 2nd Edition

Kelli Boling (First Author)

Routledge

Communication Law, 4th edition

Laurie Lee (author)

Peter Lang Publishers

Public Address in Africa: An Analysis of Great Speeches by African Personalities

Dane Kiambi (author)

Book Chapters

Routledge

Critical Communication Research with Global Inclusivity

Jessica Walsh (co-author)

Chapter title: "Rural Research in the Space of News Deserts: Redefining boundaries around Journalism Practice, the Climate Crisis, Natural Disasters, and Health Disparities"

Wiley Blackwell

Handbook of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research

Shari Veil

Chapter: "Risk and crisis communication in North America"

Cognella Academic Publishing

Social Media in Sport: Analysis and Application Across Contexts

Jason Stamm

Chapter: "Exploring College Football Recruits’ Use of Social Media in an Era of Name, Image, and Likeness: A Thematic Analysis of Athletes’ X Accounts"

Creative Works

Soccer America

The Soccer Media Podcast

John Shrader

Grants

Nebraska Department of Economic Development

Develop a Tabletop/Online Role-Playing Tool to Improve Public Engagement in Nebraska's Disaster Recovery and Community Resilience

Ryan Tan | Cory Armstrong | Sharon Baldinelli

$59,860

Center for Transformative Teaching

OER Course Transformation Grant

Frauke Hachtmann

$1,000

Faculty Senate Convocations Committee

Guest Speaker Grant

Frauke Hachtmann

$800

More Achievements

Media Mentions
Presentations
  • Baldinelli, Sharon & Petrotta, Brian. (2026, March). LA2028: Gold Medals, Travel Bans, and Violated Expectations. Paper accepted for presentation at International Association for Communication and Sport Summit on Communication & Sport, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Armstrong, Cory. (2026, March). Should the show go on? Public discussion during college sporting event weather delays. Submission accepted for presentation at International Association for Communication and Sport Summit on Communication & Sport, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Hachtmann, Frauke. (2026, March). Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend: The Socialization Pathway of German NFL Fans. Extended abstract accepted for presentation at International Association for Communication and Sport Summit on Communication & Sport, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Hachtmann, Frauke. (2026, March). Lecture Series, Podcast, and Experiential Learning: A 2025 World University Games Global Collaboration. Panel accepted for presentation at International Association for Communication and Sport Summit on Communication & Sport, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Stamm, Jason, &  Tan, Ryan. (2026, March). Cleatus’ longevity: How visual framing of data influences audience perception of AI use in NFL broadcasts. Paper accepted for presentation at International Association for Communication and Sport Summit on Communication & Sport, Dublin, Ireland.
  • Park, Michael. (2026, March). Free speech in a changing America [Invited symposium presentation]. Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska.
  • Veil, Shari. (2025, June). When It Hits The Fan: Lessons in Crisis Communication. Panel discussion for Public Relations Society of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. 
  • McCoy, Barney. (2025, June). Running Towards the Fire. Screening for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS. 
  • Emmons, Betsy. (2025, June). Aggression in the Super Bowl, domestic violence, and the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift relationship: A crisis response on Reddit case study. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Kirkpatrick, Ciera. (2025, June). "I respect whatever decision you make!" How autonomy support and exemplars in short-form videos influence clinical trial recruitment. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Kirkpatrick, Ciera. (2025, June). #Bopo or bounce back?: Investigating the impact of social media videos on postpartum mothers. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Park, Michael. (2025, June). A fear of ideas? Social media, foreign influence, and national security in a new era of great-power competition. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Walsh, Jessica. (2025, June). Life on the rural-urban continuum: Using metajournalistic discourse to examine boundary definition among rural adjacent journalists. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Communication Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Armstrong, Cory. (2025, April). Verify, accept, or ignore: The complexities of media trust along Southeastern U.S. coastal communities during severe weather events. Paper accepted for presentation at the Broadcast Education Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
  • Emmons, Betsy. (2025, March). Branding 14-year-olds: Motorsport promotion of adolescent drivers on Instagram. Paper presented at the International Association of Communication and Sport Conference, Chicago, IL.
  • Emmons, Betsy. (2025, March). Fandom and acceptance of the NIL era: A longitudinal Reddit discourse analysis. Paper presented at the International Association of Communication and Sport Conference, Chicago, IL.
  • Hachtmann, Frauke. (2025, March). Medals and the power of the media – Reactions of Olympic athletes to media observations as strategies of defensive mediatization. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Association for Communication and Sport Summit, Chicago, IL.
  • Petrotta, Brian, & Stamm, Jason. (2025, March). Examining the intersection of sports communication education with industry hiring practices. Paper accepted for presentation at the International Association for Communication and Sport Summit, Chicago, IL.
  • Petrotta, Brian, & Shrader, John. (2025, March). Best practices in sport-themed experiences abroad. Panel accepted for presentation at the International Association for Communication and Sport Summit, Chicago, IL.
Appointments
  • Armstrong, C. (2025). Fellow, National Strategic Institute.
  • Armstrong, C. (2025). Fellow, NU Developing Excellence in Academic Leaders Program.
  • Emmons, B. (2025). Participant, NU 2 Foundation Research Program.
  • Emmons, B. (2025). Chair, Public Relations Society of America Nebraska State Board.
  • Emmons, B. (2025). Selected Member, Institute for Public Relations' ELEVATE Program.
  • Hachtmann, F. (2025). Participant, ANA Educational Foundation Visiting Professor Program.
  • Hachtmann, F. (2025). Member, Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.
  • Hachtmann, F. (2025). Chair, Professorships Committee, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
  • Hachtmann, F. (2025). Gilbert & Martha Hitchcock Professor in Journalism, University of Nebraska.
  • Graves, C. (2025). Member, Nebraska Writing Project Advisory Board.
  • Graves, C. (2025). Member, Nebraska Public Media Managing Editor Search Committee.
  • Jones, V. (2025). Member, U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Fulbright Specialist Roster.
  • Park, M. (2025). Member, Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression Selection Committee, National Communication Association. 
  • Stamm, J. (2025). Managing Editor, BullInsider.
  • Wagler, A. (2025). Interim Dean, University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
  • Wagler, A. (2025). Accessibility Ambassador, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Digital Accessibility Collaborative.
  • Wang, B. (2025). William H. Kearns Chair in Journalism, University of Nebraska.
  • Wenz, J. (2025). Member, Lincoln Telecommunication/Cable Advisory Board.