KU News: Policy over personal: How Native media cover women in politics

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Policy over personal: How Native media cover women in politics
LAWRENCE – National Native news outlets focus more on policy issues when covering women in politics than the problematic, gendered stereotypes commonly emphasized in mainstream media, according to a new journalism study. “The influence of Indigenous standpoint: Examining Indian Country press portrayals of Native women in politics” was recently published in Newspaper Research Journal and is the latest work by two University of Kansas professors of journalism & mass communications.

13 Jayhawks to participate in Capitol Graduate Research Summit
LAWRENCE — Eight University of Kansas graduate students from the Lawrence campus and five from KU Medical Center will put their groundbreaking research on public display for the 20th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit. Legislators and the public are invited to learn about the influence of research underway at KU during the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 22 on the first-floor rotunda in the Kansas Capitol.

KU theatre design student earns spot at national Kennedy Center festival
LAWRENCE — The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas has announced recognition from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region V. Lindsay Webster, graduate student in scenography from Novi, Michigan, won a first-place national award for costume design for “The Labyrinth of Desire,” which qualified her for competition this spring in Washington, D.C. Other honorees include Hazel Youngquist, a senior in theatre performance from Perry, who won the Jane Childs DTM Legacy Award for First-Time Presenters for his work on the University Theatre’s production of “Everybody,” and doctoral candidate Timmia Hearn DeRoy, of Lawrence, who was honored for direction of “Everybody.”

Full stories below.

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Contact: Rick Hellman, KU News Service, 785-864-8852, [email protected], @RickHellman
Policy over personal: How Native media cover women in politics
LAWRENCE – National Native news outlets focus more on policy issues when covering women in politics than the problematic, gendered stereotypes commonly emphasized in mainstream media, according to a new journalism study.
“The influence of Indigenous standpoint: Examining Indian Country press portrayals of Native women in politics” was recently published in Newspaper Research Journal and is the latest work by two University of Kansas professors of journalism & mass communications.
Melissa Greene-Blye, who also is affiliated with KU’s Indigenous Studies Program and is an enrolled citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and co-author Teri Finneman analyzed a year’s worth of the three leading Native American newspapers’ coverage of U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids and Yvette Herrell and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The authors found striking differences in how Native media outlets cover women in politics compared with common mainstream journalistic approaches. For example, there was little to no emphasis on their appearance, identity as women and personal lives. Rather, the focus was on policies, such as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women legislation, Indian boarding schools and Native voting rights.
“It gives political leaders a space to speak at length and in detail about the work they’re doing,” Greene-Blye said. “It is definitely creating a different space for these women and for Native voices in general that does not and has not existed outside of Native media.”
The data illustrated the influence of Indigenous standpoint on the journalistic norms of Native media outlets as it was clear that coverage centered around the promotion of policies considered important to Native communities — to the extent that conservative voices that did not align with these stances were often left out of the coverage, according to the researchers. As a result, Davids, a Kansas Democrat, received five times the press of Herrell, a New Mexico Republican.
“You definitely see more coverage of Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland because their viewpoints are more in line with the broader community across Indian Country,” Greene-Blye said. “However, there are differences of opinion, perspective and political leanings within Indian Country. So when you see coverage of Herrell or other conservatives, it is usually because there is a specific aspect of what they’re supporting that is of benefit to that nation in that moment, or they are being criticized for opposing the consensus.”
As the title stated, the research paper is informed by Indigenous standpoint theory, which Greene-Blye defined as “the idea that you as a scholar cannot separate your lived experience from your scholarly perspective.”
“So along with a couple of our colleagues in the broader scholarship field of media history, we are starting to examine how it informs the work that Native media do,” she said.
The authors use the term “strong objectivity,” as opposed to advocacy, to describe the role that Native media — and thus those outlets’ audiences — see for themselves. This differs from the use of “objectivity” by mainstream media since it has a different goal.
“So strong objectivity is compensating for these marginalized voices that have been left out all these years and giving their voice more prominence,” Finneman said.
By avoiding mainstream journalistic practice that believes “both sides” need to be in a story, Finneman said Native media are “getting away from much of the political theater that really has no substance” that is common in the national political media. Finneman is also the author of “Press Portrayals of Women Politicians, 1870s-2000s.”
“Certainly, democracy and politics as a whole would be much better served if we would focus more on actual policy and serious issues, rather than focusing on political theater and sound bites,” Finneman said.
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Contact: Evan Riggs, Office of the Provost, 785-864-1085, [email protected], @KUProvost
13 Jayhawks to participate in Capitol Graduate Research Summit

LAWRENCE — Eight University of Kansas graduate students from the Lawrence campus and five from KU Medical Center are putting their groundbreaking research on public display. Legislators and the public are invited to learn about the influence of research underway at KU during the 20th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 22 on the first-floor rotunda in the Kansas Capitol. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has proclaimed March 22 Graduate Research Day to recognize crucial contributions to the state’s economic development and quality of life through research conducted by graduate students at Kansas Board of Regents universities.
KU graduate students are working to develop solutions to societal questions and challenges. The findings and possible commercialization of these innovations can affect Kansans’ lives and potentially elevate the state’s economic status. Their research covers a broad range of topics, including:
1. Second-life battery energy storage for sustainable power grids
2. Accessibility of written medication information for patients with visual impairment
3. Use of novel blood biomarkers to evaluate Alzheimer’s disease risk and burden.
“The graduate students representing KU at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit are at the forefront of groundbreaking research,” said Jennifer Roberts, vice provost for graduate studies and academic affairs. “They are wonderful examples of how essential graduate students are to advancing the university’s commitment to conducting impactful research that addresses key challenges faced by the state, nation and the world. The students presenting their work continue highlighting the impact and importance of high-profile and interdisciplinary research in KU’s five strategic research areas of the Research Rising initiative.
“As the research skills of these students are honed and advanced, their work drives innovations to secure our digital and social worlds, improves our understanding and how we approach intellectual and developmental disabilities research, and creates healthier and more sustainable communities and environments.”
KU graduate students will join peers from Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University at the summit.
The top two presenters from KU will each receive a $500 award and recognition on the Office of Graduate Studies Twitter and Facebook pages during Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week.
Founded by graduate students 20 years ago, the summit brings attention to the innovative research conducted by students at state universities with an emphasis on the public benefits of graduate students’ research. This free event provides an opportunity for the public — as well as Paul Hughes, Department of Commerce deputy secretary of business development, and state senators and representatives – to learn more about the important work of graduate students across the state.
KU’s participants are listed below by name, area of study and title of their research presentations.
From KU Lawrence
1. Kalin Baca, doctoral student in chemical engineering, “Recycling Refrigerants to Reduce Global Warming.”
2. Kara Bamberger, doctoral student in pharmacy, “Accessibility of Written Medication Information for Patients with Visual Impairment.”
3. Kelly Beym, graduate student in geography, “Cultivating Equity Through 638: How Tribal Self-Determination Projects Impact Economies Through Food Procurement Preferences.”
4. Grant Downes, doctoral student in bioengineering, “Engineering a Novel Insulin Compound as a Type 1 Diabetes Therapy.”
5. Amir Farakhor, doctoral student in mechanical engineering, “Second-Life Battery Energy Storage for Sustainable Power Grids.”
6. Samantha Ghali, doctoral student in child language, “Building Early Literacy Skills at Home: Insights from Bilingual Families.”
7. Ryan Lemasters, doctoral student in philosophy, “Carebots Don’t Care: An Ethical Analysis of Socially Assistive Robots in Kansas’ Elderly Care Industry.”
8. Tanvir Hossain, doctoral student in electrical engineering, “Peek Inside the Box: Gamified Learning of Computing Hardware Fundamentals.”

From KU Medical Center
1. Samantha Cintron, doctoral student in nursing, “Natural Killer Cell Changes in Patients with Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Treated with a Mushroom Supplement.”
2. Zachary Green, doctoral and medical student with the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, “Use of Novel Blood Biomarkers to Evaluate Alzheimer’s Disease Risk and Burden.”
3. Paige Pearson, medical student in pediatric orthopedic surgery, “Risk Factors for Failure of Cast Immobilization in Pediatric Scaphoid Fracture Presenting Greater than 28 Days After Injury.”
4. Makenna Snyder, doctoral student in therapeutic science, “Falls in Individuals Using Wheelchairs: An Observational Study.”
5. Griffin Welfer, doctoral student in biochemistry and molecular biology, “Telomeric Ribonucleotides Cause Rapid Telomere Shortening and Telomere Instability.”

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Contact: Lisa Coble-Krings, Department of Theatre & Dance, 785-864-5685, [email protected], @KUTheatre
KU theatre design student earns spot at national Kennedy Center festival

LAWRENCE — The Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Kansas has announced that the following students have earned awards and recognition from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region V. Almost all of the work was part of actualized productions of KU’s University Theatre.

National awards
Lindsay Webster, a third-year MFA in scenography student from Novi, Michigan, won a first-place national award for costume design for “The Labyrinth of Desire,” work which qualified her for national competition this spring in Washington, D.C. Additionally, she earned a second-place national award for scenic design, also for “The Labyrinth of Desire.” This is the second year in a row Webster has represented the university in costume design on a national level.
Other honors
Taiane Lacerda, a second-year MFA student from Florianópolis, Brazil, earned the Don Childs DTM Cross-Discipline Collaboration Award for “Into the Woods” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” both of which were part of her summer internship taken for course credit. Hazel Youngquist, a senior in theatre performance from Perry, won the Jane Childs DTM Legacy Award for First-Time Presenters for his work on the University Theatre’s production of “Everybody.”
Regional commendations
Some of the theatre & dance department’s students and faculty received commendations, all tied to KU’s production of “Everybody.” Youngquist was honored for lighting design and Lacerda for scenic design. Rana Esfandiary, assistant professor of design & technology, was honored for costume design. Doctoral candidate Timmia Hearn DeRoy, of Lawrence, was honored for direction, and the “Everybody” cast was recognized for ensemble performance.
“The students’ growth was evident within the first days of attending the conference. They had the chance to receive feedback about their work, attend workshops and network. This opportunity helped them find focus for their future,” said Kelly Vogel, academic associate and resident artist in the department. “As their professor, this is one of my favorite experiences with the students.”
The KCACTF-Region V annual conference and awards took place in January 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. Region V includes Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. At various times during 2022, representatives of KCACTF came to Lawrence to judge the submitted plays and provide responses.
The University Theatre and University Dance Company are production wings of the University of Kansas’s Department of Theatre & Dance, offering five to six public productions throughout the academic year. The University Theatre and University Dance Company productions are funded in part by KU Student Senate fees, and the theatre’s season is supported by Truity Credit Union.

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http://www.news.ku.edu

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

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