Robert (Ted) Gutsche Jr.

Research: ICA Paper Acceptance

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:19:43 +0000

In May, I head to the International Communication Association 2012 conference in Phoenix.

My paper, “IT’S OK TO BE MAD, BUT NOT OK TO BE MEAN”: Storytelling of war in Afghanistan and street crime at “home” in the Omaha World-Herald, explores the juxtaposition of local crime news in Omaha, Nebraska with coverage of local troops embedded in Afghanistan in April 2011.

It argues that narrative devices such as scene-setting, characterization, sourcing, and the use of dramatic elements constructed violence abroad as heroic and expected, but disruptive and dangerous at home; these contrasts worked to sustain a dominant ideology of institutional superiority, reinforcing the worth of American empire.

Research: Article accepted in Journalism

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:37:04 +0000

A paper titled, “It’s better than blaming a dead young man:” Creating mythical archetypes in local coverage of the Mississippi River drownings, that I did with Erica Salkin (ABD, Wisconsin) has been accepted for publication in Journalism: Theory, practice, and criticism.

The abstract reads:

“This study provides a glimpse at myth within newswork created at the local level during a time of death. Through an analysis of news coverage of the drownings of 10 young men in Wisconsin over 13 years, we examine how myth and narrative are used not just for larger, national or global moments, but within the local newspaper, in news stories that may be influenced by the needs of the local community.”

Community: Mapping, students, and stories

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:45:06 +0000

In fall 2011, art students at Iowa City’s South East Junior High School worked with CrossingBorders.us (a community journalism and storytelling website I helped create) to tell their stories of life in their neighborhoods.

Beyond drawing their tales, we talked about how maps themselves tell stories, how they shape space and create place.

In a spring 2012 class I am co-teaching in the English department at Iowa, we are also talking about space and place in how we tell stories about our geographic communities. See their maps below, then compare the maps between college undergrads and junior high students from very different spaces of the same city.

Research: Dissertation update

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:44:31 +0000

I have wrapped up my data collection for my dissertation, which is focused on how newsworkers, public officials, and city residents characterize their neighborhoods and places.

Scheduled for defense in July, I am excited about this work, especially in using mental maps (drawings of how we experience our spaces and places, such as the one above which is from a resident I interviewed) to talk about how news shapes perceptions of place.

I would like to thank residents who spoke with me at the Broadway Street Neighborhood Center and journalists from local newspapers.