9 minute read
Making it Happen During a Pandemic
from Murphy Reporter Winter 2021
by University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication
The last 12 months have taken MAKING stamina, creativity, expertise and resilience from Hubbard School students, staff and faculty. It’s taken renewed IT partnerships from our friends in the community and patience and commitment from parents. From ordering extra webcams HAPPEN to writing national op-eds, every issue and task held importance. No task was too small or too large, and the DURING work continues on. Here are just a few ways the Hubbard School made it happen during COVID-19. A PANDEMIC
COMPILED BY AMANDA FRETHEIM GATES
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HANDLING MISINFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EMILY VRAGA and Leticia Bode (Georgetown University) published their research “Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media Preemptively and Responsively” to the Center for Disease Control and Preventions’ Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. They write, “Efforts to address misinformation on social media have special urgency with the emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In one effort, the World Health Organization (WHO) designed and publicized shareable infographics to debunk coronavirus myths. We used an experiment to test the efficacy of these infographics, depending on placement and source. We found that exposure to a corrective graphic on social media reduced misperceptions about the science of one false COVID-19 prevention strategy, but did not affect misperceptions about prevention of COVID-19. Lowered misperceptions about the science persisted [more than a] week later. These effects were consistent when the graphic was shared by the WHO or by an anonymous Facebook user and when the graphics were shared preemptively or in response to misinformation. Health organizations can and should create and promote shareable graphics to improve public knowledge.”
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
IN NOVEMBER, the University of Minnesota established a National Resources Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) that focuses on COVID19 prevention, control and mitigation. The center was created with the help of $5 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Organization for Migration. There’s evidence that the virus has disproportionately hit communities of color and NRC-RIM hopes to address these disparities. The center seeks advice from many areas of the University. Associate Professor Rebekah Nagler offers her expertise as a health communication advisor, helping the center’s team think through how best to promote vaccine acceptance in RIM communities, which includes understanding current beliefs and misperceptions about vaccination generally and about a COVID-19 vaccine specifically.
In October, together with alumnus and UMN School of Public Health Dean John Finnegan, faculty members Elisia Cohen, Sarah Gollust, Rebekah Nagler, Emily Vraga and Marco Yzer met with Minnesota Department of Health officials to provide consultative subject matter expertise regarding COVID communication strategies. This Spring term, Adam Saffer’s strategic communication research course will be partnering with the Minnesota Department of Public Health to develop insights into vaccination communication efforts for young adults.
TIP: OUT OF TOWN GUEST SPEAKERS
“Using Zoom is very effective for having guest speakers. I had guest speakers from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Kansas City and
Portland. These experiences were great for students.” — Mark Jenson
PARTNERING WITH THE WHO
DURING THE COVID-19 PAN-
DEMIC, THE World Health Organization (WHO) and many scholars saw an infodemic occurring. What is an infodemic? It’s a mashup of “information” and “epidemic” that references a rapid and far-reaching spread of both accurate and inaccurate information about something, such as a disease.
Associate Professor Emily Vraga, who holds the Hubbard School’s Don and Carole Larson Professorship in Health Communication, assisted the WHO with its first Infodemiology conference in July 2020. The conference had several objectives, including understanding the multidisciplinary nature of infodemic management; identifying current examples and tools to understand, measure and control infodemics; building a public health research agenda to direct focus and investment in this emerging scientific field; and establishing a community of practice and research. Participants included experts from the fields of Epidemiology and Public Health; Applied Math and Data Science; Digital Health and Technology Applications; Social & Behavioral Science; Media Studies & Journalism; Marketing, UX and Design; Risk Communication and Community Engagement; Ethics and Governance and other relevant scientific disciplines and practices, as well as UN agencies and public health authorities.
Vraga was a Topic Master on “Which Interventions Work to Protect and Mitigate,” where she co-hosted four sessions with experts in the field “on what we know and what we need to research in terms of interventions for infodemics.” She concluded by publicly presenting their findings to an international audience in the post-conference on July 21, 2020. Out of her sessions, four topics for new research emerged: Testing critical thinking and literacy theory as interventions to address infodemics; identifying priority populations based on key vulnerabilities; developing a shared public rubric for characterizing misinformation; and developing a shared “living systematic review” for interventions measured in terms of effectiveness on a set range of criteria.
HANDS-ON TRAINING IN A PANDEMIC
HANDS-ON TRAINING IS CORE
to the School’s mission. Last spring, some courses like Jour 4452: Newscast Producing and Jour 4303: Advanced Visual Storytelling, made do in the spring virtually. However, for fall, courses like Jour 3102: Multimedia Production and Storytelling, got exceptions to take place in person. The School developed the Hubbard School Community Engaged Learning Sunrise Plan to keep students safe while completing this work. The School encouraged instructors and students to consider whether the same educational objectives could be achieved by reducing time typically spent in the field. For example, all preparation work for interviews could be conducted remotely, careful pre-planning occurred for field camera work, and students limited time at outside events/ remote locations to the extent required to meet assignment integrity. Partnering organizations, like the Pioneer Press or APM Reports, which typically engage students in 10 hours of work on-site allowed students to work remotely and limit field production work. Students who needed to report in the field were provided with press credentials from the School.
MAKING MATCHES VIRTUALLY
WITH THE HELP OF THE HUB-
BARD School Alumni Society Board and many professional volunteers from around the country, the School’s 35-year alumni mentor program successfully adapted during the pandemic. The School matched 51 students with mentors from organizations like Google, Fallon, MPR News, Colle McVoy, Star Tribune and more. The program kicked off virtually in November and pairs meet regularly over their computers.
Mentor Kirsten Swanson, a reporter for KSTP-TV, and her mentee, senior Kathryn Sundquist, created a successful schedule for their time together. “Because most everything these days happens in the virtual world, we’ve adapted,” Swanson said. “Kathryn and I make sure to plan our meetings out ahead of schedule. She is very prepared, with a topic she wants to discuss. During our first couple of meetings, we talked about my work and my process. Recently, we’ve had conversations about what your early career looks like. The preparation and focus is key. It’s not all a work-around though. I find that because I can just hop on the computer, I’m actually spending more time with her than if we were to make plans to meet up in-person. My hope is that benefits her as she finishes out her time at the Hubbard School.” For opportunities to participate, visit z.umn.edu/hsjmcalumni
WRITING FOR THE ARTS WHEN THE ARTS ARE CLOSED
DOMINIC PAPATOLA TEACHES JOUR 4171: COVERING THE ARTS. HE REFLECTS ON THE FALL 2020 SEMESTER COURSE:
One of the main ways I adapted the class for this unusual year was to take a look at the final project. Typically, I ask students to create a blog or a longform piece of journalism on an arts topic of their choosing. But with COVID shuttering so many Twin Cities arts organizations, I figured the stories about how those organizations— especially mid-sized groups—planned to survive would be as diverse as the art forms they represent. So I spent time over the summer reaching out to arts organizations in hopes of finding about 20 who were willing to share their plans and processes with my students over the course of the semester.
The response was really heartening. I had a surplus of groups —theaters, music ensembles, crafts organizations, museums. They were willing to devote time they probably didn’t have to interviews, open their financial books for examinations, and discuss frankly their hopes and fears about emerging from COVID.
Other elements of the class had to pivot as well. Again, in a typical semester, students in this class are out in the world watching live arts events. While there’s no substitute for being in, as they say in “Hamilton,” “the room where it happens,” we were able to come up with some creative alternatives. We watched a filmed-before-a-live audience version of a Broadway show. I had them do a book review (unusual for me, since the class generally focuses on the performing arts). I also had them review the last Trump-Biden debate... not from a political punditry perspective but rather as an aesthetic event.
The students were incredibly game. With the previous experience of distance learning from the last academic year, they quickly found a way to build a sense of community in our virtual classroom through class discussions and liberal use of the chat function. I was impressed with how they engaged with each other, with the material and with me. I learned more from these students than they learned from me, and I’m grateful for their intelligence, their enthusiasm and their diverse passions in the arts.
TIP: TEAMBUILDING EARLY
— Adam Saffer
GIVE TO THE MAX
ON NOV. 19, 2020, the Hubbard School raised nearly $5,000 on Give to the Max Day for its student emergency fund for undergraduate and graduate students. The gifts help with any unforeseen financial bumps that come up for students, including scholarships for those who face unexpected financial hardships like food insecurity, job loss, technological needs, money for books, and more. To support the Hubbard School, visit z.umn.edu/hsjmcgive
LIBRARY RESOURCES BY THE NUMBERS
Since March 2020, Hubbard School students, faculty, and staff have used library resources extensively.
LOGINS
11,225 to databases 8,735 to online journals 921 to ebooks
TOP 3 ONLINE JOURNALS
Journal of Advertising Journal of Communication Journalism Studies
TOP 3 DATABASES
Academic Search Premier Simmons Insights AP Stylebook
STUDENTS HONOR IMMIGRANTS LOST
Four students in Jour 5131: In-Depth Reporting partnered with the Sahan Journal to write obituaries of immigrants who have died of COVID-19. According to Chris Ison, the instructor, “Finding family members in immigrant communities to tell these stories of their loved ones was not easy reporting, especially during the pandemic, and it certainly got students out of their comfort zones, at times using interpreters to help.” The project is ongoing and can be found at sahanjournal.com
TECH BY THE NUMBERS
With students learning—and instructors teaching— remotely, the Hubbard School needed to order and prepare new tech kits for every student in a journalism course that required fieldwork during the 2020-2021 academic year.
