2020-21 Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Philippines
As a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in the Philippines in Fall 2021, Marie K. Shanahan will work with faculty and students at Leyte Normal University to study how local news organizations are combating – or contributing to – the online spread of inaccurate or deliberately deceptive information under the guise of news.
BOOK
Journalism, Online Comments, and the Future of Public Discourse (2018)
Routledge/Taylor & Francis
My first academic book explores online comments as the digital iteration of “conversation.” It examines how news-related public discussions function within a deliberative democracy and explains how journalism’s challenge to be a conversation rather than a lecture in the digital age is bedeviled by design defects and the obstacles of participatory online culture. Special attention is paid to anonymous online comments and journalism’s contradictory relationship with anonymity. Through original interviews, anecdotes, field observations and summaries of research literature, I argue for news organizations to show greater leadership in online public discourse and to use journalistic rigor and better design to add value to citizens’ comments beyond the polarized social layer. Too many news sites have shut down comments and passed on the responsibility of conversations to social media sites, whose motivations and ethical codes vary.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Associate Professor of Journalism,
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
May 2018- present
Assistant Professor of Journalism, Tenure-track
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
August 2011-April 2018
- Teaching: Instruct undergraduate students in introductory and advanced digital newsgathering and multimedia storytelling techniques, online news ethics and copyright/fair use.
- Research: Studying the intersection of journalism and interactive communications technology, online anonymity and free speech. Focus on online commenting on news websites, digital reputation, use of social media by journalists.
- Service: Advise 30+ undergraduate journalism majors. Administer department Twitter account @uconnjournalism and UConn Journalism Facebook page Advise student news organizations in best practices of digital news publishing/social media. Provide digital training to non-profit journalism organizations in Connecticut.
Regional Editor, Connecticut
AOL/Patch.com, New York, NY
July 2010-June 2011
Responsible for the hiring, launch, development and management of 10 local news websites in north central Connecticut for Patch.com. Leadership role involved recruiting talent, training and managing a team of 12+ local editors and freelancers, building team dynamic among journalists working remotely, and maintain quality on each site.
Deputy Online Editor
The Hartford Courant/Tribune Interactive, Hartford, CT
February 2008-June 2010
Leadership role in improving and expanding the presentation of all facets of news content on www.courant.com, including stories, photo galleries, blogs, databases, video, graphics, RSS feeds, mobile and user-generated content. Trained newsroom in best practices of digital journalism. Monitored web traffic/metrics. Built audiences with social media. Oversaw the work of four online producers and administered college internship program.
Senior Online Producer
The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT
8/2004-1/2007
Shaped the evolution of www.ctnow.com into an award-winning entertainment website for residents and visitors to Connecticut. Recruited team of freelancers to generate original content. Established college internship program for the online news department.
Online Producer
The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT
8/1999 –7/2004
Duties included daily production of the news organization’s home page and other major sections, designing and generating original digital content for special news and features sections; photo editing and photo production, copyediting, and working with newsroom editors and reporters on breaking news coverage.
Reporter
The Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT
6/1994-7/1999
Covered breaking news, crime, government, education and feature stories in the city of Hartford and town of Windsor. Worked on special projects about Connecticut’s Asian-American population, technology trends, technology in public education, health and women’s issues. Co-developed an all-editions column called ‘Excerpts,’ published from 1996-2000, which gave young journalists at The Hartford Courant an opportunity to write about timely lifestyle issues aimed at 20-somethings.
EDUCATION
Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Master of Science, Interactive Communications
Awarded May 2010
Master’s Thesis: “Harm To Reputation In The Form Of Online Speech: Lessons For Journalists In The Digital Age”
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism and History
Awarded May 1994
Graduated Cum Laude with Honors in Journalism. Inducted into Delta-Omicron chapter of Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society.
Honors Thesis: The Philippine News Media: Bribes, Intimidation Undermine Press Freedom
NOTABLE JOURNALISM PRESENTATIONS and PUBLICATIONS
“Journalism schools stop perpetuating the status quo“
Nieman Journalism Lab, December 21, 2020
Too many young journalists who have managed to find a way into the news business are getting chewed up and spit out too soon, feeling isolated and burned out. The rate of survival in journalism is too low.
“News sites take the comment sections back from platforms“
Nieman Journalism Lab, December 14, 2018
What role are journalists and news organizations playing in the noxious public discourse we have online today? Are we active participants in the toxicity? Or are we uninvolved bystanders? Local news organizations should become a driving force for better online public discourse, because Facebook and Twitter aren’t cutting it.
“What aren’t people getting from the media? Civil conversations“
Harford Courant, February 20, 2018
What role are journalists and news organizations playing in the noxious public discourse we have online today? Are we active participants in the toxicity? Or are we uninvolved bystanders? Local news organizations should become a driving force for better online public discourse, because Facebook and Twitter aren’t cutting it.
“How news sites’ online comments helped build our hateful electorate“
The Conversation, December 15, 2016
The ability to say offensive things online on a daily basis without consequences led to new, and more toxic, norms for civic behavior. Unabated toxic discourse and misinformation in online comment sections have distorted the populace’s understanding of information and facilitated its rejection of facts. News outlets that allowed falsities and hate speech to fester in their comment spaces have contributed to our deepening political dysfunction. This article was republished by Newsweek, Salon, Christian Science Monitor and 21 other online publications.
“Yes, Campuses Should Be Safe Spaces — For Debate“
Chronicle of Higher Education, January 31, 2016
College students have grown up in the free-for-all of social media, an arena that’s often the antithesis of a “safe space.” So it’s no surprise there are students who don’t know what civility in public discourse looks like. If civility requires emotional maturity, students have to practice. And professors need to do a better job of facilitating safe spaces for debate.
“To Comment or Not To Comment“
Presenter at 2015 Excellence in Journalism conference, September 18, 2015, Orlando, FL.
What happens when journalists don’t tend to our online conversation spaces? Toxicity left unchecked leads to bullying, flaming, doxxing. Speech acts different online then it does in person or in print. Posts can be found out of context. Speech can be copied and shared instantly to huge numbers of people. The aggressive tone of online commenting has caused a serious problem in online discourse: participation inequality.
“A Visualization Initiation“
Presenter at Journalism Interactive Conference, April 24, 2015, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri.
Demonstrated to a national audience of journalism educators my most effective methods for introducing journalism students to data visualization.
“Media: Radical Shift In Control Of The News”
Hartford Courant, October 19, 2014.
An essay explaining how the future of journalism is married to the future of communication technology.
“On Connecticut’s ‘Gold Coast,’ a Local News Incubator [with INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC] Columbia Journalism Review, March 25, 2014. The features of well-to-do suburbs like those in Connecticut’s affluent Fairfield County create vibrant testing grounds for hyperlocal news experiments. These suburbs also serve as the field for an intensifying local media “scrum.”
“How talk radio listens to its audience, provides lessons for online publishers
Poynter Online, March 4, 2014
Some answers to taming online comments may be found in talk radio’s way of handling callers. Callers, like online commenters, can be unpredictable. They can also be unexpectedly entertaining and insightful. But audience participation on the airwaves isn’t like the commenting free-for-all often found online. There is methodology behind it.
“Our Digital Shadows: Journalists and Online Reputation”
Presenter at the 2013 Excellence in Journalism convention, hosted by Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). SESSION DESCRIPTION: If you’re working as a journalist in today’s hyper-connected media environment, you are most likely tapping into search engines and social media sites for research and background information on sources. But when was the last time you evaluated your own online reputation? Does your digital shadow give off a credible first impression? Does your online conduct when interacting with members of the public reflect the standards/best practices of the organization with which you’d like to be affiliated? Nowadays, a questionable digital footprint (or the complete lack of one) can make or break a journalist’s relationship with a source, an audience or a hiring manager. In this hands-on development session, you will be challenged to think critically about your own digital record and the shadows you’ve left behind. Learn some of the ways professional and aspiring journalists can build and manage their reputations online. Anaheim, CA on August 26, 2013.
“Journalists and Digital Reputation“
Invited presenter at NLGJA 2013, annual conference for National Lesbian Gay Journalists Association in Boston, MA on August 23, 2013.
“More News Organizations Try Civilizing Online Comments With Help of Social Media,”
Poynter Online, July 16, 2013
With anonymity and pseudonymity existing as a constant in the equation of online comments since news publishing blossomed on the Internet, wrangling user posts has caused huge headaches for news organizations. It’s not easy for stressed newsrooms to gather and produce the news and act as the “civility police” at the same time. More news sites are turning to social media companies for help.
“Covering Newtown”
Panelist at University of Connecticut forum examining the breaking news coverage of the Dec. 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. April 2013.
“Rate Your Online Reputation”
Presenter at 2013 Journalism/Interactive Conference Teach-a-Thon. Hosted by University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, February 2013.
“Networking: The Value of Conversation”
Keynote speaker at Travelers Information Technology Leadership Development Program Annual Session, Hartford, CT, October 2009.
ADDITIONAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Quinnipiac University Graduate Journalism Program, Hamden, CT
Adjunct Professor of Journalism
June 2009 – July 2011
Instructed graduate journalism students in digital newsgathering and storytelling techniques, including reporting, writing, editing, audio, data visualization and interactive online presentation.
COMMUNITY SERVICE and PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Connecticut Investigative Health Team, Board Member, January 2012-present
- Connecticut News Project, The Connecticut Mirror, Executive Board Member, September 2017-present
- Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, Board member, July 2017-present
- Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi Awards, National Judge, 2012 & 2013
- Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, Regional Judge, 2009-2011
- Professional Advisory Committee Member, University of Connecticut Journalism Department, 2009-2011
- Volunteer editor, ‘Voices’ student newspaper project, Asian American Journalists Association Annual Convention, 1997-1999
- Memberships: Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA); Online News Association (ONA); Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ); Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC).
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