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Dave Demers
Associate Professor
Office: MURE 219B
Phone: (509) 335-5608 or (509) 443-7057
E-mail: ddemers@wsu.edu
Website: www.DavidDemers.info
Education:
Ph.D., mass communication, University of Minnesota
M.A., sociology/criminology, The Ohio State University
M.A., journalism, The Ohio State University
B.A., journalism, Central Michigan University
Research Interests:
Media Sociology
Global Media Systems
Media History
Social Science and Public Policy
Creative Nonfiction
Teaching:
Undergraduate Courses:
Beginning Reporting
Advanced Reporting
Constitutional Law in Criminology
Editing and Newspaper Design
Global Media: Menace or Messiah? (Senior Seminar)
History of Mass Media
Information Search Strategies for Mass Communicators
Introduction to Mass Communication
Journalism in Mass Media: The Social Control and Social Change Implications of How Popular Media Portray Journalists (Senior Seminar)
Mass Communication Law
Mass Communication Theories and Theory Construction
Mass Media in a Global World (Senior Seminar)
Mass Media & Obscenity (Senior Seminar)
Mass Media & Politics (Senior Seminar)
Mass Media & Public Opinion (Senior Seminar)
Mass Media & Society
Newspaper Management
News Photography
Public Affairs Reporting
Public Opinion
Quantitative Research methods
Writing for the Media
Graduate Courses:
Building Communication Theory
Media Sociology: Globalization, Social Control & Social Change
Multivariate Statistics for Communication Research
Mass Media, Social Change and Social Control: A Macrosocial Perspective
Biographical Information:
David Demers is associate professor of communication at Washington State University, where he has taught courses in media theory, media and society, news reporting, film, media history, media law, media and terrorism, and editing since 1996.
He is author or editor of 11 academic books, including The Ivory Tower of Babel: Why the Social Sciences Are Failing to Live Up to Their Promises (Algora Publishing, 2011), The Last Professor of the Enlightenment: An American Odyssey (under review), History and Future of Mass Media: An Integrated Perspective (Hampton Press, 2007) Global Media: Menace or Messiah? (Hampton Press, 2002, revised edition) and The Menace of the Corporate Newspaper: Fact or Fiction? (Iowa State University Press, 1996). His research on corporate media structure has won five national awards. In 2010, the national Society of Collegiate Journalist gave Professor Demers the Louis Ingelhart Freedom of Expression Award, which is given to individuals who make significant contributions to freedom of expression at the risk of personal and/or professional cost.
In the 1970s, Professor Demers worked as newspaper reporter in Michigan, where he won two statewide first-place awards for investigative reporting. He also worked briefly as a newspaper advertising salesperson. During the 1980s, he was senior research analyst for a national marketing research company.
Professor Demers earned master's degrees in journalism and sociology from The Ohio State University in 1981 and 1983, respectively, and a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Minnesota in 1992.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Professor Demers conducted research on the effects of corporate structure, which found that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, corporate media actually publish content that is more, not less, critical of the mainstream groups, institutions and value systems. His theory holds that corporate media have played a key role in facilitating social change during the 20th century, even though the content they produce also helps contribute to social order.
He currently is writing several books that focus on the role, function and future of mass media, the impact of social science research on public policy, and the question of whether the academic institutions are promoting the values of the Enlightenment, including freedom of speech, due process and democratic ideals. He also is author of 20 refereed journal articles and more than 125 professional articles.
Professor Demers is a staunch advocate of the First Amendment. Through the years, he has filed six lawsuits against governmental agencies and universities to force them to release public records or comply with free speech rights of faculty. He is founding editor of Mass Communication & Society, a scholarly journal published by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. He also founded the nonprofit Center for Global Media Studies, which sponsored two international conferences and disseminated information, news and knowledge about global matters. Professor Demers has served as a research consultant to the Centre D'Études sur les Médias (CEM) at the University of Laval, Quebec, Canada, as well as many other newspapers and private corporations.
Awards:
Louis Ingelhart Freedom of Expression Award (February 2010), given by the Society for Collegiate Journalists to individuals who contribute to freedom of expression at the risk of personal and/or professional cost.
Biographical Listing (2007) in the Who's Who of the World's Leading Experts in IDTV, Media Management and Economics, by Zvezdan Vukanovic (Podgorica, Montenegro: Zeljko, The International Academy for Media Management).
Murrow School Honor (2006) for Demers' 2005 book Dictionary of Mass Communication & Media Research, which was selected as the second most important scholarly contribution from a faculty member in the Murrow School.
First Place, General Commentary (2003). "How the Spokesman-Review Justifies Censorship." Inland Northwest Society of Professional Journalists.
First Place, Best Feature Story (2003). "China Girl: One Man's Adoption Story." Inland Northwest Society of Professional Journalists.
Top Three Faculty Paper (1998). Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Paper title: "Effect of Structural Pluralism and Corporate News Structure on News Source Perceptions of Critical Content." Coauthored with Debra Merskin.
First Place, Gender Issues Division Faculty Paper Competition (1999). Broadcasting Education Association. Paper title: "Boys Will Be Boys: A Content Analysis of Gender and Race in Children's Advertisements on the Turner Cartoon Network." Coauthored with Debra Merskin.
Second Place, Faculty Paper Competition (1997). Media Management and Economics Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Paper title: "Revisiting Corporate Newspaper Structure and Profit-Making: Was I Wrong?"
Second Place, Faculty Paper Competition (1996). Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Paper title: "Corporate Newspaper Structure, the Managerial Revolution and Information Diversity."
Fourth Place & Honorable Mention, Photo Contest (1996). Sponsored by Sailboats, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin.
Top Three Faculty Paper (1995). Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Paper title: "Corporate Newspaper Structure and Editorial-Page Vigor."
Instructor-of-the-Quarter Nominee (1995). Award program to recognize good teachers. Sponsored by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Residence Hall system.
SPJ Service Award (1995). Region 6 Society of Professional Journalists Director's Award for Outstanding Service as faculty adviser to the student chapter at University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Top Student Paper (1990). First Place, MacDougall Student Paper Competition, sponsored by the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Paper title: "Structural Pluralism and the Growth of Chain Ownership in the U.S. Newspaper Industry."
Scholarship (1989). Herbert Berridge Elliston Scholarship. University of Minnesota.
Fellowship (1980 to 1981). Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Reporting. The Ohio State University.
First Place, Investigative Reporting (1979). Series of stories investigating landfill leaking carcinogenic chemicals in Midland, Michigan. Associated Press.
First Place, Enterprise Reporting (1978). Series of stories investigating alleged abuse at a foster care home in Bad Axe, Michigan. Michigan Press Association.
Recent/Key Publications:
Demers, D. (completed, out for review). The last professor of the Enlightenment: An American odyssey. (This book examines the extent to which government institutions, and universities in particular, embrace the values of the Enlightenment, especially freedom of speech, due process, and democratic decision making.)
Kim, T. & Demers, D. (second draft expected to be completed in May 2012). How the mass media really work: An Introduction to the role and function of mass media in society. (A textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in mass communication and the social sciences.)
Demers, D. (in progress). Why the decline in traditional mass media isn't necessarily bad for democracy: The age of information empowerment. (This book argues that the Internet and new media are stealing power away from traditional media, including newspapers and broadcast media.)
Demers, D. (2011). The ivory tower of Babel: Why the social sciences are failing to live up to their promises. New York, NY: Algora Publishing.
Demers, D. (2007). History and future of mass media: An integrated perspective. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Demers, D. (2005). A dictionary of mass communication & media research. Spokane, WA: Marquette Books.
Demers, D. (2004). An interpretive introduction to mass communication. Boston: Pearson Education.
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