Melissa Harris

Dr. Melissa Harris grew up in Fresno, California after relocating with her family from White Plains, New York as a small child.  Growing up in the Central Valley had a profound impact on her education and identity development.  After receiving her Bachelor of Arts and Master’s degrees in Communication Studies from California State University, Fresno she relocated to Washington, D.C. where she obtained her Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media Studies from Howard University.  Her research interests are located at the intersections of culture, media, and gender studies. Currently, Dr. Harris is conducting research on the cultural communication rite of passage known as “The Talk” within Black families and the implications of such conversations on gender, media, and the public and private sphere.  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, and above all else spending time with her family and loved ones. […]

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Kimberly Meltzer

Academic Credentials

B.A., Emory University
M.A., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, The Annenberg School for Communication

Biography

Professor Meltzer joined the Marymount faculty in 2016 after having taught at Georgetown University from 2008-2016, and at Lehigh University from 2006-2008.

Professor Meltzer is available for comment on the following topics: opinion and commentary in news, incivility in media discourse, television news anchors, historical trends in news, journalistic practices, journalism and politics, TV trends, news coverage of elections and candidate endorsements.

Dr. Meltzer is also the faculty advisor to Marymount’s student-produced newspaper, The Banner.

Other Information

Teaching Area

Dr. Kimberly Meltzer teaches and conducts research about journalism and technology, and political communication.  Prior to her academic career, Dr. Meltzer worked for news organizations including CNN, NBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Discovery Communications, and Gazette Newspapers.

Research Interests

Dr. Meltzer’s research investigates journalistic adaptation to technological change, from the perspective of journalists themselves. It is also concerned with the political and social implications of those adaptations. She asks questions about how journalists perceive their own work, the work of their peers, and its effects on citizens.

Dr. Meltzer’s new book, From News to Talk: The Expansion of Opinion and Commentary in US Journalism (April 2019, State University of New York Press), tracks how journalists think and talk about changes in the news environment, with a focus on opinion and commentary in news. A key part of this work is journalists’ perspectives on civility, or the lack thereof, in public discourse.  Dr. Meltzer’s first book, TV News Anchors and Journalistic Tradition: How Journalists Adapt to Technology, was published in 2010. Her other work has appeared in The International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism, Journalism Practice, Electronic News, Encyclopedia of Journalism and National Civic Review, as well as in several edited volumes. She presents her research regularly at conferences and invited lectures.

Publications

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Kathleen Murphy Nee

Academic Credentials

B.S. from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a Master’s degree from Yale Divinity School

Biography

Kathleen Murphy is the inaugural Journalist in Residence in the Department of Communication at Marymount for the 2019-2020 academic year. She is a journalist and has worked as a reporter and editor for Bloomberg Government, CQ Roll Call, MLex Market Insight, Stateline.org and Internet World. She also served as writer and content manager for StayArlington.com. Early in her career, she was Marco Island bureau chief and columnist for the Naples (Fla.) Daily News. 

Other Information

Teaching Area

  • Broadcast Writing & Delivery
  • Advanced Reporting
  • Writing for Digital Media

Research Interests

Publications

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