COLLEGE PARK — The University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism has selected the first recipients of awards from the Lucy Dalglish Media and Democracy Endowed Faculty Support Fund in Journalism.
Assistant Professor Christoph Mergerson, Associate Professor Krishnan Vasudevan, Lecturer Derek Willis and Associate Professor Ronald Yaros won the inaugural funding to study climate journalism, citizen journalism, U.S. democracy and engagement with election news.
Launched by Cathy Merrill and fellow members of the college’s Board of Visitors to honor former Dean Lucy Dalglish, the fund provides annual support to Merrill faculty for research projects related to media and democracy. This year, the fund will provide a total of $10,000.
"One of the main goals of Merrill College's research faculty is to address how to support journalism in a time of challenges to democracy," said Dr. Sarah Oates, Merrill College's associate dean for research. “The creative nature of the winning projects highlight the energy and scope of these efforts, especially in a crucial election year.”
Mergerson will conduct a study on the role of weather and climate journalism in U.S. democracy. He hopes his research leads to important findings about topics related to fostering trust in news, supporting the well-being of weather journalists who perform a difficult role in a challenging industry, and countering misinformation about climate change.
Vasudevan plans an ethnographic study about citizen journalism in Curtis Bay, Baltimore, which has been central to the community’s fight for environmental justice. Vasudevan is producing a feature-length documentary film about the efforts of industrial Curtis Bay’s residents to create a sustainable, equitable future.
Willis won for a submission surrounding the acquisition of Maryland voter data to be a reporting and research resource. He plans to promote the study of the U.S. democratic system by incorporating Maryland voter data into the college’s data journalism course, where students will gain valuable, hands-on experience analyzing the state's electorate during the 2024 election.
Yaros will explore how U.S.-born voters compare to naturalized international citizens in their engagement with election news around the 2024 presidential election. The goal of his project is to enhance the understanding of the media's role in democracy in today's complex information landscape.
Support the Lucy Dalglish Media and Democracy Endowed Faculty Support Fund in Journalism.
For more information, contact:
Josh Land
joshland@umd.edu
301-405-1321