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Racial Framing in Political Blogs During the 2008 Presidential Campaign

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Racial Framing in Political Blogs During the 2008 Presidential Campaign UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE CAUSING A RUCKUS: RACIAL FRAMING IN POLITICAL BLOGS DURING THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By MONICA GAIL FLIPPIN-WYNN Norman, Oklahoma 2010 CAUSING A RUCKUS: RACIAL FRAMING IN POLITICAL BLOGS DURING THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION BY Dr. Glenn Hansen, Chair Dr. Patrick Meirick Dr. Lisa Foster Dr. Meta Carstarphen Dr. Dorscine Spigner Littles © Copyright by MONICA GAIL FLIPPIN-WYNN 2010 All Rights Reserved. Dedication With humility, love, and appreciation I dedicate this dissertation to my two children, JamesDavid and SeanTaylor. Through this journey of my lifetime, you were patient, funny, and simply amazing. Despite the significance I placed on this goal, you never had to remind me of the most important and most satisfying role in my life: being your mom. Acknowledgments I know the road to completing a doctorate is a long one, but I believe this has been the longest trip of my life. I don’t have enough room or energy to thank all my friends, family, teachers, administrators, and strangers who helped me along the way, but I will try because without them, there would be no today for me. I would like to thank the University of Oklahoma for opening the doors again for me to come back, and I can truly say that it was better the second time around. My thanks to Dr. Michael Pfau, who agreed to readmit me to finish my program; you were the personification of a true scholar and I am better for the experience. Thanks to Dr. Sandra Ragan, who would not give up until I came back; I am grateful for your dogged insistence. Thanks to my Dissertation Chair and Advisor, Dr. Glenn Hansen; if medals for bravery, patience, and goodwill were given to Doctoral Advisors, you would surely get one from me. You have been generous, fair, and opened-minded. Dr. Hansen, you allowed me to navigate my own way and identify my direction. You were what I needed to grow so I could move on, and I will always be grateful for your navigation Much appreciation to my amazing doctoral committee. Your support and eagerness for me to make it through was always communicated, and believe me it was cherished. My thanks to Dr. Patrick Meirick, who gently guided me through some wonderful lessons and gave me some insight that would direct me towards a dissertation topic; I was listening. Thanks to Dr. Lisa Foster, who jumped right in at the last minute with a warm spirit and a fiery enthusiasm; thank you for the connection. You are so iv appreciated. Thanks to Dr. Meta Carstarphen, who gave me constant insight on the honor and responsibilities of an academic; I hope there are more lessons to come. And, finally, thanks to Dr. Dorscine Littles, who has been with me since the very first day. Your intervention changed my family's life and I will always be grateful. My committee was a safe haven for me. Thank you. I want to thank Gaylord College for allowing me to merge my love of communication studies and media. My thanks to Dean Foote, who always treated me as if I had finished my studies already; to Associate Dean David Craig, Assistant Dean John Hockett, and Professor Scott Hogdson, for allowing me to design and teach classes that opened the cultural senses of our students; to Kathy Sawyer and Kathy Adams for showing me the meaning of true dedication; to Nicolette, for always leaving your door open; to my Buddy, who was always one of my biggest supporters, I miss your treats and your attention daily; to Kelly, whose sense of humor kept me going on many a rainy day; to my workaholic twin, David Tarpenning—take a break, because life happens; to Ralph Beliveau—I am still waiting for my invite. Ray Chavez, you have been a friend in the struggle—thanks for including me in the diversity workshops. Thanks to Monty for all those morning talks and coffee; you really helped me get the needed perspective to coexist sometimes. Thank to Meta Carstarphen; being your assistant opened so many doors that gave me access and experience. You will never know the extent of my gratitude. Gaylord College was my home away from home. I developed lasting relationships and renewed my dedication to teaching, research, and service within the academic institution. v Thanks to Dr. Jeannette Davidson, whose encouragement always made a difference. Ruth Gomez and the other Dr. Davidson, thank you for paying attention. Thanks to Kristi Wright and the wonderful Department of Communication administrative staff. To Dr. Johnson, thank you for always being willing to find an open door or a solution to a problem. To Kristi Meyers at the Graduate school, thanks for keeping it all straight for so many years. Dr. Susan Walden, Dr. Randa Shehab, Dr. Deborah Trytten, Jeannette Davidson, Cindy Foor, and all the RISE graduate assistants, thank you for your faith in me. I am a better researcher because of you. Thanks to Leann at Kraettli— you really made a difference; to my pharmacist; and again to the University of Oklahoma. Boomer Sooner. I would not have been able to get things together without my colleagues at Jackson State University; thank you very much for your patience and understanding. Thanks to my students, who have shown me that wherever you go, you can make a difference, and in the end, it is always your choice. Thanks to Vickey, Barry, and Shannon for reminding me of what I love and why I do it. Thanks to Kami, whose perfect eye and patience were so appreciated as we marched on towards the finish line. Finally, to my friends and family who have endured, this belongs to you as much as it does me. My thanks to my friend Leeva; without you, there would be no today, literally. You extended yourself over and over again and continue to do it on a regular basis for me. You have always been there for me, and I will never be able to thank you enough. You always believed. Thank you. To Gheeva and P, and the entire Chung vi family, thank you for including me—it sure feels like home. Thanks to Natalie, you are very special to me; I think of you often and wish we had more done more during your tenure at the University of Oklahoma. Please don’t be a stranger and let’s keep up the research. To Dr. Richard Waters—Wow. You may have just saved the day. I will pay it forward; you can count on me. Thanks to Connie, and Donnyale, and Rhonda, Kathy, and Sadie, friends who have been in the struggle with me for a lifetime, Whew. Thanks to Anna, who was often my sounding board and my moral compass; I am so looking forward to the next phase in both our lives. Thanks to Ayanna, whose humor and genuineness was so appreciated. I look forward to where our individual roads will lead us. And Teresa Moses, you have been a friend and a cheerleader—now it is my turn. To my cousin and best friend Judy, your unconditional love has inspired me to do better. Alaska here we come. I could not have done this without you. To Sandy, thanks for always caring. To Jamsie and Seannie, you became soldiers of the struggle with me but because of our pursuits and experiences, we went to some interesting places and met some wonderful people. You both have become multi-dimensional, diverse, and fascinating young men. I am so proud of who you are right now and who you are yet to become, and I don’t have anything on it yet. To my mom and dad, you are always in my heart, I miss you every day. To the people I have not mentioned or whom I knew for only a season, but who somehow made a difference on my way to here, thank you. And finally and foremost, all praise and thanks to my God. Done. I do believe I now have it all. vii Table of Contents Acknowledgements....................................................................................................... iv List of Tables................................................................................................................. x Abstract......................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 Media Influences............................................................................................... 3 Emerging Mediums........................................................................................... 6 Research Objectives.......................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2 – REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................. 9 Out with the Old and In with the New.............................................................. 9 Introducing the Groundwork for the Blog....................................................... 11 The Internet Cometh........................................................................................ 13 Governance and the Internet............................................................................ 17 The Blog Defined............................................................................................ 18 The Political Blogosphere................................................................................ 23 Ideology and Fragmentation............................................................................ 27 The Intersection Between the Blogosphere and Traditional Media ................ 34 Status of Scholarly Blog Research..................................................................
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