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Kathleen Alaimo

Assistant Professor

Full-Time Faculty

College of Arts and Sciences: Communication

Contact

Email: Kathleen Alaimo
Phone: 937-229-2028
SJH 128
Website: Visit Site

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Journalism, University of Colorado, Boulder
  • M.A., Photojournalism, University of Missouri
  • B.A., History

Profile

Katie Alaimo is an assistant professor of journalism in the Department of Communication. She earned her doctorate in journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her masters in photojournalism from the University of Missouri.

Her dissertation and the core of her research agenda focuses primarily on the relationship between national cultural boundaries and climate journalism. Stemming from the theoretical traditions of journalism sociology, she is particularly interested in understanding the manifestation of different media systems and how the interpretation of journalistic principles and practice are influenced by social systems. The goal of this research is to explore how different media systems may lead to greater public awareness on the most pressing issues of our time, including climate change. Her research has been presented at conferences including Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and International Communication Association and has appeared in such notable journals as Journalism and Digital Journalism. Additionally, she also studies the discourse and framing of mass gun violence in the news media to better understand what journalists owe the public in times of these tragedies. She is currently working on a book project on school shootings.

Prior to completing her doctoral studies, Alaimo wore many hats at various small- to mid-sized newspapers around the country working as a photojournalist, reporter, designer and copyeditor. She still looks for photo story opportunities in and around the Dayton area, in addition to practicing her other hobbies, such as running, gardening, spending time with her dog and exploring new places.

Research interests

  • Climate journalism
  • Journalism sociology
  • Media discourse
  • Framing
  • Gun violence in the media

Courses taught

  • CMM 330: Media Writing
  • CMM 439: Photojournalism