Dr. Lowndes F. 'Rick' Stephens

powered by
COS Expertise®
University of South Carolina
College of Mass Communications and Information Studies
Journalism
J. Rion McKissick ProfessorAppointed: 2000
Professional Headshot of Lowndes F. 'Rick' Stephens

Mailing Address

School of Journalism and Mass Communications
University of South Carolina
Coliseum 4010C
Columbia, South Carolina 29208
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (803) 777-2974
Fax: (803) 777-4103
stephens-lowndes@sc.edu
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/rstephens/rstephens/default.htm

Qualifications

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mass Communications Research, 1975.
M.A., University of Kentucky, Communications, 1969.
B.A., University of Kentucky, Economics, 1967.

Expertise and Research Interests

Specialize in study of media effects (especially socialization effects of mass media on the American soldier)
Determinants of newspaper reading and nonreading
Economic literacy and media use
Equity market performance of media companies
Media treatment of public opinion polls
Cross-national comparisons of economic and political freedom as functions of press freedom
News simulation experiments to improve science writing

Other Expertise

Professional experience outside of the academy includes two years as an technical writer/editor in a government planning agency (1968-69); three years as a research economist with a consulting firm (1969-72); and one year as an instructional designer fora state television authority (1972). Spent two years as an editor in Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1972-74) and two years as a research center director and assistant professor at the University of North Dakota, before joining the College of Journalism at the University of South Carolina in 1976. Twenty-two years as Army Reserve officer (1968-1990)(USAR, LTC, Ret)with assignments at The Stars and Stripes, Armed Forces Information Service, Army Command and General Staff College and Secretary of the Army for Public Affairs. Faculty consultant to Army Command and General Staff College (1979-1994).

Research has been funded by a number of foundations (e.g., the Rockefeller, Gannett, and Spencer Foundations); private companies (e.g., CPC International, The Washington Post); and government agencies (e.g., Defense Analyses Institute, Department of Defense, USIA, National Science Foundatiion, etc.) Research contributions published in a number of leading journals to include JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATIONS QUARTERLY, JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION EDUCATOR, JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, JOURNAL OF RETAILING, PUBLIC RELATIONS REVIEW, PUBLIC RELATIONS QUARTERLY, PUBLIC RELATIONS JOURNAL, ARMED FORCES & SOCIETY, and MILITARY REVIEW.

Future Research

Future research projects include news simulation experiments to improve science writing; book-length review of effects of market-driven journalism on the fourth estate; studies of the relationships between interest in economic news and economic literacy;profiles of contributions of community press to public/civic journalism initiatives in the United States; content-analytic studies of how national news media treat good and bad economic news; continuing time-series analyses of equity market performance ofmedia companies and relationships between press freedom, media availability and political and economic freedom at nation-state level.

Industrial Relevance

Research is of interest to the newspaper and publishing industry, broadcast and cable industry, other publicly traded media companies, and to groups interested in improving the communication of science.

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Content Analysis (communications), Human Performance (Military), Journalism, Mass Communication, Mass Media, Media Management, Newspapers, Print Media, Public Relations, Public Television or Radio Stations Support, Science Journalism.

Additional Terms:

Civic Journalism, Communicating Science, Media Economics, Media Ethics, Media Management, Military and the Mass Media, Public Journalism, Science Journalism.

Memberships

American Association for Public Opinion Research
American Economic Association
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

Honors and Awards

2001-2004, Standing Committee, Professional Freedom & Responsibility, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
2000, Named Professorship Appointment, University of South Carolina
1996, Christa's Teacher Award, Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence, Framingham State College
1989-1992, President, Southern Association for Public Opinion Research
1988, Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Award, Mortar Board, University of South Carolina
1986, Faculty Electee, Omicron Delta Kappa, Chi Circle, University of South Carolina
1980, Fellow, Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces & Society
1977, Kappa Tau Alpha (journalism honorary),
1967, Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honorary),
Marquis Who's Who in the World,
Marquis Who's Who in America,
Marquis Who's Who in American Education,
Marquis Who's Who in the Media and Communications,
Ddirectory of American Scholars,

Previous Positions

1999-2001, Acting Director, University of South Carolina, Center for Mass Communications Research, College of Journalism and Mass Communications
1992-1995, Associate Dean, University of South Carolina, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, Graduate Studies and Research
1986-2000, Full Professor, University of South Carolina, College of Journalism and Mass Communications
1980-1986, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina, College of Journalism and Mass Communications
1976-1980, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina, College of Journalism and Mass Communications
1974-1976, Director, University of North Dakota, Communications Research Center
1974-1976, Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota
1972-1972, Instructional Designer, Kentucky Educational Television Foundation
1972-1972, Content Research Writer, Kentucky Educational Television Foundation
1972-1974, Editor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
1972-1974, Journalist, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
1969-1972, Research Economist, Spindletop Research, Inc. (Lexington, KY)
1968-1969, Publications Officer, Kentucky Program Development Office, Division of Development Information
1968-1969, Chief Bureau of Technical Reference, Kentucky Program Development Office, Division of Development Information
1968-1968, Economist, University of Kentucky, Center for Developmental Change

Funding Received

  • National Science Foundation (NSF): NIRT: From Laboratory to Society [Project: Improving the Quality of Science Writing About Innovations in Nanoscience: A News Simulation Experiment], Award # SES-0304448, Aug 1, 2003 to Jul 31, 2007.
  • American Press Institute: Philip S. Weld Sr. Fellowship 'Revenues and Costs: Total Newspaper Management Seminar', 1997 to 1997.
  • Columbia (SC) YMCA: Branch Location Study, 1997 to 1997.
  • Union United Methodist Church (Irmo, SC): Membership Development Study, 1995 to 1995.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Readership Study for MILITARY REVIEW, 1995 to 1995.
  • South Carolina Department of Mental Health: 'Communications Climate in SC Department of Mental Health', 1993 to 1995.
  • Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience Affecting Higher Education (Clemson University): Pilot Test of an Enrollment Plan for Recruiting African Americans: Graduate Studies in Journalism and Mass Communications, 1993 to 1993.
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting: (with John Lopiccolo) Process for Developing Qualitative Standards of Editorial Integrity and Responsibility by Public Television Stations, 1993 to 1993.
  • U.S. Department of Commerce: Audience Study for The Stars and Stripes-Pacific, 1993 to 1995.
  • Daniel Edelman Public Relations Worldwide: 'ADR Survey Study', 1991 to 1992.
  • Institute for Defense Analyses: Audience Research Consultant, 1989 to 1992.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Audience Study for The Stars and Stripes-Pacific, 1988 to 1991.
  • Gannett Foundation: (with Robert Picard) 'National Terrorism and the Media Project', 1986 to 1988.
  • U.S. Department of the Army (Command and General Staff College): Readership Study for MILITARY REVIEW, 1986 to 1986.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Audience Study for The Stars and Stripes-Europe, 1986 to 1990.
  • Institute for International Education: Internationalizing the Journalism Education Curriculum (Association for Education in Journalism), 1985 to 1985.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Audience Study for DEFENSE JOURNAL (American Forces Information Service), 1985 to 1986.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Audience Study for The Stars and Stripes-Pacific, 1982 to 1983.
  • U.S. Department of the Army (Command and General Staff College): Readership Study for MILITARY REVIEW, 1982 to 1982.
  • U.S. Department of the Army (Office, Chief of Army Reserve): Readership Study for ARMY RESERVE Magazine, 1982 to 1983.
  • University of South Carolina Faculty Research Grant: Expanding a Theory About Community Attachment and Newspaper Readership, 1981 to 1981.
  • Spencer Foundation: Mass Media as an Agency of Socialization in the Civic Education of Military Personnel (Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society), 1981 to 1982.
  • South Carolina Department of Education (Office of Instructional Television and Radio): Evaluation of South Carolina Teachers Use of Instructional Television and Radio, 1981 to 1982.
  • Department of the Army, Command and General Staff College: Professional Orientation and Reading Habits of Army Field Grade Officers, 1979 to 1979.
  • Foundation for Public Relations Research and Education: (with Sarah Jernigan) 'Professional Orientation of South Carolina Public Affairs Practitioners, 1979 to 1980.
  • Department of the Army, Office-Chief of Army Reserve: Readership Study for ARMY RESERVE Magazine, 1979 to 1980.
  • U.S. Department of Defense: Audience Study for The Stars and Stripes-Europe, 1979 to 1980.
  • U.S. Department of the Army: Army Advanced Public Affairs Officers Graduate Course, 1979 to 1996.
  • U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare: Exernal Evaluator on 'The Effects of a Television Project to Develop the Business and Community Leadership of Rural Women', 1978 to 1978.
  • American Newspaper Publishers Association: Community Attachment and Newspaper Readership: A compariosn of a Military Community and an urban Civilian Community, 1977 to 1978.
  • University of North Dakota Faculty Research Grant: Uses and Gratifications of Mass Communication: Local News Function, 1976 to 1976.
  • Knight-Ridder Newspapers: Grand Forks (ND) Herald Community Opinion Poll and Readership Project, 1975 to 1976.
  • Wisconsin Army National Guard: Recruiting and Retention Evaluation Project, 1974 to 1976.
  • Rockefeller Foundation: County Leader-General Public Attitudes Toward Man-Environment issues in Northwestern Wisconsin, Lake Superior Project, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1973 to 1974.
  • U.S. Department of Commerce: OEO-Knox County Evaluation Project, Center for Developmental Change, University of Kentucky, 1968 to 1968.
  • Reader's Digest: Travel Grant, 1966 to 1966.

Publications

  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Diversity Profile Report of the AEJMC Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 58(1), 49-64, Spring 2003
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Communication Theory, in Michael D. Murray and Roy L. Moore, editors, MASS COMMUNICATION EDUCATION (Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Press), 39-61, 2003
  • Krisztina Marton, Lowndes F. Stephens, The New York Times' Conformity to AAPOR Standards of Disclosure for the Reporting of Public Opinion Polls, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 78(3), 484-503, Autumn 2001
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Jack Dennis Profile, in Guido H. Stempel and Jacqueline Nash Gifford, editors, HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE UNITED STATES (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 36-37, 1999
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Jack McLeod Profile, in Guido H. Stempel and Jacqueline Nash Gifford, editors, HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN THE UNITED STATES (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 86-87, 1999
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Mass Media and Terrorism, in Margaret A. Blanchard, editor, HISTORY OF THE MASS MEDIA IN THE UNITED STATES (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers), 367-370, 1998
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Media Systems: An Overview, in John C. Merrill, editor, GLOBAL JOURNALISM A SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION 3rd ed (New York: Longman), 19-35, 1995
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Children and Youth Audiences, in Erwin K. Thomas and Brown H. Carpenter, editors, HANDBOOK ON MASS MEDIA IN THE UNITED STATES: THE INDUSTRY AND ITS AUDIENCES (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 231-251, 1994
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Media Issues in the Global Village, in Ray E. Hiebert, Donald F. Ungurait and Thomas W. Bohn, editors, MASS MEDIA VI (New York: Longman), 583-609, 1991
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, The World's Media Systems: An Overview, in John C. Merrill, editor, GLOBAL JOURNALISM A SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION 2d ed (New York: Longman), 51-73, 1990
  • Stephen Lacy, Ardyth B. Sohn, Lowndes F. Stephens, A Content Analysis of Metropolitan and Suburban Newspapers in Denver and Detroit, Newspaper Research Journal, 10(3), 39-51, Spring 1989
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Political Socialization of the American Soldier: The Mass Media as Agent, Armed Forces and Society, 9(4), 595-632, 1983
  • Fred Fedler, Tim Counts, Lowndes F. Stephens, Newspaper Endrosements and Voter Behavior in the 1980 Presidential Election, Newspaper Research Journal, 4(1), 3-12, 1982
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Retaining Citizen Soldiers, Armed Forces and Society, 8(3), 471-486, 1982
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Preparing for the Professions: The Role of the Professoriat, The Deltasig: An Educational Journal, 71, 21-23, May 1981
  • Fred Fedler, Tim Counts, Lowndes F. Stephens, The Press and Politics: Endorsement Surprises, The Masthead: Quarterly Journal of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, 33(1), 44-50, 1981
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Professionalism of Army Public Affairs Officers, Public Relations Review, 7(2), 43-57, 1981
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, To Get Citizen-Soldiers, The New York Times, A27, 07 Mar 1980
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, A Poll without Methodology Lacks Meaning, The State (Columbia, SC), 21-A, 05 Mar 1980
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Susan G. Motes, Contract Learning: Its Applications in the PR Principles Course, Journalism Educator, 35(3), 48-50, 1980
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Richard J. Coyle, Why Practitioners Should Master Sampling and Survey Research, Public Relations Journal, 35, 14-17, 1979
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Wide Variety of Texts, Aids Employed in theory Courses, Journalism Educator, 34, 64-70, 1979
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, The Professional Orientation of Military Public Affairs Officers, Public Relations Quarterly, 23(4), 19-24, 1978
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, The Influence of Community Attachment on Newspaper Reading Habits, ANPA News Research Report, 18, 1-7, 1978
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Communication Links to Consumer Behavior Differences in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Schools, North Dakota Quarterly, 46(4), 68-82, 1978
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Getting and Keeping Guardsmen, Military Media Review, 5(1), 22-24, 1977
  • George P. Moschis, Roy L. Moore, and Lowndes F. Stephens, Purchasing Patterns of Adolescent Consumers, Journal of Retailing, 53, 17-26, 92, 1977
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Recruting and Retaining the Citizen-Soldier: An Organizational Communication Approach, Armed Forces and Society, 29-40, 1977
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Citizen Soldiers: Why They Enlist and Re-enlist, Military Review, 57(12), 35-41, 1977
  • Roy L. Moore, Lowndes F. Stephens, Some Communication and Demographic Determinants of Adolescent Consumer Learning, Journal of Consumer Research, 2, 80-92, 1975
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Roy L. Moore, Price Accuracy as a Consumer Skill, Journal of Advertising Research, 15, 27-37, 1975
  • Lowndes F. Stephens, Media Exposure and Modernization Among the Appalachian Poor, Journalism Quarterly, 49, 247-257, 262, Summer 1972

Profile Details

Last Updated: 1/26/2004

COS Expertise ID #101159
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/stephenl59