BEA2026

This extended high density session highlights the breadth of recent research and teaching about race and media, with extensions into gender and class. Panelists will present brief overviews of their original research or teaching techniques, and then open to further discussion with the audience. Topics include identity-focused news sites, news coverage of Muslim women activists, the ambiguous Latina in Barbie, arguments about Native American mascots, Black identity in The Blackening, explainer podcasts in teaching, African American and African Immigrant perspectives on casting in Black historical films, and race and class in Abbott Elementary.

Moderator: Brad Gorham, Syracuse University
Panelists:
Christopher S. Josey, University of Missouri, Tanner Smith, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign & Julius Matthew Riles, University of Missouri; Breaking the model: Examining the content of Asian American identity focused news sites

Meriem Mechehoud, Independent Scholar; Framing Muslim Women Activists Abroad: Audience Perceptions and the Power of Stereotypes

Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez, University of Nevada, Las Vegas & Raisa F. Alvarado, California State University, San Bernardino; The Ambiguous Latina in Barbie

C. Richard King, Columbia College, Chicago; Seances and Spiritualists: Undead Indian Mascots and Rhetorics of Resuscitation

Derek Blackwell, Prairie View A & M University & Gretta Blackwell, Prairie View A & M University; “You Got Some ‘Splaining To Do”? Exploring the Pedagogical Potential of Explainers in Media Studies Classrooms

Adelaja Oriade, Denison University; Contesting Authenticity: African American and African Immigrant Audience Perspectives on Casting in Black Historical Films

Betsy Pike, Ball State University & Robert Alan Brookey, Ball State University; Class is Not Dismissed: Abbott Elementary and Approaches to Inequality

Andrew C. Billings, University of Alabama & Yifan Wu, University of Alabama; Fairness or Fear?: Media Coverage of Trans, Intersex, and Sex-Tested Female Athletes

Respondent: Rebecca Ann Lind, University of Illinois at Chicago

This panel will explore the content of the 100 Best Black Podcasts as well as their creators based on the list generated by FeedSpot. In addition to exploring the hosts and content, we'll explore metrics for the top performers via social media metrics such as Facebook, Twitter and IG followers. Panelists also will explore various formats and key topics that range from "The Read," which focuses on hip-hop and pop culture, to "Black Girl Finance" for "money minded sisters."

Moderator/panelist: Kim Fox of American University in Cairo. Other confirmed panelists: Dorothy Bland of the University of North Texas, Marquita Smith of the University of Mississippi. Up to two more panelists could be added, including a male podcaster who made the top 100 list. We are inviting John Allen Hendricks, a department and of mass communication at Stephen F. Ausin University in Nacogdoches and author of several books including Radio's Second Century and The Radio Station: Broadcasting, Podcasting, and Streaming.)
Moderator: Dorothy Bland, University of North Texas
Panelists: Kim Fox, American University in Cairo
Marquita Smith, University of Mississippi
John Allen Hendricks, Stephen F. Austin State University

Abstract: Inequalities in healthcare contribute to media distrust by crushing public faith in both health institutions and news reporting. This lack of trust is driven by historical abuses, ongoing discriminatory treatment, and imbalanced media coverage that often ignores and/or misrepresents the experiences of marginalized communities.
Moderator: Chalise Macklin, University of Memphis
Panelists: Dorothy Bland, University of North Texas
Brian Bentley, Clark Atlanta University
Vanessa Botelho, CUNY Newmark
Sharon Baldinelli, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In journalism education, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts once signaled progress — a commitment to amplifying marginalized voices, confronting bias, and broadening the lens of storytelling. So, what went wrong?

Critics charge that DEI initiatives in higher ed have overreached — stifling down-to-earth conversation with language-policing, "woke indoctrination," and fear of saying the wrong thing. When everything can be labeled a microaggression, are we still fostering dialogue — or just managing landmines? And where does viewpoint diversity fit in a space that claims to be inclusive but often feels ideologically narrow?

While some institutions are rebranding their diversity efforts, others are abandoning them altogether in the face of rising opposition. We’ll examine the pitfalls of diversity training done badly, where good intentions meet poor execution, and offer concrete strategies for doing better in ways that avoid playing into the hands of DEI opponents.
Moderator: Suzanne Lysak, Chapman University
Panelists: Elliott Lewis , Syracuse University
Cheryl L. Gardner, California State University, Fresno 
Jennifer Woodard, Middle Tennessee State University