UA journalism professor wins top dissertation prize

An assistant professor in The University of Arizona Department of Journalism will receive three awards this summer -- including the national prize for the top dissertation in journalism and mass communications -- from the field's top professional association.

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication will give the Nafziger-White Dissertation Award to David Cuillier at its national conference Aug. 9-12 in Washington, D.C. Cuillier's dissertation, finished May 2006 under the advisement of Dr. Susan Dente Ross at Washington State University, employed seven surveys to examine public attitudes toward press access to government records, finding, among other things, that those who are engaged in their communities are more likely to support freedom of information.

Cuillier, who joined the University of Arizona in summer 2006, teaches courses on public affairs reporting and computer-assisted reporting.

Also at the AEJMC conference, Cuillier will receive the top faculty paper award in media law. His paper, also regarding public attitudes toward freedom of information, was selected from nearly 100 manuscripts judged by media law scholars.

In teaching, Cuillier was named a Great Ideas for Teaching scholar, and will present his teaching exercise at the conference. His teaching idea describes how professors can use interactive slide-show scenarios to teach journalists the laws and ethical considerations in accessing public records. His idea was one of 25 selected for presentation at the conference, out of 60 submitted for consideration. At the conference, one grand prize-winner will be announced from the 25 presentations. In 2004 Cuillier was a Great Ideas for Teaching scholar for an exercise that teaches interviewing, and in 2006 Cuillier won the grand prize for an exercise that taught access to public records by having students research a house for sale.

Cuillier also will present a paper selected by the communication theory and methodology division that indicates that when people contemplate their own deaths their support for press censorship increases.

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