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In recent years, advanced metrics have dominated the game of Major League Baseball. One such metric, the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula, is commonly used by fans, reporters, analysts and teams alike to use a team’s runs scored and runs allowed to estimate their expected winning percentage. However, this method is not

In recent years, advanced metrics have dominated the game of Major League Baseball. One such metric, the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula, is commonly used by fans, reporters, analysts and teams alike to use a team’s runs scored and runs allowed to estimate their expected winning percentage. However, this method is not perfect, and shows notable room for improvement. One such area that could be improved is its ability to be affected drastically by a single blowout game, a game in which one team significantly outscores their opponent.<br/>We hypothesize that meaningless runs scored in blowouts are harming the predictive power of Pythagorean Win-Loss and similar win expectancy statistics such as the Linear Formula for Baseball and BaseRuns. We developed a win probability-based cutoff approach that tallied the score of each game once a certain win probability threshold was passed, effectively removing those meaningless runs from a team’s season-long runs scored and runs allowed totals. These truncated totals were then inserted into the Pythagorean Win-Loss and Linear Formulas and tested against the base models.<br/>The preliminary results show that, while certain runs are more meaningful than others depending on the situation in which they are scored, the base models more accurately predicted future record than our truncated versions. For now, there is not enough evidence to either confirm or reject our hypothesis. In this paper, we suggest several potential improvement strategies for the results.<br/>At the end, we address how these results speak to the importance of responsibility and restraint when using advanced statistics within reporting.

ContributorsIversen, Joshua Allen (Author) / Satpathy, Asish (Thesis director) / Kurland, Brett (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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This thesis examines the current polarization of news media, specifically written journalism, either in newspapers or on news websites. Americans increasingly get their news from polarized sources, and that is leading to a large divide in information. This issue is also exacerbated by political idealogy. Furthermore, I explore how the

This thesis examines the current polarization of news media, specifically written journalism, either in newspapers or on news websites. Americans increasingly get their news from polarized sources, and that is leading to a large divide in information. This issue is also exacerbated by political idealogy. Furthermore, I explore how the traditional business model of advertising-based revenue is leading to more polarized news coverage. To combat this, I offer interventions for news organizations, including the importance of journalistic ethics and the possibility of more news organizations transferring to nonprofit status, which has gained traction in recent years. Access to accurate news and information is essential in a functioning democracy, and if polarization and issues in news continue, it will be harmful to America as a whole.

Created2021-05
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Description

A guide to implementing empathy in crisis communications

ContributorsLong, Mary Louise (Author) / Schmidtke, Lisa (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
In journalism school, reporters learn to be unbiased, impartial and objective when covering a story. They are to stay neutral and detached from their reporting. However, this standard has become unrealistic and unachievable for many journalists. "Inside Objectivity" is a five-episode podcast that focuses on what journalistic objectivity looks like in

In journalism school, reporters learn to be unbiased, impartial and objective when covering a story. They are to stay neutral and detached from their reporting. However, this standard has become unrealistic and unachievable for many journalists. "Inside Objectivity" is a five-episode podcast that focuses on what journalistic objectivity looks like in the 21st century. In this podcast, you will hear from journalists, scholars, historians, researchers and a news consumer. These guests will provide their thoughts regarding journalistic objectivity and whether this ethical standard needs to be modified. To listen to the episodes and learn more about the podcast, visit insideobjectivity.com.
ContributorsManeshni, Autriya (Author) / Nikpour, Rodmanned (Thesis director) / Russell, Dennis (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

This creative project is a trade blog dedicated to Gen Z. Its purpose is to inform communication professionals about best practices when reaching out to this evolving demographic. The articles for this blog were informed by executive interviews with communications professionals who are members of Gen Z themselves or have

This creative project is a trade blog dedicated to Gen Z. Its purpose is to inform communication professionals about best practices when reaching out to this evolving demographic. The articles for this blog were informed by executive interviews with communications professionals who are members of Gen Z themselves or have already had success with this demographic.

ContributorsOrtega, Marisol (Author) / Zufelt, Abby (Thesis director) / Bovio, Sonia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

Shifting Horizons in Entrepreneurship, better known as SHE is a multimedia reporting project that explores the experiences and narratives of Arizona-based female business owners. This collaborative project uses multimedia reporting techniques such as writing, photography, social media and a podcast to showcase how women are making a space for themselves

Shifting Horizons in Entrepreneurship, better known as SHE is a multimedia reporting project that explores the experiences and narratives of Arizona-based female business owners. This collaborative project uses multimedia reporting techniques such as writing, photography, social media and a podcast to showcase how women are making a space for themselves in entrepreneurship.

ContributorsBlakslee, Mara (Author) / Dow, Olivia (Co-author) / Sepessy, Celeste (Thesis director) / Hinz, Krista (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

This thesis will examine possible connection points between the health of a local environmental/climate news ecosystem and that local community’s belief in and vulnerability to the effects of climate change in Central Appalachia and Northern Virginia. The three counties that will be studied in Virginia are Arlington, Buchanan and Wise

This thesis will examine possible connection points between the health of a local environmental/climate news ecosystem and that local community’s belief in and vulnerability to the effects of climate change in Central Appalachia and Northern Virginia. The three counties that will be studied in Virginia are Arlington, Buchanan and Wise Counties. This research will be mainly a hypothesis-generating descriptive analysis of data, coupled with both interviews with researchers and local experts, in addition to observations from relevant literature about the possible connections between availability of environmental news with climate change, institutional belief and climate vulnerability data. The local history of resource extraction will also be explored. The point of this thesis is not to prove that a lack of access to strong, locally focused climate and environmental news increases vulnerability to the effects of climate change (although it does raise this as a possibility). Rather, it is to continue a conversation with journalists, media professionals and climate professionals about how to approach understanding and engaging groups left out of the climate conversation and groups who've been traditionally underserved by news media when it comes to climate information and appeals for institutional trust. This conversation is already happening, especially when it comes to the importance of the health of local, community focused news in general in Appalachia, but given the urgency and scale of the climate crisis, merits continuation and some inquiry into environmental news.

ContributorsFlaherty, Fiona (Author) / Beschloss, Steven (Thesis director) / Nelson, Jacob (Committee member) / Babits, Sadie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2022-12
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ContributorsMoss, Kiersten (Author, Co-author) / Downie Jr., Leonard (Thesis director) / Beelman, Maud (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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ContributorsMoss, Kiersten (Author, Co-author) / Downie Jr., Leonard (Thesis director) / Beelman, Maud (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description

You can find my documentary here. Throughout the process of creating my thesis I was consistently intrigued by one constant phenomenon I’ve noticed throughout my time at Cronkite – that of competitive collaboration. I’d define that term as what happens when thousands of highly motivated individuals are thrown into

You can find my documentary here. Throughout the process of creating my thesis I was consistently intrigued by one constant phenomenon I’ve noticed throughout my time at Cronkite – that of competitive collaboration. I’d define that term as what happens when thousands of highly motivated individuals are thrown into a space where they are competing for a limited number of jobs in a high-pressure environment, while still needing to work with each other in order to succeed. Throw college social lives and general young adult anxieties on top of that, and you have the culture present within journalism school. For my project I wanted to contextualize and present a cohesive look at both the mentalities of students and the environment of the school. Dear Cronkite: A Love Letter is truly that. A labor of love and care for a place that has impacted me so deeply, I hope that this twenty-one-minute documentary opens a window into the world students deal with on a daily basis. Everyone interviewed expressed their deepest appreciation for the Cronkite School, while also making clear that they believe there are changes which could be made to better the educational environment. Every opinion and statement in this film comes from a place of compassion and respect.

ContributorsEverard, Ike (Author) / Jacoby, Jim (Thesis director) / Easley, Isaac (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor)
Created2022-05