Richard T Craig

Richard T Craig

Richard T Craig

MA Program Director

Media ownership, telecommunication/media policy, media political economy, media representation of marginialized groups (race,gender, religion, etc...), popular culture

Dr. Craig is an Associate Professor of Communication at George Mason University. He has been a part of the university and the Department of Communication since the fall of 2009.  Dr. Craig received his BA in Journalism from Olivet College, his MA in Telecommunications Management from Michigan State University, and his PhD in Mass Communication/Media Studies from Howard University.

His research centers on mass media political economy; addressing the production, distribution and consumption of media content.  He takes particular interest in exploring the social structure/struggle embedded in media production and interpreted in media consumption.  His goal is to use research to influence the development of policy to enhance opportunities for media production and distribution by marginalized cultures.

Selected Publications

Smith, J., Craig, R. (2023) Racializing media policy. Bingley, United Kingdom. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Hopson, M.C., Bell, G.C., Craig, R. (2021).  The killing of Black boys: A collaborative critical autoethnography on “the Talk”. In M.C. Hopson, Petin, M. (Eds) Reimagining Black masculinities: Critical essays on race, gender and public space.  Lexington Books.

Craig, R., Yagatich, W., Patzer, S., Timm, K., Maibach, E. (2021).  Race/ethnicity and climate change reporting: Perceptions and interests of news personnel’s interest to cover climate change based on race”.  Environmental Communication.  1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2021.1967181

Craig, R. (2016). “Malice at the Palace”: Criminializing of the Black male body in newspaper sports commentary. Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men.

Hopson, M. C., Castle Bell, G., Craig, R. (2016). Driving While Black (DWB). In J. Stone, R. Dennis, P. Rizova, A. Smith and X. Hou (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Hopson, M. C., Castle Bell, G. Craig, R. (2016). Race and crime. In J. Stone, R. Dennis, P. Rizova, A. Smith and X. Hou (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

Craig, R. (2015).  African Americans and Mass Media: A Case for Diversity in Media Ownership. Lanham, MD:  Lexington Books.

Craig, R. (2015). “I know what them girls like”: A rhetorical analysis of thug appeal in rap lyrics. Journal of Communication Inquiry. Available online http://jci.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/05/08/0196859915585170.abstract

Gibson, T., Craig, R., Harper, A., Alpert, J.M. (2015). Covering global warming in dubious times: Science reporters in the new media ecosystem. Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism. Available online http://jou.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/01/03/1464884914564845.abstract

Castle Bell, G., Hopson, M. C., Craig, R., N.W. Robinson (2015). Exploring Black and White accounts of 21st century racial profiling and prejudice: Riding and driving while Black. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication 15(1), 33-42.

 Craig, R. (2013) Review of The Problem of the Future World: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Race Concept at Midcentury. By Eric Porter. Journal of Race and Policy 9(1), 95-97.

 

 

Courses Taught

COMM 202: Mass Communication and Society

COMM 302: Foundations of Mass Communication

COMM 350: Mass Communication and Policy

COMM 365: Gender, Race and Class in Media

COMM 456: Comparative Mass Media

COMM 600: Introduction to Graduate Studies - Communication

COMM 602: Theories and Research of Mass Communication

COMM 605: Intercultural Communication

COMM 650: Research Methodologies in Communication

COMM 690: Popular Culture and Health

COMM 725: Qualitative Methods - Communication

Education

PhD, Mass Communication/Media Studies, Howard University, 2011

M.A., Telecommunications Management, Michigan State University, 2002

B.A., Journalism, Olivet College, 1999

In the Media

Oscars Seen as Slow to Embrace Diversity

After Blockbusters in 2018, Are Black Films Entering Hollywood Mainstream?

Black tech news coverage struggles to find a home in mainstream newsrooms

Combining a love for science with her strengths as a communicator

Why religious movies like ‘Breakthrough’ are attracting non-believers

What Biden Needs to Do in Inauguration Speech

 

Dissertations Supervised

Breonna R. Riddick, Making Birth Stories Matter(S): Working Toward Reproductive Health Justice an Examination of Health, Communication, Culture, and Identity Through Blending Critical Autoethnography and Narratives of Women Birthing with Doulas (2024)

Ashley Richardson, Assembling Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2024)

Rochelle Davidson Mhonde , "Silencing as an Act of Protection”: A Mixed-methods Intersectional-Ecological Exploration of Black Parents’ Beliefs, Behaviors, and Perceptions about Sexual Health and Trauma (2022)