Contact Information

Biography

Pamela E. Walck, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Multiplatform Journalism in the Media department of McAnulty College of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She received her Ph.D. in Journalism History and Mass Communication from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and holds a M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Point Park University, Pittsburgh. Her received her B.S. degree in Journalism-News Editorial from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Prior to pursuing graduate degrees, Pamela was an award-winning journalist in two states while spending 16 years in the newspaper industry. During that time, she worked in a variety of positions from general assignment reporter and beat reporter to editor and writing coach. Among her award-winning stories for the Savannah Morning News were a two-part series on female veterans that examined what it means to be a veteran and a three-part series examining post-traumatic stress disorder and the problems plaguing the U.S. Army's Warrior Transition Units following the 2007 Walter Reed Medical Center scandal.

Walck's research focuses on newsroom routines and story frames both from a current and a historical perspective. From the present-day perspective, her research examines how modern-day newsrooms utilize social media platforms and technological conventions, such as hashtags, for reporting news and connecting with audiences. From a historical perspective, her research explores how news routines and story frames in the mainstream and black press influenced audience understanding of race and race relations, with a particular focus on World War II. Her dissertation, "Reporting America's 'Colour Problem': How the U.S. and British Press Reported and Framed Racial Conflicts during World War II," explored how — in a war centered on ideologies of racial supremacy — the media reported race and race relations during a critical period in history. She is currently working on a book about the Pittsburgh Courier during the Jessie Vann years.

A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Walck enjoys going to Phillies games with her dad and brothers, camping with friends, running, traveling and spending time with family.

Education

Ph.D., E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University, 2015
M.A., Journalism & Mass Communication, Point Park University, 2012
B.S., Journalism/News Editorial, Liberty University, 1995

School

  • MDIA 140 - Media Literacy
  • JOUR 177 - Language for Journalists
  • JOUR 200W - Multiplatform Newsroom I
  • MDIA 411/511 - International Media
  • JOUR 469W - Magazine Journalism
  • MDIA 465W - Media Ethics
  • MDIA 565 - Media Management Ethics

Walck, P.E. and Walter, A. (January 2019, scheduled publication). Soaring out of the private sphere: How Flyin' Jenny and her comics helped pioneer a new path for women's work during World War II. Journalism History.

Walck, P.E., Pribanic-Smith, E.J., Sweeney, M., and Tripp, B. (2017). Historical Roundtable: Solving History's Mysteries. Historiography in Mass Communication, 3(2), 17-26.

Walck, P.E. and Meyer, H.K. (2016). "The Illusion of Control: An Examination of Social Media, Bookmarking and Perceived Control in the Digital Sphere," T. Dumova and A. Kurylo (eds.) Redefining Communication in the Era of Social Networking: Cultural, Social, and Political Perspectives. (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press: Madison, NJ), 89-109.

Walck, P.E., Cruikshank, S.A., Kalyango Jr., Y. (2015). Mobile Learning: Rethinking the Future of Journalism Practice and Pedagogy. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, August 26, 2015, doi:10.1177/1077695815600478.

Walck, P.E., and Kalyango, Y. (2013). “Mobile Pedagogy: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning,” Sage Publications, Fall 2013.

Walck, P.E. (2013). “Review of Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age,” International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies, 3(2).

Walck, P.E. and Walter, A. (2018, October). More Than Paper: Newspaper Dolls, WWII Propaganda and the Shaping of Female Identity. Research in Progress scheduled for presentation at the American Journalism Historians Association Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Walck, P.E. and Walter, A. (2017, October). Soaring Out of the Private Sphere: How Flyin' Jenny Helped Pioneer a New Path for Women's Work During WWII. Paper presented at American Journalism Historians Association Conference, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Walck, P.E. (2017, August). A Pivotal Moment: How Press Coverage of the Port Chicago Disaster Helped Reveal Racial Inequalities. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Chicago, Ill.

Walck, P.E. (2017, June). First Impressions: A Bar Fight Introduces John Bull to An American Institution. Paper scheduled for presentation at the Transnational Journalism History Conference, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.

Walck, P.E. and Carter Olson, C. (2016, October). ‘Young ladies, now take warning': Pearl Bryan's Cautionary Tale in Newspapers and Song. Research in Progress presented at the annual convention of the American Journalism Historians Association, St. Petersburg, FL.

Walck, P.E. and Walter, A. (2016, March). Flying Out of the Private Sphere: How Flyin' Jenny Pioneered a Path for WWII Women. Research in Progress presented at The Joint Journalism & Communication History Conference, City University of New York, NY.

Walck, P.E. (2015, October). Casting Blame: The Black Press Becomes a Target Following Riots in Detroit and Harlem. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Journalism Historians Association, Oklahoma City, OK.

Walck, P.E. (2015, August). A Riot ‘Never Out of Control': How the Press Reported One Night of Terror and How That Fracas Remains in British Collective Memories. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, San Francisco, CA.

Walck, P.E. (2014, October). Worth More Than A Footnote: The Pittsburgh Courier's Jessie M. Vann and Her Steadfast Promise From 1940-1963. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Journalism Historians Association, St. Paul, MN.

Walck, P.E. (2014, October). Giving Omaha Its Voice: How The Omaha Star Helped Solidify a Community in the Cornhusker State. Research in Progress presented at the annual convention of the American Journalism Historians Association, St. Paul, MN.

Walck, P.E. (2014, August). Reporting Jim Crow Abroad: Press Images and Words for African-American Deployments in World War II. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Montreal, Canada.

Jain, P., Weed, A.J., and Walck, P.E. (2014, August). Connecting With Celebrities On Twitter And Facebook: A Narrative Processing Approach. Paper presented at the AEJMC annual convention, Montreal, Canada.

Walck, P.E. (2013, September). Jim Crow Meets John Bull: How the Press Reported the Deployment of African American Troops During World War II. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Journalism Historians Association, New Orleans, LA.

Walck, P.E. and Kalyango, Y. (2013, August). Tweeting as a Journalistic Social Engagement Routine in Africa and Beyond. Paper presented at the annual AEJMC convention, Washington, D.C.

Walck, P.E. and Kalyango, Y. (2013, June). The Future of Journalism Practice and Pedagogy in the Media Ecology of Mobile Communication. Paper presented at the International Association for Media & Communication Research annual convention, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland.

Walck, P.E. (2013, March). Selling a Double Victory: How the Pittsburgh Courier Campaigned to Change America and the World. Research in Progress presented at The Joint Journalism & Communication History Conference, City University of New York, NY.

Walck, P.E. (2011, October). Framing an Unpopular War: How Two American Newspapers Reported the ‘What-a-story' During the Early Days of the Iraq War. Paper presented at the Pennsylvania Communication Association annual convention, Westminster College, PA.