The scholars who received grants and the titles of their projects are:

2011/2012 Page Legacy Scholars

Renita Coleman (Univ. Texas, Austin) "How many words is a picture worth? The effects of photos vs. vivid writing on ethical reasoning"

Kati Tusinski Berg (Marquette Univ.) and Kim Bartel Sheehan (Univ. Oregon) "Social media as a CSR communication channel: Understanding firms' decision processes"

Tina McCorkindale (Appalacian State Univ.) "Clouded transparency: An analysis of the perspectives and policies of social media in organizations"

Kirsten Johnson and Tamara Gillis (Elizabethtown College) "Markers of credibility and mainstream media representatives: Developing a social media credibility inventory"

Thomas Bivins, Tiffany Gallicano and Yoon Cho (Univ. Oregon) "A survey of readers to determine ethical guidelines regarding ghost blogging"

Homero Gil de Zuniga, Tom Johnson, and Renita Coleman (Univ. Texas, Austin) "The dialogic potential of social media: Assessing the ethical reasoning of companies' public relations on Twitter and Facebook"

Marcus Messner (Virginia Commonwealth Univ.) "To tweet or not to tweet? An analysis of ethical considerations in social media campaigns of non-profit organizations"

Richard Waters (North Carolina State Univ.) "The impact of organizational disclosure in social media success: Building the framework the theory of engaged communication"

George Anghelchev (Penn State Univ.) "Implicit ethics and cultural differences in public evaluation of corporate responsibility: The case of environmental accidents"

Marcia DiStaso and Denise Bortree (Penn State Univ.) "The ethics of social media measurement on Facebook and Twitter"

Brandie Martin (Penn State Univ.) "To block or not to block: Evaluating corporate social responsibility principles of multi-national information and communication companies during social movements"

2010/2011 Page Legacy Scholars

Donnalyn Pompper (Temple University) "A Study of Legal and Public Relations Counselors' Joint Ethical Decision-Making Processes and Outcomes"

Susan Keith (Rutgers University) "Public Relations Ethics Through Journalists' eyes: How the Local Journalism Review Movement Viewed PR: 1958-1975"

Emma Daugherty-Phillingane (California State University, Long Beach) "The Ethical Pathways of Successful Entrepreneurial Women in Public Relations: Challenges, Dilemmas, and Modes of Practice"

Beth Eschenfelder (University of Tampa) "Enhancing Public Relations Ethics Pedagogy Through Student Professional Narratives"

Aine Donovan (Dartmouth College) "Recalling Integrity"

Marcia Distaso (Penn State University) "The State of the Banking Industry: The Difference Between Corporate Communicators and the Public"

Ayobami Ojebodi (University of Ibadan, Nigeria) "Ethical Dilemma Revisited: The Nigerian Journalist and the Convergence of Power, Business and Media Ownership"

2009/2010 Page Legacy Scholars

Ethical Environmental Communications Project:

Brant Short (Northern Arizona University) “From Greenwashing to Social Advocacy: The Ethical Imperative in Green Branding.”

Janas Sinclair (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and Barbara Miller (Elon University) “The Values Basis of Public Response to Marketplace Advocacy and Effects on Environmental Attitudes.”

Harsha Gangadharbatla and Kim Sheehan (University of Oregon) “Framing the Environmental Issue: Implications for Advocates.”

Jacob Park (Green Mountain College) “BP and the Beyond Petroleum Campaign: Ethical Organizational Environmental Communication Case Study in the Business Context.”

Joe Brewer (Director, Cognitive Policy Works) and Tom Crompton (Change Strategist, World Wildlife Federation, UK) “Cognitive Impacts of Environmental Communications.”

Charles T. Salmon (Michigan State University) “Examining Unintended Consequences of Environmental Social Marketing.”

Lee Ahern and Denise Bortree (Penn State University) “Changing Themes in Strategic Environmental Communications: A 30-year History of Green Ads in National Geographic Magazine” Johnson Legacy Scholars


The other researchers who received Scholar grants this year and the titles of their projects are:


David Remund (Ph.D. candidate – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) “The World’s Work: Editorial Writings of Arthur W. Page, 1919 – 1927, and the Advent of Social Responsibility in Corporate Communications”

Nancy Snow (Syracuse University) “Truth is the Best Propaganda: Edward R. Murrow at the U.S. Information Agency”

Richard H. Cummings (Independent Scholar) "The Great Fund Raiser: Arthur W. Page’s Role in the Evolution of Radio Free Europe and the Success of the Nationwide Crusade for Freedom”

2008/2009 Page Legacy Scholars

Andrew Cohen, (Georgia State University) and Jennifer Samp (University of Georgia) “Public Responses to Corporate Apologies: A Study of the Ethics of Corporate Crisis Communication.”

Tom Cooper, (Emerson College) “Enhancing Pedagogical and Curricular Effectiveness: Teaching Ethics to Public Communicators.”

Deni Elliott, (University of South Florida) “The Ethics of Asking: Philanthropy and Breast Cancer.”

Elina Erzikova, (University of Alabama) “Teaching Ethics to Public Relations Students.”

Kevin Hagopian, (Penn State University) “Ethical Dilemmas vs. Tough Choices: Visualizing Ethical Questions in the Journalism Ethics Classroom through Narrative Film: A Toolkit for Journalism Ethics Educators.”

Steven K. May (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) “Handbook of Communication Ethics.”

Lee Ann Peck and Nancy Matchett (University of Northern Colorado) “Demonstration Project: An Online Ethics Training Module for Public Relations Professionals.”

Tina Worawongs (Penn State University) “The Menu Foods Pet Food Recall: The Response of a Global Corporation.”

2008/2009 Johnson Legacy Scholar

Denise Bortree, (Penn State University) “Ethical Environmental Communication: The Impact of Transparent and Comprehensive Communication on Environmental Legitimacy and the Organization-Public Relationship.”

2007/2008 Page Legacy Scholars

Gene Foreman (retired managing editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer) "The Ethical Journalist: Responsible Decision-Making in the Pursuit of News", a journalism textbook.

Andrew Cohen (Georgia State University) and Jennifer Samp (University of Georgia) “The Ethics of Corporate Apologies.”

Renita Coleman (University of Texas) and Lesa Hatley-Major (Indiana University) “Ethical Health Communication: A Content Analysis of Predominant Ethical Themes in Public Service Advertisements”

Scott R. Colwell (University of Guelph, Canada) “Market Reaction to Media Reports of Unethical and Irresponsible Corporate Behavior: Does Negative News Really Matter?”

Aziz Douai (Doctoral Candidate, Penn State University) “International Broadcasting and the Management of World Public Opinion: The Case of al-Hurra Television and the ‘Arab Street’”

Jennifer Kish-Gephart (Doctoral Candidate, Penn State University) “Understanding the Determinants of (Un)ethical Choices: Meta-Analytic Answers to Fundamental Ethics Questions”

Jerry Goodstein, Amy S. Wharton (Washington State University) and Mary Blair-Loy (University of California – San Diego) “The Role of Publicly Communicated Corporate Mission and Values in Firm Decisions Regarding Pension Fund Changes”

Lawrence W. Hugenberg and Esther Agyeman-Budu (Kent State University) “Corporate Social Responsibility: Communication in Action”

Stacey Frank Kanihan (Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc.) and Kathleen A. Hansen (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities) “Commitment to Social Responsibility and the Role of Communication Managers in the Executive Elite”

David M. Mayer (University of Central Florida) “How Do Organizations Communicate the Importance of Ethics?  An Examination of the Antecedents and Consequences of Ethical Climate”

Mark Schwartz (York University, Canada) “Israeli Business Ethics After Enron: Are Codes of Ethics Making Any Difference?”

2006/2007 Page Legacy Scholars

Colleen Connolly-Ahern and Maria Cabrera-Baukus (Penn State) “The Effect of Video News Release Attribution on Credibility and Risk Assessment.”

Mary Ann Ferguson (University of Florida) “Interviews with Executive Practitioners Explaining the Influence of Public Relations in 100 Socially Responsible Global Corporations: A Guidebook of Best Practices.”

Kathy Fitzpatrick( DePaul University) “From Propaganda to Soft Power to Public Relations: Exploring The Ethics and Effectiveness of U.S. Public Diplomacy.”

Edward Lordan (West Chester University) and Burton St. John (Old Dominion University) “Ethics of Video News Releases: A Study of VNR Usage Policies at Local Television News Stations.”

Christie M. Kleinmann (Lee University) “Defining Public Relations' Role in Social Responsibility: Practitioners' Perception of Public Relations Ethics in Health Care, Education and Sport.”

Chris MacDonald (Saint Mary’s University) “Ethics, Corporate Communication, and ‘Greenwashing.’”

Seow Ting Lee (Illinois State University) and I-Huei Cheng (University of Alabama) “The Ethics of Public Health Communication: Message Development in Antismoking Campaigns.”

2006/2007 Johnson Legacy Scholar

Steven K. May (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) “Ethics at Work: Principles and Practices of Ethics Codes.”

2005/2006 Page Legacy Scholars

Lee Wilkins (University of Missouri) and Renita Coleman (University of Texas at Austin) "The Moral Media: How Public Relations Professionals Reason about Ethics"

Mary Ann Ferguson (University of Florida) "Fostering Ethics and Social Responsibility in Corporations: A Study of Best Practices in Global Corporations"

Robert W. Kolb and Cynthia Scheopner (University of Colorado at Boulder) to support the development of a new online journal to teach ethics with film titled "Ethics in Film"

Michael Polonsky (Victoria University, Australia) Stacy Landreth Grau (Villanova University) "Measuring and Communicating the Social Impact of Nonprofit Organizations"

Amit Schejter, Mary Beth Oliver, Matt McAllister, and John Christman (Penn State University) "The Ethical Aspects of Product Placement." This project was co-funded with the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State.

Brooke Fisher Liu (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) "Crisis in the Homeland: State Government Communication with Hispanics During Disasters.