Rachel Davis Mersey
Education
Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.S., Editorial Journalism, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism
Current Research Interests
- Influence of new media on newspapers' community-building function
Courses Taught
JOUR 3004, Information for Mass Communication
JOUR 3008, Mass Communication Processes and Structure
JOUR 3101, News Reporting and Writing
Professional Experience
Taught news writing at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Fashion and Beauty Writer, Food and Home Writer for The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Style correspondent for KPNX, a Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Phoenix, AZ
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Ph.D. Student, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006-2007
Gannett IDEAS (Innovator Drive for Excellence Award) Winner, YES magazine, The Arizona Republic, 2003
James Beard Award Finalist, Food Section, Food & Drink, The Arizona Republic, 2003
Newsroom Excellence Award, The Arizona Republic, 2002
Selected Publications
Mersey, R. D. (2006). Examining the Student Newspaper: An Opportunity to Teach Research Methods. Journalism Educator 61 (1), 66-78.
Colistra, R. & Mersey, R. D. (2006). Tearing Down the Wall: Editor-Publisher Relationships and Financial Conflicts of Interest. Proceedings, 4th International Symposium: Communication in the Millennium Conference, Eskisehir, Turkey.
Dougall, E. K., Curtin, P. A., Boynton, L. A., & Mersey, R. D. (2006). Can Serving the Public Interest Also Interest the Public? A Content Analysis of the Yahoo! News Portal. Proceedings, International Association for Business and Society Conference, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
Mersey, R. D. (Ed.). (2006). Grading Quality: Examining The Daily Tar Heel in a Professional Context. Memphis, TN: College Media Advisers Inc.
Mersey, R. D. (2006). The New Editor-Publisher Relationship. In P. Meyer (Ed.), Newspaper Ethics in the New Century (pp. 3-12). Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.