CURRICULUM VITAE
J. DAVID KENNAMER
Contact Information: 1602 N. Willamette Blvd.
Portland, OR 97217
(503) 283-9572 jdavek@comcast.net
Dept. of Communication
Portland State University
Portland, OR 97207-0751
(503) 725-3534; jdkenna@pdx.edu
CURRENT POSITION
Retired on June 1, 2003 from position as tenured, associate professor in the School of Mass
Communications, Virginia Commonwealth University; currently assistant professor, Department of Communication, Portland State University.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison - 1982
Major: Mass Communications
Dissertation: The Parent-Adolescent Dyad in the Formation of Political Attitudes and
Perceptions: Political Discussion, Political Information and Public Affairs
Media Use (Dr. Steven Chaffee, Director)
M.A. University of Kentucky - 1978
Major: Communication
Thesis: Cognitive Complexity and Information Seeking (Dr. Robert Bostrom, Director)
B.A. University of Kentucky - 1972
Major: Communication, Phi Beta Kappa
B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University – 1997
Major: Spanish
TEACHING
Fall-2003 - present: Department of Communication , Portland State University
Courses: Introduction to Communication, Public Speaking, Mass Communication and
Society, Persuasion, Communication Inquiry (research methods), Interviewing, Media
Ethics, Communication Ethics, Theories of Communication, Mass Media and Society,
Empirical Theories of Mass Communication. Received John Eliot Allen Outstanding
Teacher Award, 2004-2005.
1982-2003: School of Mass Communications , Virginia Commonwealth University.
Courses: Introduction to mass communications, news writing, public opinion, and public relations research methods, ethical issues in mass media on the undergraduate level; mass communications theory, media and public opinion, media-government relations, and research methods on the master’s level. Assistant professor until June, 1988. Tenured and promoted to associate professor on July 1, 1988.
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Fall, 1994: Fulbright Teaching Fellow
, Escuela de Ciencias de la Información, Universidad
Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina. Taught undergraduate course in public opinion and gave a series of workshops on public opinion research methodology to faculty. Made 13 presentations in 10 other locations in Argentina.
All teaching and presentations done in Spanish.
1997-2001 Center for Public Policy , Virginia Commonwealth University. Taught applied research methods in the doctoral program in public policy and administration, served on and directed doctoral dissertation committees, graded comprehensive examinations.
ADMINISTRATION
Summer 2001: Acting Associate Director, School of Mass Communications, VCU.
Responsible for day-to-day management of School while Director and
Assistant Director were away or on leave.
1997-1998: Director , International and Area Studies Programs, College of Humanities and
Sciences, VCU. Responsible for set of area studies minors within the university's liberal arts college.
1993-1994: Associate Director , School of Mass Communications, VCU. Responsible for day-to-day management of program with more than 700 undergraduate majors and
50 graduate students. Responsibilities included class scheduling, advising, new student orientations, adjunct recruitment, preparation of national accreditation documents and, management of accrediting team site visit.
1985-1990: Graduate Studies Coordinator , School of Mass Communications, VCU
Responsible for all aspects of master's program in mass communications: recruitment, advising, curriculum, admissions.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1990-2001 Senior Research Associate , Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory ,
VCU. Responsible for the design and management of large-scale public policy and public issue studies in university-based survey research center, using a wide variety of methodologies, mostly for government and non-profit sector clients.
Included management of frequent state and metropolitan area polls, including several in Spanish. Time split with School of Mass Communications.
1975-1977: Reporter and Photographer , Mt. Sterling Advocate , Mt. Sterling, Ky.
1974:
1973:
Public Relations Director , Kentucky Historical Events Celebration Commission,
Frankfort, Ky. (Bicentennial Commission)
Information and Communications Specialist
Public Information, Frankfort, Ky.
, Kentucky Department of
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SCHOLARSHIP
Edited Book
Kennamer, J. David (Ed.). Public Opinion, the Press, and Public Policy . Westport, CT:
Praeger, 1992.
Refereed Journal Articles
Coleman, C., Hartley, H., and Kennamer, J. D. "Examining Claimsmakers' Frames in News
Coverage of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising ." Journalism and Mass Communications
Quarterly , 83/3: 547-562, 2006.
Kennamer, J.D. “What Journalists and Researchers Have in Common about Ethics.”
Journal of
Mass Media Ethics , 20/1:77-89, 2005.
Kennamer, J.D., South, J. “Election Coverage Reflects Civic Journalism Values.”
Newspaper
Research Journal , 23/4:34-45, 2002.
Keeter, S., Kennamer, J.D., Ellis, J.M., and Green, R.G. “Does the Use of Colored Paper
Improve Response Rate to Mail Surveys? A Multivariate Experimental Evaluation.
Journal of Social Service Research . 28/1:69-78, 2001.
Kennamer, J.D., Honnold, J., Bradford, J. and Hendricks, M. “Differences in Disclosure of
Sexuality among African American and White Gay/Bisexual Men: Implications for
HIV/AIDS Prevention.”
AIDS Education and Prevention . 12/6: 519-531, 2000.
Kennamer, J.D., and Honnold, J. Attitude toward Homosexuality and Attention to News about
AIDS, Journalism Quarterly , 72:322-335, 1995.
Delli Carpini, M., Keeter, S., and Kennamer, J. D. Effects of News Media Environment on
Citizen Knowledge of State Politics and Government,
456, 1994.
Journalism Quarterly , 71:443-
Kennamer, J. D. The use of "vague quantifiers" in the measurement of communication behaviors. Journalism Quarterly , 69: 646-650,1992.
Kennamer, J. D. Comparing predictors of the likelihood of voting in a primary and general election. Journalism Quarterly , 67:777-784,1990.
Kennamer, J. D. Political discussion and cognition: A 1988 look. Journalism Quarterly ,
67:348-352,1990.
Kennamer, J. D. Self-serving biases in perceiving the opinions of others: Implications for the spiral of silence. Communication Research , 17:393-404,1990.
Garramone, G., and Kennamer, J. D. Ethical considerations in mass communications research. Journal of Mass Media Ethics , 4:174-185,1990.
Kennamer, J. D. News values and the vividness of information. Written Communication , 5:108-
123,1988.
Kennamer, J. D. How media use during the campaign affects the intent to vote.
Journalism Quarterly , 64:291-300,1987.
Kennamer, J. D. Debate viewing and debate discussion as predictors of campaign cognition.
Journalism Quarterly , 64:114-118,1987.
Kennamer, J. D. Gender differences in attitude strength, role of news media and cognitions. Journalism Quarterly , 63:782-788,1986.
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Book Chapters
Kennamer, J. D. Public opinion, the press, and public policy: An introduction. In J. D.
Kennamer (Ed.), Public Opinion, the Press, and Public Policy . Westport, CT:
Praeger, 1992.
Kennamer, J. D. Deceptive advertising and the power of suggestion. In Ted J. Smith (Ed.),
Propaganda, Disinformation and Mass Deception . New York: Praeger, 1989.
Kennamer, J. D. & Chaffee, S. H. Communication of political information during early presidential primaries: Cognition, affect and uncertainty. In M. Burgoon (Ed.),
Communication Yearbook V .New Brunswick, NJ:Transaction Books,627-650,1981.
Book Reviews
Free Culture. How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control
Creativity , by Lawrence Lessig. The Penguin Press, 2004, Journalism Studies , 8/2, 355-
357, 2007.
Online News and the Public , Ed. by Michael B. Salwen, Bruce Garrison, and Paul D. Driscoll,
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005, Journalism Studies , 7/3, 486-487, 2006.
The Civic Web. Online Politics and Democratic Values , Ed. by David M. Anderson and Michael
Cornfield, Bowman & Littlefield, 2003, Journalism Studies , 7/2, 367-369, 2006
Mixed Media. Moral Distinctions in Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism , Thomas
Bivins. Erlbaum, 2004. Journalism Studies , 5/3, 417-419, 2004.
Phototruth or Photofiction? Ethics and Media Imagery in the Digital Age , T. H. Wheeler,
Erlbaum, 2002. Journalism Studies , 5/1, 131-133, 2004.
Election Polls, the News Media, and Democracy , P. Lavrakas and M. Traugott (Eds.), New
York: Chatham House, 2000. Mass Communication and Society , 4/4, 474-477, 2001 .
New Directions in Political Communication , D. Swanson and D.Nimmo (Eds.), Newbury
Park,CA: Sage,1990. Journalism Quarterly , 69:234-235.
Predictions of Public Opinion from the Mass Media: Computer Content Analysis and
Mathematical Modeling , by David P. Fan. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Journalism Quarterly , 66:505-506, 1989.
Covering Campaigns: Journalism in Congressional Elections , by Peter Clarke and Susan Evans.
Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 1983. Political Communication Review , 1984.
Professional Publication
Kennamer, J.D. Polling in an Emerging Democracy: The Case of Argentina. The Public
Perspective (A Roper Center Review of Public Opinion and Polling), Oct./Nov., 1995.
Conference Papers/Presentations
Lucas, L., Petersen, A., Shartel, W., Walker, L., and Kennamer, J.D. Sexual Harassment in
Primetime Television Shows. Paper presented at the Northwest Communications
Association annual meeting, Coeur d’Alene, ID, April 2008.
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Kennamer, J.D. Strategies Designed to Increase Relevance of Research Skills to Students.
Member of invited panel on Acquiring Research Competencies at the Undergraduate
Level, Northwest Communications Association annual meeting, Coeur d'Alene, ID,
March 2006.
Kennamer, J.D., and South, J. and Sarkar, M. Community Newspaper Editors and Latino
Immigration in North Carolina and Virginia, Paper presented at the Southern Association for Public Opinion Research, Raleigh, October 2002.
Kennamer, J.D., and South, J. Civic Journalism in the 2001 Senate Race in Virginia, Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference, Washington, D.C., August 2001.
Kennamer, J.D. Ethical Issues in Applied Social Research. Member of an invited panel on
Models in Ethical Research, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass
Communication annual conference, Baltimore, August 1998.
Kennamer, J.D. Black and White Men Who Have Sex With Men: Differences in Sexual
Behavior and Identity. Paper presented at the World Association for Public Opinion
Research (WAPOR) annual conference, St. Louis, May 1998.
Kennamer, J.D., and Bradford, J. Sampling Virginia Men Who Have Sex with Men. Poster presentation at the annual conference of the American Association for Public Opinion
Research, St. Louis, May, 1998
Kennamer, J.D., and Bradford, J. Whites, African-Americans and Hispanics in Virginia: A
Comparison of Beliefs about HIV Transmission, Prevention and Responsibility. Poster presentation at XI International Conference on AIDS, Vancouver, July 1996.
Bradford, J. and Kennamer, J.D. Interaction of Social Research and HIV/AIDS Policy
Formulation within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Paper presented at
ESOMAR/WAPOR meeting on Research for Public Policy, Budapest, July, 1996.
Kennamer, J. D. Polling in Emerging Democracies. Part of panel on The Role of Polls in a
Democracy. International Communication Association, Albuquerque, NM, May, 1995.
Kennamer, J. D. Active Audience or Busy Audience? Attention Operationalized as Lack of
Distractions. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Association for
Public Opinion Research, Chicago, November, 1992.
Bradford, J., Kennamer, J. D., and Webb, S. HIV Information and Risk Assessment among
Hispanic Males. Poster presentation at VIII International Conference on AIDS,
Amsterdam, July, 1992.
Kennamer, J.D. Predicting Communication about AIDS. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research, Chicago, November, 1991.
Keeter, S., Kennamer, J.D., and Ellis, J.M. In Living Color: A Large-scale Experiment on the
Effects of Color on Response Rates in Mail Surveys. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Phoenix, May, 1991.
Kennamer, J. D. Public Opinion Polling for Public Policy: Motivations and Uses. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion
Research, Chicago, November, 1989.
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Kennamer, J. D. Self-Serving Biases in Perceiving the Opinions of Others: Implications for the
Spiral of Silence. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Association for
Public Opinion Research, Chicago, November, 1988.
Kennamer, J. D. Often, Sometimes, Rarely or Never: Issues in the Measurement of
Communication Behaviors. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Portland, OR, July, 1988.
Kennamer, J. D. Political Party, Candidate Perceptions and Media Use as Predictors of
Candidate Preference. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, San Antonio, TX, August, 1987.
Kennamer, J. D. Characteristics of "Floaters" in the 1984 Presidential Primary Period. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion
Research, Hershey, PA, May, 1987.
Keeter, S., and Kennamer, J. D. A Split-Ballot Experiment in Measuring Public Attitudes About the Liability Insurance Controversy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
American Association for Public Opinion Research, Hershey, PA, May, 1987.
Kennamer, J. D., A Partial Model for Predicting the Probability of Voting. Paper at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication,
Norman, OK, August, 1986.
Kennamer, J. D. News Values and the Vividness of Information. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication,
Memphis, TN, August, 1985.
Kennamer, J. D. Gender Differences in the Predictors of Attitude Strength. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and
Mass Communication, Memphis, TN, August, 1985.
Kennamer, J. D. Debate Viewing and Debate Discussion as Predictors of Campaign
Cognition. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for
Public Opinion Research, McAfee, NJ, May, 1985.
Kennamer, J. D. Parent-adolescent Similarity of News Media Use and Political Information as
Predictors of Political Discussion. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Gainesville, FL,
August, 1984.
Kennamer, J. D. A Comparison of Media Use Measures: The Relationship of Four Measures of
Media Use to Economic Knowledge and Discussion. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Buck Hill Falls, PA,
May, 1983.
Kennamer, J. D., and Chaffee, S. H. Communication of Political Information during Early
Presidential Primaries: Cognition, Affect and Uncertainty. Top three paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Minneapolis, MN,
May, 1981.
McLeod, J. M., Kennamer, J. D., & Rouner, D. Odd Man Out: The late debate and other media
Influences on the decline of the Anderson candidacy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Minneapolis, MN, May, 1981.
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Other Research-Related Activities
Member, editorial board, Journalism Monographs , Joseph McKerns, Editor, 1986-1989.
Reviewer for convention papers submitted to the Theory and Methodology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC): 1984, 1986, 1988,
1990, 1996. Reviewer for Radio/TV Division, 1993.
Moderator of Panel on Media Behavior during Election Campaigns. AEJMC annual meeting,
Portland, OR, July, 1988.
Moderator of Session on Critical Issues in Media Effects Research Models, AEJMC annual meeting, Minneapolis, MN, August, 1990.
Discussant for Session on Campaign '92, The Media and Political Participation, Midwest
Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) annual meeting, Chicago,
November, 1992.
Discussant for Session on Political Impact of Traditional and Nontraditional Media,
Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) annual meeting,
Chicago, November, 1993.
Discussant for Session on Political Positioning and Participation, Communication Theory and
Methodology Division, AEJMC annual meeting, Washington, D.C., August, 1995.
Moderator for panel on Public Opinion in Developing Countries, American Association for
Public Opinion Research, annual meeting, St. Louis, May 1998.
Discussant for session on Methodology at the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research
annual meeting, Chicago, November 1998.
Discussant for Session on Public Opinion on Global Issues, joint AAPOR/WAPOR annual meeting, Portland, OR, May, 2000.
Occasional reviewer of manuscripts for Journalism and Mass Communications Quarterly ,
Political Communication, Communication Research and Journal of Communication .
Reviewer of manuscripts for Policy Studies Journal and Polity , 1998; Genocide Studies and
Prevention, 2006.
APPLIED RESEARCH
Projects directed at Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory (Virginia Commonwealth
University) for the following government and non-profit agencies, among others:
Virginia Departments of Health, Motor Vehicles, Game and Inland Fisheries,
Conservation and Recreation, and Emergency Medical Services; State Council on Higher
Education; Governor's Office for Drug and Alcohol Abuse; City of Richmond Public
Library; Richmond Area Association for Retarded Citizens; Virginia Commonwealth
University Libraries, Massey Cancer Center, President's Office, Medical College of
Virginia Dean's Office, and Office of Institutional Research; Virginia HIV Community
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