Research Interests: My primary focus is on mass communication, media literacy, and critical pedagogy, supported by interests in media ecology, media production, media industries and power structures, mis/disinformation, digital cultures, mediated political discourse, screen studies, critique of advertising and journalism, adult learning, AI in education, and digital equity practice and policy.
Research Methodologies: I conduct research in qualitative, critical, and participatory traditions, supported by mixed methods. I have demonstrated application of community-engaged research (CBPR, PAR, etc.), interpretive phenomenology (interviewing and coding analysis), critical content analysis, grounded theory, critical case studies, applied and reflective practices, survey design, and program assessment and evaluation.
Research & Publications
Media Literacy, Critical Pedagogy, and Community-Engaged Research
News Literacy Challenge: A multi-year, cross-disciplinary partnership at the University of Maine between a media studies scholar, a librarian, and a media literacy practitioner, studying news media literacy program design, implementation, and assessment, and reflecting on collaboration itself as the engine of better practice. This collaboration produced the following publications:
Rosenbaum, J. E., Bonnet, J. L., & Berry, R. A. (2021). Beyond ‘fake news’: Opportunities and constraints for teaching news literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 13(3), 153-159. Reflects on a campus news literacy workshop to argue that framing programs around “fake news” backfires, and we make the case for a converged critical media and information literacy (CMIL) approach.
Berry, R. A., Bonnet, J. L., and Rosenbaum, J. E. (2021). Teaching news literacy during a pandemic: Adapting to the virtual learning environment. Teaching Media Quarterly, 9(1), 2-21. A full lesson plan documenting the “Friend, Enemy, or Frenemy?” five-day virtual news literacy challenge, and how it can be adapted for remote, asynchronous, and classroom use.
Rosenbaum, J. E., Bonnet, J. L., & Berry, R. A. (2022). Rethinking the future of news literacy education: Results from a mixed methods study. The Media Education Research Journal, 11(2), 1-22. A mixed-methods evaluation of the news literacy online program. We find it barely moved already-high literacy scores but fostered more nuanced, reflective, and affective engagement, pointing toward the need for more learner-centered design and assessment.
Bonnet, J. L., Rosenbaum, J. E., & Berry, R. A. (2023). Building a bridge to somewhere: A critical dialogue to further media and information literacy practice. Media and Information Literacy: Enriching the Teacher Librarian Dialogue, a special issue of The Journal of Media Literacy (online journal). A joint critical dialogue in which we reflect on how our evolving teaching praxis reimagines the design, delivery, and assessment of news media literacy education.
Dissertation Research: Addressing an information ecosystem fraught with misinformation, political polarization, and eroding public trust, this dissertation research aims to inform participatory, community-based media literacy models tailored for adult learning communities. To achieve this, the study uses phenomenological methods to explore the lived media experiences of older adult learners, followed by community-based participatory research (CBPR) and critical case study approaches to co-design and evaluate a local media literacy intervention.
Berry, R. A. (2026, August 5-8). “That’s probably the antique way”: A phenomenological study of older adults’ media engagement and the foundations of participatory adult media literacy [Paper presentation]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference, New Orleans, LA. This interpretive phenomenological study examines the digital media engagement of eight older adults, uncovering a core asymmetry where participants demonstrate sophisticated critical awareness of media bias and misinformation but lack the procedural strategies to navigate them. I argue for reframing adult media literacy away from deficit-oriented stereotypes of “vulnerable seniors,” proposing instead a participatory pedagogy that equips reflective older learners with strategic scaffolding to build durable digital agency.
Media Industries, Power Structures, and Digital Cultures
Berry, R. A., Rosenbaum, J. E., & Corey, A. M. (2023). Weaponizing #FakeNews on Twitter: Generating flak or challenging the status quo in the Trump era?. Javnost – The Public, 30(4), 534-550. A grounded-theory analysis of over a thousand tweets by pro- and anti-Trump users to evaluate how #FakeNews was deployed on Twitter during debates over Trump-era immigration policies. Applying the Herman–Chomsky Propaganda Model, we find that users utilized tactics of attacking, obfuscating, and doubling down, employing #FakeNews as a form of top-down “flak” to reinforce established political agendas rather than serve as genuine, citizen-driven critique of mainstream news media.
Berry, R. A. & Rosenbaum, J. E. (2022). Critical race media literacy and fake news: Reframing and teaching news literacy in a racialized society. In J. Cubbage (Ed.), Critical Race Media Literacy: Themes and Strategies for Media Education (pp. 82-97). Routledge. This chapter connects CRT to media literacy to introduce “Critical Race News Literacy,” arguing that mainstream news media’s historical misrepresentation and omission of BIPOC communities should itself be recognized as a pernicious form of “fake news.” To address these structural biases, we outline pedagogical strategies that empower learners to actively challenge dominant media narratives.
Applied and Reflective Practices
Berry, R. A. (2022). Power lines: Empowering teens that have been disempowered through partnerships. In J. Anderson & K. Czarnecki (Eds.), Power Lines: Connecting with Teens in Urban Communities Through Media Literacy (pp. 87-102). ALA Neal-Schuman. This chapter examines how community and library partnerships foster civically intentional media literacy, drawing on case studies from New York City and Kosovo where youth used digital tools to challenge dominant narratives and represent their own communities. I argue that media literacy education must move beyond basic digital skill acquisition to prioritize hands-on process, sustainability, and youth empowerment through collaborative civic engagement.
Interdisciplinary Work
Turner, S., Rabbles, K., Berry, R. A., et al. (2025). Plastics Reimagined: A Strategic Roadmap for Marine Biopolymer & Bioplastics Development in Maine. A strategic report on marine biopolymer and bioplastics development in Maine, representing a collaboration between the University of Maine Aquaculture Research Institute and the Roux Institute at Northeastern University. The project employed ecosystem mapping and thematic analysis of focus groups, individual interviews, a stakeholder survey, and site visits.
Honors/Awards
Janet Waldron Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Maine Graduate School (2026-27).
AI Catalyst Fellowship, EDSAFE AI Alliance (2026).
Research & Travel Award, University of Maine Graduate Student Government (2022 & 2024).
Love of Learning Award, Phi Kappa Phi (2021).
Summer Research Fellowship, University of Maine Graduate School (2020).
Fulbright Research Award, Fulbright U.S. Student Program (Kosovo, 2018). Conducted engaged and applied research on media literacy education in Kosovo.