Jiyoung Yeon (Ph.D. Student) and colleagues received Top Paper Awardfrom Political Communication Division at the 2026 International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference

Jiyoung Yeon (Ph.D. Student) and colleagues received Top Paper Awardfrom Political Communication Division at the 2026 International Communication Association (ICA) Annual Conference for "From "just jokes" to "biased truth": How politician-featured memes shape perceptions of political (mis)information." 

International Communication Association (ICA) top three paper award in the Public Relations Division: Najma Akhther, Md. Sayeed Al-Zaman, Khairul Islam, and A K M Zamir Uddin (Ph.D. student). “Government–Media Dynamics in Crisis Communication: A Case Study of Bangladesh Air Force Jet Crash,” paper to be presented at the 76th annual ICA conference, June 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Abstract: This study examined how the government and national media constructed crisis narratives following the Bangladesh Air Force training jet crash. Guided by Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), framing theory, and the ethics of care, we analyzed official response strategies and media coverage of the crisis event. Using a mixed-methods design that combined thematic analysis of government press releases with large language model (LLM)–assisted analysis of 544 news articles. Government messaging adopted accommodative strategies, emphasizing transparency, corrective action, and national solidarity. Media coverage extended these efforts through human-interest and accountability frames, shifting the discourse from procedural control to societal empathy. Integrating care ethics revealed that both actors contributed to moral legitimacy by acknowledging suffering and fostering collective healing. Overall, the findings demonstrate that effective government crisis communication in collectivist contexts requires not only strategic coordination, but also moral responsiveness grounded in empathy and transparency.