Cox International Center

Center Director Recipient of 2013 Deutschmann Award

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in August named Dr. Lee B. Becker of the University of Georgia as the 2013 recipient of the Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research.

Dr. Becker, director of the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, became the 24th recipient of the award since the educational association created it in 1969 to honor Paul J. Deutschmann, a central force in the movement to study journalism and mass communication scientifically.

Dr. Douglas Banks Hindman, chair of the committee that selected Dr. Becker for the recognition, said at the meeting that Dr. Becker’s research “could not be more central to this association.”

“Unlike many of us who simply worry about the future of journalism, Lee is actually doing something about it, and has been for his entire career,” Dr. Hindman said.

The award is given by the AEJMC Elected Standing Committee on Research following a nominating and vetting process. Dr. Hindman chaired the subcommittee of the Standing Committee that reviewed the nominations.

Past recipients of the award include Wilbur Schramm and Ralph O. Nafziger, founders of the field of journalism and mass communication, and prominent scholars such as George Gerbner, Jack M. McLeod, Steven Chaffee, Maxwell E. McCombs and Donald L. Shaw.

Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin–Madison, was the most recent Deutschmann Award recipient, in 2011.

Dr. Becker is a professor in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. The Cox Center is the international outreach unit of the Grady College.

Dr. Becker received the award at the business meeting of AEJMC on the morning of Aug. 10. The annual conference, attended by more than 2,500 educators from U.S. and other countries, took place Aug. 8-11 in Washington, D.C.

At that meeting, Dr. Becker acknowledged the institutional support he has received throughout his career, noting the influence of the University of Kentucky, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, from which he earned his doctorate.

He also thanked specifically the Jim Cox Jr. Foundation of Atlanta, which supports the Cox International Center.

Dr. Wilson Lowrey of the University of Alabama and Dr. Randal A. Beam of the University of Washington, both former students of Dr. Becker, organized a special session at the conference to honor Dr. Becker. They invited six scholars, three of them Deutschmann Award recipients, to offer testimonials.

Dr. Klaus Schoenbach from the University of Vienna in Austria said he was impressed with Dr. Beckers’ “passion, the drive to work for democracy” in his scholarship and outreach activities.

Dr. Schoenbach said he admired Dr. Becker for his “international orientation” throughout his career, saying that his work is “full of respect for other cultures.”

In his comments at the end of the session, Dr. Becker thanked his many mentors and friends present.

He singled the late Mrs. Betty Holland, who established the Jim Cox Jr. Foundation to honor her husband, James M. Cox Jr., and Larry Hooks, trustee of the foundation.

“They have made it possible for me to do things at Georgia that I only could have dreamt about,” Dr. Becker said. “I am very indebted to them.”

Dr. Becker also recognized and thanked Owen Ullmann, managing editor of the print edition of USA Today, who represented the Cox Center Board of Visitors at the meeting. Ullmann is a vice chair of the Board.

The Deutschmann Award, the most prestigious given by AEJMC, recognized Dr. Becker for a body of scholarship that spans four decades and includes six books, 35 book chapters and more than 60 peer-reviewed research articles.

The Deutschmann nomination letter noted that Becker’s scholarship has been consistently recognized for its impressive scope, its methodological rigor and its contributions to understanding political communication and democracy. Supporters of his nomination described Becker as a “true international scholar” whose career has been remarkable for the “consistent and prolific contributions to research and theory in this field.”

Dr. Becker directs the Annual Surveys of Journalism & Mass Communication, which track enrollments and the job-market experiences of graduates. His nomination letter described that research program as “an exceptional example of public scholarship that marries theory-based sociological investigation with service to both the academy and industry.”

AEJMC has honored Becker twice in the past, first in 1985 with the Krieghbaum Under-40 Award and again in 2004 with its Presidential Award.

Becker was the second University of Georgia scholar to receive the Deutschmann Award. Scott Cutlip, who was instrumental in developing scholarship in public relations, received the Award in 1991. Cutlip was dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“This is a tremendous honor for Lee, and for the Grady College,” said Janice Hume, journalism department chair at Grady. “If you look at the list of former Deutschmann Award winners, and it is a pretty short list, you'll see some of the giants in our field. Dr. Becker's impressive body of research has served the industry, as well as education in journalism and mass communication, for decades.”

To view a short video clip of the afternoon session honoring Becker click here.