Dr. Keith Herndon
About: Dr. Herndon teaches Media Management, the Business of News, Financial Journalism and Media, News and Consumers, an introductory course. He holds the William S. Morris Chair in News Strategy and Management and is the executive director of the Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership where he runs its leadership development program and the Journalism Innovation Lab.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Media and Information, Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Australia)
Master of Liberal Studies, University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma)
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
Research Interests and Activities
Exploring the intersection of media and technology, including shifting business models and the forces shaping leadership, management and entrepreneurship. Projects have included studying the availability of broadband Internet in rural Georgia, analyzing news organizations’ financial performance, researching the possibilities for virtual reality in news and developing podcasting as an experiential learning platform.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of directional cues in immersive journalism by conducting a randomized between-subjects three-condition lab experiment (N=131) with community participants using three versions of originally produced 360̊ video news story. The study found that the presence of any directional cues in 360̊ news story significantly improved participants’ recall of statistics from […]
Read MoreCharlotte Norsworthy (recent Grady M.A. student, current instructor), Keith Herndon, Brittany Adams-Pope, Carolyn Turknett and Lauren Harris (June 2021). Distinguished Paper Award at the annual conference of the Association of Leadership Educators. Applying Leadership Self-Efficacy Theory: Understanding the Innerworkings of Assessments by Creating Our Own. Paper presented for the annual conference of the Association of Leadership Educators held virtually. […]
Read MoreAbstract: This innovative practice paper explores a theoretical framework supporting leadership self-assessments — leadership self-efficacy theory. The paper describes the theory’s application in an exemplar self-assessment instrument and explains our approach to understanding the inner workings of assessments by creating and testing our own. Note: This paper resulted from an academic-industry collaboration with the Cox […]
Read MoreKeith Herndon and Caroline Windham (Grady M.A. student). (Forthcoming 2020, July). Entrepreneurial Leadership: Teaching Product Development Principles Using the Perceived Attributes of Innovation. Paper accepted for the annual conference of the Association of Leadership Educators, Nashville, TN. Abstract: This innovative practice paper presents a classroom exercise used to demonstrate the importance of product development within […]
Read MoreCharlotte Norsworthy (Grady M.A. student) and Keith Herndon. (Forthcoming). Leading by Ear: Podcasting as an Educational Leadership Tool. Journal of Leadership Education. Paper accepted for the annual conference of the Association of Leadership Educators, Nashville, TN. Abstract: This innovative practice paper explains how a student-produced podcast is used as an educational tool to showcase leadership […]
Read MoreKeith Herndon, Charlotte Norsworthy (Grady M.A. student), and Ryan Kor-Sims (Grady M.A., doctoral student at Utah). (2020) Democrat or Republican? Using Political Stereotypes as a Bias Discussion Exercise. Abstract: This innovative practice paper explains a classroom leadership exercise that asks students to identify anonymous people as either Democrats or Republicans based only on brief descriptions. […]
Read MoreAbstract: In an age of uncertainty, entrepreneurial leaders need tools and frameworks to prepare for the challenges posed by competitive marketplaces. This workshop demonstrates a training exercise based on the model of perceived attributes of innovation that provides insights into a product or service’s relative advantage. It also illustrates how attributes such as compatibility and […]
Read MoreHerndon, Keith; Norsworthy, Charlotte and Kor-Sins, Ryan (Grady MA students). (Forthcoming). Democrat or Republican? Using Political Stereotypes as a Bias Discussion Exercise. Journal of Leadership Education. Abstract: This innovative practice paper explains a classroom leadership exercise that asks students to identify anonymous people as either Democrats or Republicans based only on brief descriptions. Students are […]
Read MoreAbstract: In a between-subjects eye-tracking experiment, adult readers of a large metropolitan daily newspaper (N=70) viewed and evaluated one of two versions of the same online news feature: one with an embedded 360-degree video alongside text and images, and the other using exclusively text and static images. Findings show that the presence of 360-degree video […]
Read MoreAbstract: This innovative practice paper explains a classroom exercise that asks students to identify anonymous people as either Democrats or Republicans based only on brief descriptions. Students are challenged to explore the reasons behind the identifications they make, specifically confronting the trigger words that lead them to assign a political affiliation. In doing so, the […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study examined the effects of the use of directional cues in immersive journalism on information recall, attitudes towards a news story, narrative transportation, presence, and message credibility by conducting a randomized between-subjects three-condition lab experiment (N=90) with community participants using three versions of originally produced 360̊ video news story. The study found that […]
Read MoreAbstract: This innovative practice paper discusses how a journalism training practicum empowers and emboldens participants to think critically about their professional goals and allows them to emerge not only with new technical skills but also as industry thought leaders. The news industry is facing a profound technological upheaval as the majority of news consumers turn […]
Read MoreAbstract: Teaching leadership within the parameters of a management course can be a daunting task. It is imperative for students to have an understanding of the perceived differences in leadership and management, but such instruction requires a delicate balance between teaching theory and illustrating practical applications. This article, prepared as an innovative practice paper, shares […]
Read MoreAbstract: Leadership is inherently difficult to quantify. Studies have surveyed and observed behavior in all sorts of organizations attempting to understand relationships and causes and effects of leadership styles and outcomes. As Yammarino (2013) stated, “we have many empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, and meta-analyses) on leadership, but theory is still ahead of data.” This paper […]
Read MoreTeaching Specialties
Media management and the business aspects of news, including an emphasis on digital transformation, innovation and emerging business models; leadership education; and journalism skills courses including financial journalism.
Experience
Keith Herndon, Ph.D., was named the William S. Morris Chair in News Strategy and Management in August 2018. He had been appointed Professor of Practice in Journalism in Fall 2016 and also named Director of the Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership. He was promoted to executive director of the Cox Institute in 2021. Dr. Herndon continues in those roles. He had served as a visiting professor at Grady since Fall 2012 and taught as a lecturer in Fall 2011. Prior to teaching at Grady, Dr. Herndon was a media research consultant with Internet Decisions, LLC, a strategic planning firm he began in 2005. He was a leader in Cox Enterprises’ Internet division, serving as Vice President of Operations and Vice President for Planning and Product Development. He managed strategic partnerships and led technical diligence on Cox’s new media investments, serving on the board of directors of an investment recipient. He was also Director of Operations at Cox Radio Interactive, a pioneer in streaming media. He began his career while a student at the University of Georgia, working as a reporter and sports editor for his hometown paper in Elberton, Georgia, and then as a sportswriter for the Anderson (S.C.) Independent and the Athens Banner-Herald. After graduation, he was a Pulliam Journalism Fellow, covering business news at The Indianapolis News. He was a business reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before becoming assistant business editor, deputy business editor and administrative editor. Dr. Herndon wrote The Decline of the Daily Newspaper: How an American Institution Lost the Online Revolution (Peter Lang, 2012). He has published two books about innovation and entrepreneurship and has co-edited two books with students about media management and leadership as part of experiential learning projects.
Awards and Fellowships
• Dr. Herndon received a 2019 Creative Teaching Award from the University.
• The Grady College presented Dr. Herndon with the 2019 Darwin-Davis Award, honoring the “Grady Spirit.”
• The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism awarded Dr. Herndon a grant to fund a business journalism program during the 2016 spring semester along with supplemental grants to fund a lecture series and two national internships. He had been a Reynolds Fellow in 2013 studying business journalism education at the center’s Arizona State University headquarters.
• Dr. Herndon was named an Atlanta Mobility Star in 2015 for his role in developing and launching the Grady Mobile News Lab.
• He was recognized as the Journalism Department’s Teacher of the Year in 2014.
• The Georgia Technology Authority awarded a 2013 grant to research and write two case studies on rural broadband projects underway in Georgia.
• His 2011 doctoral dissertation at Curtin University received the Chancellor’s Commendation for Excellence.
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