Walker

Dr. Denetra Walker

Assistant Professor, Journalism
A headshot of Denetra Walker.
Office: Journalism Bldg, Room 254
About

Dr. Walker's teaching specialties focus on how social justice and race issues are covered in journalism.

View Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of South Carolina
M.A., Mass Communication/Journalism, University of South Carolina
B.S., Radio/Television, Sam Houston State University

Teaching

Race and Media, Qualitative Methods, Social Justice Journalism, Multiplatform Journalism, Theory, Writing for Broadcast, Digital

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Walker is an award-winning television news journalist and journalism scholar who focuses on race and media. Mainly through qualitative methods, her work captures the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented journalists in the digital age, social justice, activism, police shootings, maternal health, and has a growing interest in racialized mis/disinformation. Her dissertation focuses on the experiences of Black journalists and their connections with the Black community. She is passionate about addressing issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in college classrooms and newsrooms.

She has presented research at regional and national AEJMC conferences which include 8 top paper awards. Her research is published in Journalism Practice, Social Media + Society, Journalism, Cultural Studies<-->Critical Methodologies, and Journal of Sports Media.

Experience

Previously, Walker worked in several behind-the-scenes roles in television news markets including Augusta, GA; New York, NY; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Columbia, SC—covering some of the nation's biggest stories. Walker’s experience working in and managing a T.V. newsroom inform her teaching and academic research.

Awards & Fellowships
  • Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Fellow, 2018-2022
  • Grace Jordan McFadden Professors Program, 2018-2022
  • Breakthrough Graduate Scholar, University of South Carolina, 2021
  • PhDigital Doctoral Bootcamp, 2020
  • Dr. Paula Poindexter Student Research Grant, 2020