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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book and the book series of which it is the inaugural volume are dedicated to a pioneer of public interest media advocacy and activism, Dr. Everett C. Parker. In 1954, Dr. Parker founded the Office of Communications of the United Church of Christ, an organization that played a key role in the 1960s’ civil rights movement by addressing the portrayals of minorities on television, and by achieving a much more inclusive and influential role for the public interest community—and the public as a whole—in the media policymaking process. In the 1960s, Dr. Parker led a landmark effort to systematically monitor and analyze the broadcasts of southern television stations, and to use this research to challenge the broadcast license of one station (WLBT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi) on the grounds that the station was engaging in racist programming practices and therefore not serving the needs and interests of its community of license. These efforts led to a years-long battle that resulted in a historic court decision that granted members of the public legal standing in FCC proceedings. It is this legal standing for the public that paved the way for the growth and development of public interest media policy advocacy and activism in this country. In many ways, Dr. Parker’s work is the starting point for the integration of communications research with communications activism and advocacy that is at the core of this book and of the book series that this book inaugurates . All of us who work in this field owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr. Parker and his work. And this book is an example of how his work continues to inspire so many. xv xvi a c kn o w le d g me n t s A number of other individuals and organizations also deserve thanks for contributing to, supporting, or in some other way making possible this volume. Fredric Nachbaur, director of Fordham University Press, deserves particular thanks for his enthusiasm for this project from the very start and for his support of the new book series that this volume kicks off. Graduate research assistants Taryn Bensky and Lindsay Kaufman provided valuable assistance with the copyediting and management of the final manuscript. And, of course, all of the contributors are due our thanks for producing such diverse, thought-provoking chapters, and, for the most part, producing them on deadline and at least near the desired page limit. Two contributors to this volume, Becky Lentz and Joe Karaganis, have played key roles in envisioning and implementing the program, which has produced such a wonderful and diverse array of collaborative work. We are deeply grateful to Becky and Joe for their ideas and commentary regarding the book both before and during the editing process. Philip M. Napoli would like to thank his wife, Anne, as always, for her patience and support as he threw himself into yet another project that had the potential to drag on interminably, and thus keep him from being particularly helpful around the house. He would also like to thank the Advisory Board of the Donald McGannon Communication Research Center at Fordham University, particularly Chair of the Advisory Board Nancy Busch, for their continued support of the Center’s activities. Everette Dennis , Chair of the Department of Communications and Media Management at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business, also deserves thanks for maintaining an environment that remains incredibly conducive to research— even research that often doesn’t fall within the traditional parameters of what one might expect from a business school faculty member. Minna Aslama would like to thank the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation for its generous support of her work. She is particularly grateful for the opportunity she was given to conduct research for the Foundation for its report on communication studies in the United States, where she encountered some of the key figures in engaged scholarship and found out about some exciting collaborative projects that had no parallel in Europe. Even more important, she received a writing grant from the Foundation that has enabled her to participate in editing this unique volume on collaborative research that will have relevance not only in the United States but internationally . In addition, she would like to express her gratitude to her colleagues at the Social Science Research Council for support and inspiration during her assignment as the Program Officer for the Necessary Knowledge Collaborative Grants Program (2008–09). Finally, she is greatly indebted to all...

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