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Widely-Distributed AP Story on Trump-Era Communication Cites Prof. Jeff McCall '76

Widely-Distributed AP Story on Trump-Era Communication Cites Prof. Jeff McCall '76

March 28, 2018

Jeff McCall headshot"Trump helped create an atmosphere of media chaos," Jeffrey M. McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University, tells the Associated Press. "Into that atmosphere you have any number of people wanting to show up."

McCall is among several analysts quoted in a story that asks, "Looking to get ahead in President Donald Trump’s Washington? Borrow his media playbook." The piece is receiving wide national distribution.

Catherine Lucey and Jonathan Lemire report, "With suggestive statements, cryptic tweets, provocative lawsuits and must-see television interviews, Trump’s adversaries are using some of his own tactics to grab -- and keep -- the spotlight. From adult film star Stormy Daniels to former FBI Director James Comey, each has become a must-see supporting character in the president’s daily drama."

Daniels appeared on 60 Minutes Sunday, and her attorney has been making the media rounds this week. The AP story notes, "In February, Comey tweeted a picture of himself in a recording booth and said: 'Lordy, this time there will be a tape. Audio book almost finished.' It was a reference to one of Trump’s teases -- a tweet he sent out, saying Comey 'better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!' Eventually Trump acknowledged that he did not tape any conversations."

"Comey, he hasn’t been just a flash in the pan," Dr. McCall says. "Comey, he keeps surfacing, he disappears from the agenda and he finds a way to get back in."

You'll find the article at Yahoo! News and California's San Jose Mercury News.

A 1976 graduate of DePauw, Jeff McCall is author of Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences. He was a Rector Scholar and speech (communication) major at DePauw and worked on student radio station WGRE, which he now serves as faculty adviser. McCall earned a master's degree from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. He joined the DePauw faculty in 1985.

The professor is regularly cited in media reports.  Last week he wrote a column for The Hill in which he stated, "Any campaign against gun violence is doomed to fail if it ignores the cultural surroundings in which guns are glamorized." He was also quoted in Washington Times stories on the upcoming film Chappaquiddick and on late-night talk show hosts.

Source: Associated Press

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