Alumna’s Groundbreaking Research on Indigenous News Coverage Leads to Three Books

Alumna and Professor Cristina L. Azocar (’93) has been busy since being promoted to full professor in 2021. 

Dr. Azocar just published her first book News Media and the Indigenous Fight for Federal Recognition. She is also co-editing the second edition of American Indians and the Mass Media with University of Oklahoma Professor Dr. Meta Carstarphen, although the new edition will have a different name. She is also working on a new book titled Decolonizing Media Research for which she received the Marcus Transformative Research Award. 

“I’m excited to dedicate my time solely to these projects since I will be working on them at the same time during my leave.” 

Her proposal titled “Indigenous Standpoint Theory” was accepted for a Theory Colloquium at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference in Detroit in August. She will also speak on two panels at the conference, “Secrets of unbroken chairs: How women leaders of color survive, thrive, and advance in the academy” and “Ethnic News Media, its roles and challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 

Azocar is also working with Professor Ana Lourdes Cárdenas and Professor Ivana Markova to publish a chapter in a book about their new degree in bilingual Spanish journalism.  

“The chapter is about how the new degree will advance the ability for journalists to cover bilingual communities whether that’s Spanish, or another language,” she said. 

Order a copy of News Media and the Indigenous Fight for Federal Recognition today.