Everyone wants something different for their birthday, and as they blow out the candles on the cake, they hope their wish come true.
My wish came true before a single match could be struck to set my celebratory pastry ablaze — my dissertation topic came into focus.
On June 7, 2022, I met with my adviser, Dr. Jacob Groshek, to discuss possible projects that would allow me to complete my Ph.D. in Leadership Communication at Kansas State University. I had developed a list of options, but I had my favorite. Luckily, Groshek liked it too.
That is how “Cultivating Misinformation” was born.
And it was a wonderful prelude to my birthday the following day.
Before I arrived at that point, I had to propose and pass my preliminary or qualifying exam.
The preliminary exam is an important milestone in the doctoral journey. Through the process, a student is given the opportunity to demonstrate what he or she knows within the discipline being studied, and passing the exam opens the door for the next steps to be taken.
According to the K-State Graduate School Handbook, such exams “are designed to test the student’s breadth and depth of knowledge in the proposed field of specialization, as well as the student’s ability to explore problems on the boundaries of knowledge. Satisfactory performance in the examination is an indication that the student is prepared to perform independent work toward the doctoral degree and results in the student being classified as a doctoral candidate upon affirmative recommendation by the supervisory committee.”
Thankfully, I passed, which means I became ABD.
Jokingly, people say that means I am “all but done.” Of course, ABD actually means, “All But Dissertation.” This isn’t an official designation as it carries no real-world weight. It isn’t a degree, and a person isn’t a doctor if he or she is ABD.
Instead, this simply indicates a person has completed all the required coursework except for writing and defending the dissertation.
However, with the passing of my preliminary exam, I was officially designated as a doctoral candidate.
That meant the real work had to begin, so I started coming up with ideas about what I could research. With my research interests focusing on mis/disinformation, the intersection of media and democracy, community journalism, and journalism education, I had a variety of directions I could go.
As I thought about it, I realized I could combine a few of my interests into one project. Having lived and worked in rural Kansas most of my life, I saw a connection between mis/disinformation, community journalism, and democracy that was ripe for investigation, so that is what I pursued.
The result is this project, and this website will serve as a repository for the research, including news updates and reflections as the project progresses. The goal is not to simply complete my dissertation. Instead, I aim to turn this into a major component of my research agenda. With any luck, I’ll even have a measurable impact on communities, media, and society.