Mildred Frances “Mimi” Wiggins Perreault holds a PhD from the University of Missouri School of Journalism with a research appointment as a Research Associate at Appalachian State University in the Research Institute for Environment, Energy and Economics (RIEEE). She holds an M.A. in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Journalism from Baylor University. Her research explores the roles of strategic communicators and journalists in natural disasters and crisis communication. Specifically she has examined the roles of warning messages, and social media in disaster communication, recovery and community resilience. Supervisors: Lee Wilkins, J. Brian Houston, Ryan Thomas, Earnest Perry, Antonio Castro, Glen Cameron, and Nicole Bennett
On Memorial Day weekend 2015, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. the Blanco River crested at ... more On Memorial Day weekend 2015, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. the Blanco River crested at 42 feet, drowning the town of Wimberley, Texas. The Memorial Day flood resulted in the death of 11 people and damage to more than 300 homes andbusinesses. Journalists flocked to Wimberley to report the destruction, but as the hype from national news organizations died down, only a few local journalists remained to tell the story of the town’s struggle for recovery. Using case study methods and narrative theory this study combined an examination of local news stories, interviews and observations of local journalists, and conversations with community members to evaluate how local journalists consider their roles in long-term recovery and resilience. Conversations with local journalists revealed the level of accountability they have to their communities, and the challenges they face to remain critical of events surrounding the disaster. Journalists also expressed a pressure created by geographic proximity, to change the focus of stories as more time passed after the disaster. An evaluation of the narratives expressed by journalists and how those transfer in to their newswork brings a deeper understanding to the tensions created when a journalist is also a citizen stakeholder in his or her community. Through the development of the journalist as citizen model, this study addresses the way local journalists practice strategic communication in the narratives they adopt in the six months after a natural disaster.
Perreault, M., Houston, B. & Wilkins, L. (2014). Does Scary Matter? Testing the Effectiveness of ... more Perreault, M., Houston, B. & Wilkins, L. (2014). Does Scary Matter? Testing the Effectiveness of the New National Weather Service Tornado Warnings. Communication Studies Journal. Spring 2011 set severe weather records with tornadoes in the South and Midwest U.S. In response, the National Weather Service launched new warning messages for the 2012 storm season. This study examined whether gender and storm experience influenced severe weather media use and also tested the new “scarier” tornado warning messages and the more traditional (non-scary) warnings to see if warning type and broadcast medium were related to participant response. Four different experimental stimuli were created to resemble actual warning messages: scary and non-scary television messages, and scary and non-scary radio messages. University students ages 18-25 (N = 168) were exposed to all four stimuli and asked questions about their perceptions of credibility and behavioral intentions following the message. Behavioral intentions were not affected by experimental stimuli, but differences did emerge for perceived credibility. Women and those with more storm experience were found to use more sources of severe weather information.
On Memorial Day weekend 2015, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. the Blanco River crested at ... more On Memorial Day weekend 2015, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. the Blanco River crested at 42 feet, drowning the town of Wimberley, Texas. The Memorial Day flood resulted in the death of 11 people and damage to more than 300 homes andbusinesses. Journalists flocked to Wimberley to report the destruction, but as the hype from national news organizations died down, only a few local journalists remained to tell the story of the town’s struggle for recovery. Using case study methods and narrative theory this study combined an examination of local news stories, interviews and observations of local journalists, and conversations with community members to evaluate how local journalists consider their roles in long-term recovery and resilience. Conversations with local journalists revealed the level of accountability they have to their communities, and the challenges they face to remain critical of events surrounding the disaster. Journalists also expressed a pressure created by geographic proximity, to change the focus of stories as more time passed after the disaster. An evaluation of the narratives expressed by journalists and how those transfer in to their newswork brings a deeper understanding to the tensions created when a journalist is also a citizen stakeholder in his or her community. Through the development of the journalist as citizen model, this study addresses the way local journalists practice strategic communication in the narratives they adopt in the six months after a natural disaster.
Perreault, M., Houston, B. & Wilkins, L. (2014). Does Scary Matter? Testing the Effectiveness of ... more Perreault, M., Houston, B. & Wilkins, L. (2014). Does Scary Matter? Testing the Effectiveness of the New National Weather Service Tornado Warnings. Communication Studies Journal. Spring 2011 set severe weather records with tornadoes in the South and Midwest U.S. In response, the National Weather Service launched new warning messages for the 2012 storm season. This study examined whether gender and storm experience influenced severe weather media use and also tested the new “scarier” tornado warning messages and the more traditional (non-scary) warnings to see if warning type and broadcast medium were related to participant response. Four different experimental stimuli were created to resemble actual warning messages: scary and non-scary television messages, and scary and non-scary radio messages. University students ages 18-25 (N = 168) were exposed to all four stimuli and asked questions about their perceptions of credibility and behavioral intentions following the message. Behavioral intentions were not affected by experimental stimuli, but differences did emerge for perceived credibility. Women and those with more storm experience were found to use more sources of severe weather information.
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Papers by Mimi Perreault
the story of the town’s struggle for recovery. Using case study methods and narrative theory this study combined an examination of local news stories, interviews and observations of local journalists, and conversations with community members to evaluate how local journalists consider their roles in long-term recovery and resilience. Conversations with local journalists revealed the level of accountability they have to their communities, and the challenges they face to remain critical of events surrounding the
disaster. Journalists also expressed a pressure created by geographic proximity, to change the focus of stories as more time passed after the disaster. An evaluation of the narratives
expressed by journalists and how those transfer in to their newswork brings a deeper understanding to the tensions created when a journalist is also a citizen stakeholder in his or her community. Through the development of the journalist as citizen model, this study addresses the way local journalists practice strategic communication in the narratives they adopt in the six months after a natural disaster.
Spring 2011 set severe weather records with tornadoes in the South and Midwest U.S. In response, the National Weather Service launched new warning messages for the 2012 storm season. This study examined whether gender and storm experience influenced severe weather media use and also tested the new “scarier” tornado warning messages and the more traditional (non-scary) warnings to see if warning type and broadcast medium were related to participant response. Four different experimental stimuli were created to resemble actual warning messages: scary and non-scary television messages, and scary and non-scary radio messages. University students ages 18-25 (N = 168) were exposed to all four stimuli and asked questions about their perceptions of credibility and behavioral intentions following the message. Behavioral intentions were not affected by experimental stimuli, but differences did emerge for perceived credibility. Women and those with more storm experience were found to use more sources of severe weather information.
the story of the town’s struggle for recovery. Using case study methods and narrative theory this study combined an examination of local news stories, interviews and observations of local journalists, and conversations with community members to evaluate how local journalists consider their roles in long-term recovery and resilience. Conversations with local journalists revealed the level of accountability they have to their communities, and the challenges they face to remain critical of events surrounding the
disaster. Journalists also expressed a pressure created by geographic proximity, to change the focus of stories as more time passed after the disaster. An evaluation of the narratives
expressed by journalists and how those transfer in to their newswork brings a deeper understanding to the tensions created when a journalist is also a citizen stakeholder in his or her community. Through the development of the journalist as citizen model, this study addresses the way local journalists practice strategic communication in the narratives they adopt in the six months after a natural disaster.
Spring 2011 set severe weather records with tornadoes in the South and Midwest U.S. In response, the National Weather Service launched new warning messages for the 2012 storm season. This study examined whether gender and storm experience influenced severe weather media use and also tested the new “scarier” tornado warning messages and the more traditional (non-scary) warnings to see if warning type and broadcast medium were related to participant response. Four different experimental stimuli were created to resemble actual warning messages: scary and non-scary television messages, and scary and non-scary radio messages. University students ages 18-25 (N = 168) were exposed to all four stimuli and asked questions about their perceptions of credibility and behavioral intentions following the message. Behavioral intentions were not affected by experimental stimuli, but differences did emerge for perceived credibility. Women and those with more storm experience were found to use more sources of severe weather information.