MACON — Mercer University junior Shivika Nath was awarded the Best Undergraduate Research Paper at the American Journalism Historians Association’s Southeastern Symposium.
Nath, a journalism major with minors in history and media studies from Johns Creek, said she was honored to receive the award.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to present
my research on an important topic to me,” she said.
Nath’s paper examined how the New York Times covered the restriction of immigrants during and after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Act of 1924, the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924 and President Trump’s “Muslim ban” in 2017.
“This assignment, especially at this time in history, helped our students understand how the framing of news stories can be so important in how the audience perceives it,” said Tanya Ott, Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism assistant professor of journalism and journalist in residence.
Nath was one of three Mercer journalism students who presented papers at the conference in Panama City, which drew students and faculty from across the southeast.
