UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.— Curiosity and a love of writing drew Lana Medina to a career in journalism. A concern for its future drew her out of it.

She loved the work, but the profession’s rapid shift to digital platforms, its ongoing financial hurdles and its increased corporate influence were changing the way news was constructed and shared.

“When I started in newspapers, we were grappling with how to send out tweets,” said Medina, a fourth-year doctoral student in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. “It has transformed so much since then, and each organization is doing it differently.”

After graduating from the University of Utah in 2010, Medina worked at newspapers for a few years before transitioning to TV news. She saw that both types of media were facing similar challenges – and that made her curious. How much were these new qualities affecting news content? Were the ethics and foundational principles of journalism at risk?

“The priority [for local news outlets] is keeping journalism alive. It’s survival mode,” she said. “The core tenants of journalism ethics still exist, but the problem is when you have financial pressures, some things can get lost.”

In 2018, Media stepped back from journalism to gain a better understanding of these normative shifts. She saw graduate school as an opportunity to satisfy her high-level curiosity.

Looking for a change

Medina’s interest in journalism’s future opened a door. She decided to pursue graduate work to build an understanding of news business pressures and their impact. While earning a master’s degree at Southern Utah University, Medina was introduced to the work of Patrick Plaisance, the Don W. Davis Professor in Ethics at the Bellisario College at Penn State.

“Plaisance’s research in media ethics is renowned,” Medina said. “He is now on his fourth edition of his textbook, and the title is ‘Media Ethics.’ He literally wrote the book on the topic.”

When it came time to find a doctoral program, Medina looked at schools favoring ones on the West Coast and close to home in Utah, but the opportunity to work with Plaisance brought her to Happy Valley.

“I truly came here because of Plaisance,” she said. “Not just because of his expertise in media ethics, but also because he was warm, welcoming and very encouraging. He didn’t treat me like a prospective student, he treated me like a colleague.”

Plaisance says Medina’s journalism background mixed with her strong understanding of ethics theory is a rare and a valuable combination in the field of media ethics. The two researchers have collaborated on award-winning research projects including the 2024 Clifford G. Christians Ethics Research Award at the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics conference. Medina also received the Carol Burnett Award in August at the annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference. Her first-place project was on moral clarity in journalism, a key theme in her research.

Plaisance expects the accolades to continue for Medina.

“Lana is a star in the making,” Plaisance said. “Being in both social science and ethics theory is an unbeatable combination and more of what our field needs.”

Plaisance was nervous at first. Medina uprooted her family from Utah so she could study with him, and he set a high expectation for both himself and Penn State. Set to graduate next year, Medina has no regrets. 

"I wouldn't change a thing. I have loved my time at Penn State and working with Plaisance,” she said. “This campus is amazing. This institution is amazing, and the surrounding community, I have nothing but praise."

In the newsroom

Like her burgeoning research interests, Medina’s dissertation is unique. She is on site as a participant observer in a local newsroom to build an understanding of how local TV news is impacted by evolving digital tools and new financial pressures. She held a similar position in another newsroom over the summer.

“The public trusts local TV news the most, but they don't always see what's happening behind the scenes,” she said.  “They don’t see why journalism is being constructed or disseminated in certain ways, and that's what I want to see.”

She added, “So, I am in the newsroom. I have access. I help write stories.”

This immersive approach gives Medina a real-time perspective of how journalists are using algorithmic tools, audience analytics and other digital technologies in their reporting and content distribution. Her goal is to shed light on the behind-the-scenes forces shaping the evolving landscape of local TV news.

“It's hard to write about something you don't know, and I've been out of the field for almost eight years now,” she said. “I don't feel like I can be an adequate researcher talking about something that I haven't experienced myself. That is why I am going in there and understanding how journalists are grappling with these issues, how they are trying to still produce news for the public benefit."

Medina says when funneled down, nearly all her academic efforts boil down to one thing: teaching. She has taught classes in news writing and media ethics for the Bellisario College, and she says it’s more than “walking in with assignments and topics to cover.”

“It’s deciding what you want the students to accomplish,” she said. “And that ‘a-ha’ moment … that’s not something I can describe, but it’s absolutely what I got into teaching for.”

Medina admits it’s challenging, but the opportunity to apply her practical and theoretical research interests to the classroom is equally enjoyable.

“Everything I learn in research, everything I learn from participant observation, from interviews with current working journalists, the struggles they're facing and how they're handling those struggles, everything they're dealing with,” she said. “All of that is informing my teaching. It is so rewarding.”