Biography

Jason Peifer, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University), is an assistant professor of journalism in the Media School, Indiana University. With professional experience in public radio, he teaches media ethics, broadcast journalism, and political entertainment. His research interests center on the intersection of journalism, political humor, and perceptions of the news media, with his most recent work examining public perceptions of the news media’s importance and news parody’s influence on elements of media trust. His scholarship has been published in a variety of outlets, including the Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Media Psychology, Communication Methods & Measures, Mass Communication & Society, Communication Quarterly, The Communication Review, and the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. He presently serves on the board of the Communication Theory and Methodology Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Selected Publications

• Peifer, J.T. (2018). Perceived News Media Importance: Developing and validating a measure for personal valuations of normative journalistic functions. Communication Methods & Measures. doi:10.1080/19312458.2017.1416342
• Peifer, J.T. (2018). Liking the (funny) messenger: The influence of news parody exposure, mirth, and predispositions on media trust. Media Psychology. doi: 10.1080/15213269.2017.1421470
• Peifer, J.T. (2018). Imitation as flattery: How TV news parody’s media criticism can influence perceived news media importance and media trust. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 95, 734-756. doi:10.1177/1077699017713002
• Peifer, J.T. (2016). Parody humor’s process of influence: The roles of sympathy and enjoyment in shaping political perceptions. Mass Communication and Society, 19, 173-196. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2015.1072723
• Peifer, J.T., & Holbert, R.L. (2016). Appreciation of pro-attitudinal versus counter-attitudinal political humor: A cognitive consistency approach to the study of political entertainment. Communication Quarterly, 64, 16-35. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2015.1078828
• Peifer, J.T. (2013). Palin, framing, and Saturday Night Live: Examining the dynamics of political parody.  The Communication Review, 16, 155-177. doi: 10.1080/10714421.2013.807117
• Peifer, J.T., & Holbert, R.L. (2013). Developing a systematic assessment of humor in the context of the 2012 U.S. general election debates. Argumentation and Advocacy, 49, 286-300.
• Carlson, M., & Peifer, J.T. (2013). The impudence of being earnest: Jon Stewart, the journalistic community, and boundary traversal. Journal of Communication, 63, 333-350. doi: 10.1111/jcom.12019
• Peifer, J.T.  (2012). Can we be funny?: The social responsibility of political humor. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 27, 263-276.  doi: 10.1080/08900523.2012.746110