December 19, 2022

Wayne State University makes headlines, contributes expertise to news

Dr. Arash Javanbakht appears on CNN to discuss mental health. — Dr. Arash Javanbakht appears on CNN to discuss the mental health implications of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Nearly 1,500 stories featuring or mentioning WSU captured in 2022 by media outlets around the globe

The 2022 news cycle was dominated by stories related to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — from the Omicron variant and vaccine boosters to ongoing supply chain disruptions and inflation — and the gradual return to normalcy and social gatherings. Other headlines revolved around a tumultuous political climate and the midterm elections, international conflicts and acts of domestic violence, mental health concerns, labor movements, and civil unrest marked by demonstrations and protests across the nation.

President Wilson discusses a grant with Fox 2. — President M. Roy Wilson appears on Fox 2 to discuss a grant from the Mellon Foundation that will recruit and hire new faculty and create a Black Studies Center.

On campus, headlines were happier as the WSU community navigated a hybrid environment and celebrated a return to many campus traditions while graduation rates continued to soar through continued student success initiatives. WSU welcomed new leadership and looked ahead with its next strategic plan. A Warrior won the MLB World Series, and the university bestowed an honorary degree upon Motown legend Stevie Wonder.

Wayne State experts were often called upon for their perspectives on these topics. The Office of Marketing and Communications’ public relations team not only facilitated media requests but also proactively developed media tips sheets and recruited experts to heed the call from local and national outlets.

Professor Brady Baybeck discusses voter behavior and polling trends with Glenda Lewis, a reporter with WXYZ, ahead of the midterm election.

Though the news cycle was crowded, other stories were developed and pitched to outlets on a regular basis about the university, including student success and campus life, research, the environment, arts, and numerous other programs and activities.

Nearly 1,500 stories featuring or mentioning Wayne State were captured in 2022 by media outlets around the globe. Included in the overall number were 814 stories focusing primarily or exclusively on the university — known as Tier I media placements.

“We take pride in the fact that the public relations team worked both proactively and reactively to line up a wide variety of WSU faculty experts to provide context and information on important news topics, while also shining a light on the university’s impact and successes,” said Matt Lockwood, associate vice president of university communications.

The Wayne Health Mobile Unit serves Detroiters. — The Wayne Health Mobile Unit's service to Detroiters was featured by various media for the program's role in improving equitable public health outcomes.

The Office of Marketing and Communications annually reviews media activity to determine the content of news coverage and geographical reach. Data is captured through several monitoring tools and identified by a tier structure — Tiers I, II and III. Tiers II and III, though not focused entirely or exclusively on Wayne State, feature faculty experts commenting on trending topics — commonly referred to as pull quotes and soundbites — or topics shared with other institutions.

WDIV featured Wayne State students' community involvement and the Alternative Spring Break Detroit program.

Tier I stories are often pitched or facilitated by Wayne State communications professionals. Another component of the annual media review is the advertising value of the stories, which refers to the actual cost of purchasing comparable advertising space for each story. The estimated advertising value of 2022’s stories is nearly $5 million.

This year’s stories extended from Detroit-area dailies, television and radio to national media outlets such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Fox News, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, the Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Yahoo News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, and numerous international outlets.

Professor Carol Miller discusses her research with Kiara Hay, a reporter with WXYZ.

Also included in the media coverage are articles written by faculty for The Conversation, an independent news outlet focused on sharing commentary and analysis from the academic and research community to provide context on the news. Because they are authored by credible scholars, articles in The Conversation are frequently republished in large national outlets and regional newspapers. In 2022, 17 faculty authored 32 articles in The Conversation, reaching 2.4 million readers through publication in outlets like Smithsonian Magazine, PBS, CNN, Business Insider, Popular Science, Newsweek, the Washington Post, Marketwatch, Salon, Quartz and more.

A sampling of major stories’ headlines included: