Author Archives: Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

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About Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Professor and researcher who studies science communication, particularly issues that impact American Indians. Dr. Coleman is an enrolled citizen of the Osage Nation.

Think critically

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

When a politician recently ranted that universities shouldn’t be concerned with truth but rather serving the workforce, critics sharpened their pencils. The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, wants to gut support by 13% and refashion higher education’s mission in his … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, communication, education, Native Science, science, scott walker | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

I didn’t grow up in your country

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Sometimes my college students need to set me straight about schooling in North America. I didn’t grow up in your country, I confess. Students scratch their heads: how can you be part American Indian and be from somewhere else?

Posted in american indian, communication, Dutch, family values, Holland, native american, native press, Native Science, writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Journalistic Schadenfreude

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

As news broke in February when NBC anchor Brian Williams got caught in a reporting fib, journalists and critics rushed to pass judgment. The New York Times, for example, packed the newspaper with stories and editorials that carved a wide … Continue reading →

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Super Bowl relarity

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

You have to keep your sense of humor when it comes to mass media. As scholars we take media seriously but the Möbius folds of our reality—what Jean Baudrillard correctly called hyperreality—illustrate how messages, agendas, persuasion and propaganda get tucked … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, framing, journalism, native american, native press, Native Science, rhetoric | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

When individual choice causes harm

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Vaccine lunacy is the way Frank Bruni described a recent outbreak of measles in California: why? Parents decided to withhold vaccinations from their children. Children are taken ill with a disease that was once wiped from our memories–a disease that … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why beliefs matter with climate change

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I wish I knew more about climate change. Problem is I’m occupied with discourse—the stories we grab from headlines, television and Twitter. How do we (I mean discourse) talk about climate change? What occurs in my circles is the sheer … Continue reading →

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Uncle Silverback

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Uncles are important in my family. My mother had two brothers and my father had four, and uncles would hang out at our house, bringing doughnuts and helping with weekend chores. In the Osage language the word for father is … Continue reading →

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Missing truths

Posted on January 22, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

As a kid growing up in Southern California (we moved overseas when I was 10) we visited missions that dot the west, built by Spanish priests centuries ago. I remember the missions reverently: made of adobe and tile that cooled … Continue reading →

Posted in american indian, authenticity, framing, Indian, journalism, Junipera Serra, science, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Name your demon

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

I heard a comic declare, “no good story ever began with the phrase I was eating a salad.” My story begins in the bathroom, not at the dinner table. I was lounging in a hot bath and catching up on … Continue reading →

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The problem with science communication

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The problem with science communication is that its essence is tethered to the premise that people are rational and want to make rational choices. In fact, our communication is based on the premise that if you provide people with the … Continue reading →

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