Ruth DeFoster

Ruth DeFoster is an Assistant Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota, where she teaches courses on advertising, visual communication, popular culture, writing, and media. She holds a PhD in mass communication from the same institution and has over a decade of professional journalism experience as a writer and editor.

Her research examines media coverage of crime, mass shootings, terrorism, and identity formation. She authored Terrorizing the Masses: Identity, Mass Shootings and the Media Construction of 'Terror' analyzing media framing of gun violence, Catholic Horror on Television: Haunting Faith exploring religious themes in horror media, and co-authored The Fear Knot investigating cultural risk perception.

Leadership roles include:

• 2020 Head of Cultural and Critical Studies Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
• Director of Undergraduate Studies, Hubbard School (2019-2023)