Lillie Fears

Dr. Lillie Fears is a Professor of Multimedia Journalism and Chair of the Multimedia Journalism Program at the School of Media & Journalism, College of Liberal Arts and Communication, Arkansas State University. She holds a PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MS and BS from Arkansas State University, and an AA from Phillips County Community College. Her teaching focuses on mass communications, news writing, race and gender portrayals, and propaganda.

• Education: PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia
• MS, Arkansas State University
• BS, Arkansas State University
• AA, Phillips County Community College

Dr. Fears’ research explores race and gender portrayals, propaganda, and public opinion. Her notable work includes analyzing the Black Press, the Ferguson Riot, and African American women’s representations in media. Her article on the ‘Angry Black Woman’ trope in coverage of Michelle Obama remains widely accessed globally.

She has secured grants for educational initiatives such as Delta tours, student trips to journalism fairs, and civil war battlefield visits. Her civic roles include service on the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee, leadership in the Arkansas Early Learning Board, and involvement with the Delta Cultural Center Policy Board and Jonesboro Rotary. She has also organized diversity workshops for educators and journalists in Serbia (2015).