Paul Martin Lester, Ph.D.

Professor of Communications

Department of Communications

CP650-19

California State University, Fullerton

Fullerton, California 92834

 

office:            714 278-4604

fax:                 714 278-2209     

cell:                562 310-3041     

e-mail:           lester@fullerton.edu

homepage:   http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester

Paul Lester Portrait

Paul Martin Lester is a tenured, full professor of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. After an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and employment as a photojournalist for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Lester received a Master's from the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. from Indiana University in mass communications. He is the author or editor of several books including: Visual Journalism: A Guide for New Media Professionals (with Christopher R. Harris), Images that Injure Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media 2nd Edition (with Susan D. Ross), Visual Communication Images with Messages 4th Edition, Desktop Computing Workbook, Photojournalism An Ethical Approach, and The Ethics of Photojournalism. In addition, Lester has published numerous articles in major communications' journals. He wrote a monthly column, "Ethics Matters" with Deni Elliott for News Photographer magazine for the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). He has given keynote speeches, panel discussions, presentations and workshops throughout the United States and in Australia, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Lester's areas of expertise include photojournalism practice, mass media and professional ethics, desktop and World Wide Web publishing, visual communications, and new communications technologies. In 1990 he received a President's Medal from NPPA for his work in editing and producing The Ethics of Photojournalism, a white paper report that discussed ethical issues that still and video photojournalists face. In 2004 he received with Deni Elliott the Morris Berman citation from NPPA for their monthly column and work in revising the ethics code. In 2006 Lester was named incoming editor of Visual Communication Quarterly, "an international, peer-reviewed journal of theory, research, practical criticism, and creative work in all areas of visual communication."

 

EDUCATION

 

1989                           Ph.D., Indiana University, Mass Communications

 

1983                           MA, University of Minnesota, Mass Communications

 

1976                           BJ, University of Texas, Photojournalism

 

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

 

1997-Present           Professor, with tenure, Department of Communications. California State University, Fullerton. Courses include: Communications Technologies, Ethical Challenges of the Mass Media, Film Theory and Aesthetics, Mass Media Ethics, Photojournalism, Visual Communications, Introduction to Visual Journalism Production, World Wide Web Design and Production.

 

2000-2002                Visiting Professor, The Practical Ethics Center, University of Montana. Courses include: Ethics of Visual Communication, Media Ethics Goes to the Movies, Mass Media Ethics, Practical and Professional Ethics, Visual Communications.

 

1990-1997                        Associate Professor, Department of Communications. California State University, Fullerton. Courses include: Beginning Photography, Communications Technologies, Graphics Communications, Photojournalism, Visual Communications.

 

1988-1990                Assistant Professor, Department of Communications. University of Central Florida. Courses include: Photojournalism, Visual Communications.

 

 

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

 

Books

On Floods and Photo-Ops: Political Photography and Catastrophe (2008). Contract Signed. University Press of Mississippi.

 

Visual Communication Images with Messages 4th Edition (2006). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

 

Images that Injure Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media 2nd Edition (2003) with Susan Ross (eds.). Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers.

 

Visual Communication Images with Messages 3rd Edition (2003). [Complex Chinese Edition]. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

 

Visual Communication Images with Messages 2nd Edition (2002). [Simplified Chinese Edition]. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

 

Visual Journalism A Guide for New Media Professionals with Christopher R. Harris (2002). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

 

The Spiral Web On the Nature of Coincidence (2000). Writers Club (Self-Published).

 

The Zen of Photography (2000). iUniverse Incorporated (Self-Published).

 

Images that Injure Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media (1996), (ed.). Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers.

 

Desktop Computing Workbook A Guide for Using 15 Programs in Macintosh and Windows Formats (1996). Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

 

Visual Communication Images with Messages (1996), [Korean Edition]. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

 

Photojournalism An Ethical Approach (1991). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

 

Ethics of Photojournalism (1990), (ed.). Durham, NC: NPPA.

 

 

Book Chapters

"What is the Sin in Sincere: Picture Manipulation and Deception," in New Agendas in Communication. Matt McGlone and Mark Knapp (eds.). Taylor & Francis (In Progress).

 

"Hooray for VegasWood: Las Vegas Through a Hollywood Windshield," in Las Vegas Media: Defining the World's Entertainment City Through Communication Processes and Technology. Lawrence Mullen and Daniel Stout (eds.). Peter Lang Publishers (Under Review).

 

"Image Ethics," in The International Encyclopedia of Communication, (2007) Blackwell Publishing (in press).

 

"Visual Symbolism and Stereotypes in the Wake of 9-11," in Images that Injure Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media 2nd Edition, (2003) Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, pp. 43-50.

 

"Photography," in Encyclopedia of International Media and Communication, Vol. 3, (2003) Elsevier Science, pp. 461-470.

 

"Military Censorship of Photographs," in Media Ethics Issues & Cases Fourth Edition,

(2001) Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins. Boston: McGraw Hill, pp. 173-176.

 

"Raid, Reunion, or Neutral Coverage? The Elian Gonzalez Story," with Deni Elliott in Media Ethics Issues & Cases Fourth Edition, (2001) Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins. Boston: McGraw Hill, pp. 213-217.

 

"Girls Can Be Doctors and Boys Can Be Nurses: Surfing for Solutions to Gender Stereotyping," in Sexual Rhetoric: Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender and Identity (2000), Meta Carstarphen and Susan Zavoina (eds.), Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers, pp. 283-292.

 

"Images and Stereotypes," in Contemporary Ethical Issues: Journalism (1997), Elliot Cohen and Deni Elliott (eds.). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc.

 

"Photojournalism Ethics: Timeless Issues," in Customized Readings in Mass Communication (1995), Michael Emery and Ted Smythe (eds.). Dubuque: WC Brown Publishers.

 

 

Refereed Journal Articles

"Floods and Photo-Ops: A Visual Historiography Approach," Visual Communication

     Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 2, Spring, 2007, pp. 114-126.

 

"On Mentors, Ethics, War and Hurricanes," Visual Communication Quarterly, Vol. 12,

     Nos. 3 & 4, Summer/Fall, 2005, pp. 136-145.

 

"Urban Screens: The Beginning of a Universal Culture," First Monday, February, 2006.

     Retrieved February 1, 2006 from

     http://firstmonday.org/issues/special11_2/lester/index.html

 

"Photographic Coverage during the Persian Gulf and Iraqi Wars in Three U.S.

     Newspapers," with Cynthia King. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 82:

     3, Autumn, 2005, pp. 623-637.

 

"A Pedagogical Discussion of Pictorial Stereotypes," Journalism Educator. 52:2, Summer, 1997, pp. 49-54.

 

"African-American Photo Coverage in Four U.S. Newspapers, 1937-1990," Journalism

     & Mass Communication Quarterly. Vol. 71, 1994, pp. 380-394.

 

"Looks Are Deceiving: The Portraits of Christopher Columbus," Visual Anthropology,

     Vol. 5:2, 1992, pp. 211-227.

 

"African-American Photo Coverage in Life, Newsweek and Time, 1937-1988," with Ron

     Smith, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. Vol. 67, 1990, pp. 128-36.

 

"Computer Aids Instruction in Photojournalism Ethics," Journalism Educator. Vol. 44,

     1989, pp. 13-17, 49.

 

 "Use of Visual Elements on Newspaper Front Pages," Journalism & Mass

     Communication Quarterly. Vol. 65, 1988, pp. 760-63.

 

"Front page mug shots: A content analysis of five U.S. newspapers in 1986,"

     Newspaper Research Journal, Spring, 1988, pp. 1-9.

 

"Faking images in photojournalism," Media Development, January, 1988, pp. 41-42.

 

"Videotex Design: Color Graphics Versus Text Only," Videodisc and Optical Disk. Vol.

     4:6, November-December, 1984, pp. 468-474.

 

"Research on Videotext and Journalism," Videodisc and Optical Disk. Vol. 4:5,

     September-October, 1984, pp. 372-378.

 

Refereed Presentations

"Hooray for VegasWood: Las Vegas Through a Hollywood Windshield," AEJMC convention. Washington, DC, 2007.

 

"Out of the Pool and into the Bed: Photographic Coverage during the Persian Gulf

and Iraqi Wars in Three U.S. Newspapers," with Cynthia King. AEJMC convention.

Toronto, 2004.

 

"Engaging the News," AEJMC convention. Kansas City, 2003.

 

"An Evening of Ethics: The Philosophy of Humor," with Regan Becker, Deni Elliott, Glenn Hladik, and Loren Meyer. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), Charlotte, North Carolina, 2003.

 

"An Evening of Ethics: The Philosophy of Feminism," with Deni Elliott, Glenn Hladik, and Michael Monahan. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), Cincinnati, Ohio, 2002.

 

"Online Teaching Challenges and Opportunities," Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), Cincinnati, Ohio, 2001.

 

"The Changing Space Between Private and Public: Using Photographs and Dialogue to Teach Sensitivity to Mass Media Privacy Issues Pedagogical Demonstration," with Deni Elliott, University of Montana. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE), Washington, D.C., 2000.

 

"African American Pictorial Coverage in Four US Newspapers," with Randy Miller. AEJMC convention. Anaheim, 1996.

 

"On the N- and F-Words: Quantifying the Taboo," AEJMC convention. Anaheim, 1996.

 

"Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media," AEJMC convention. Anaheim, 1996.

 

"Ethics on the World Wide Web," APPE conference. St. Louis, 1996.

 

 

Selected Works Cited in Other Sources

Quoted Material

     "Distorted Picture," (August/September 2007). Sherry Ricchiardi. American

Journalism Review: http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4383.

 

     Visual Communication Integrating Media, Art & Science (2007). Rick Williams and

         Julianne Newton. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis, pp. 143-144, 288-289.

 

     No Caption Needed Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy

         (2007). Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites. Chicago: The University of

         Chicago Press, p. 206.

 

     Visual Selling Capture the Eye and the Customer will Follow (2007). Paul LeRoux

         and Peg Corwin. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, p. 103.

 

     Visual Communication: Images with Messages [Book Review] (Vol. 13 Fall). James

         D. Kelly in Visual Communication Quarterly, pp. 258-259.

 

     Picturing China in the American Press (2007). David D. Perlmutter. Lanham:

         Lexington Books, Back Jacket Blurb.

 

     "Phototorials: To Assign or Not?," in News Photographer, (March, 2007), p. 14.

 

     Photosynthesis A Simple Guide to the Magic of Photography (2006). Bryan Moss, p.

         120.

 

     The Whispering Tree What is the Role of a Responsible Designer? (May, 2006).

         Master's in Visual Communication Thesis. Jo-Anne Alvis, Kunsthgskolen i Bergen,

         p. 16.

 

     "Learning and Understanding from Multimodal Signals," (December 23, 2005), [as

         Paul Elliott]. Ching-Yung Lin. Retrieved April 28, 2006 from

         http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~cylin/ibm/NTU-Multimodality-Talk.pdf, p. 3.

 

     "U.S. photojournalists' & photo editors' attitudes & perceptions Visual coverage of

         9/11 & the Afghan War," (Summer-Fall 2005). with Deni Elliott, Shahira Fahmy.

         Visual Communication Quarterly, p. 148.

 

     "Gestalt: Law of Common Fate," (n.d.). Debbie Jensen. Retrieved March 19, 2006

         from http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Gestalt:-Law-of-Common-Fate&id=146000

 

     Rsm Simplified: Optimizing Processes Using Response Surface Methods (2005).

         Mark J Anderson and Pascal Dennis. New York, NY: Productivity Press, p. 5.

 

     "Visual Communication in Large-Circulation U.S. Newspapers Before & After

         September 11, 2001," (Winter/Spring, 2005). Linda Jean Kenix. Visual

         Communication Quarterly, pp. 27, 29.

 

     Crossings in Clustered Level Graphs (2004). Michael Forster. PhD. Dissertation:

         University of Passau, p. 3. Retrieved February 17, 2006 from

         http://www.michael-forster.de/publications/diss.pdf

 

     We the Media (2004). Dan Gillmor. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media, Inc., p. 273.

 

     "Visual History: Image as a Weapon," (2004). Alev F. Parsa. 2nd International

         Symposium of Interactive Media Design, p. 2 Retrieved January 14, 2006 from

         http://newmedia.yeditepe.edu.tr/pdfs/isimd_04/21.pdf

 

     Graphic Communications Today (2004). William E Ryan and Theodore E Conover.

         Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning, p. 30.

 

     Ethics & Journalism (2003). Karen Sanders. Thousand

         Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc., p. 54.

 

     Designing For A Japanese High-Context Culture: Culture's Influence

         On The Technical Writer's Visual Rhetoric (2003). Russell Gordon Carpenter.

         Master's Thesis, University of Central Florida, pp. 24, 36, 98. Retrieved January

         14, 2006 from</