Gabriel Tait
Associate Professor in School of Journalism and Strategic Communication
Achieving Academic Excellence
The camera gave photographer and war correspondent Gabriel Tait a window to the world. Now, at Ball State, he’s shaping best practices for cross-cultural journalism. Read more.
About Gabriel B. Tait
Dr. Gabriel Tait is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. He is the Visual Communication division head for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Dr. Tait's research areas include photojournalism, diversity, and media, participatory photography, the role photography plays in constructing and representing cultural identities. He also created his visual research methodology called, "Sight Beyond My Sight" (SBMS). Dr. Tait has published in diverse journals and publications including Visual Communication Quarterly (VCQ), Newspaper Research Journal, On Knowing Humanity (OKH) Journal, and the Encyclopedia of Christianity. Dr. Tait's tenure as a photojournalist spans nearly 30 years, working at the Detroit Free Press, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and several other newspapers.
Experience
- Ball State University, Associate Professor of Journalism, January 2019-present
- Arkansas State University, Assistant Professor of Multimedia Journalism, 2013-2018
- Asbury Theological Seminary, adjunct instructor, 2010-2012, Wilmore, Kentucky
- Caribbean Wesleyan College, adjunct faculty, 2011-2011, Torrington Savanna-la-mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica
- Lexington Herald-Leader, freelance photojournalist, 2007-2012, Kentucky
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch, photojournalist, 2002-2007
- Detroit Free Press, photojournalist, 1995-2002, Detroit Free Press
- Charleston (S.C.) Post & Courier, photojournalist, 1994-1995
- West County Times/Contra Costa Times, photojournalism intern, 1994-1994, Walnut Creek, California
- The Evening News, freelance photojournalist, 1993-1993, Edinburgh, Scotland
Education
- Ph.D., Intercultural Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
- M.A., Intercultural Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
- B.A., Communication, Slippery Rock University
Selected Research and Publications
- DeMars, T. R., & Tait, G. B. (2019). Narratives of Storytelling across Cultures: The Complexities of Intercultural Communication (Vol. 1). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. (co-edited volume).
- Tait, G. B. (2019). Sign Language: A Visual Analysis of Black Lives Matter Signs of Protest Through Student Discussions. On Knowing Humanity (OKH) Journal.
- Daniels, G., Tait, G. B. & Fears, L. (2019, November). Streets and Statues in Black and White: Deconstructing America's Racial Reality in National Geographic. 2018 Southwest Symposium. Denver, Colorado: Southwestern Mass Communication Journal.
- Tait, G. B. & Daniels, G. L. (2018). Are they the Greatest?: A Visual Comparative Analysis of Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou Published in America's Newspapers. Visual Communication Quarterly.
- Tait, G. B. (2017). “Really Social Photojournalism” a Photojournalistic Changing of the Guard: Observations and Insights. Visual Communication Quarterly.
- Moody-Ramirez, M., Tait, G. B., Smith, C., Fears, L. M. & Randle, B. A. (2016). Citizen Framing of #Ferguson on Twitter. The Journal of Social Media in Society.
Honors and Awards (selected)
- Diversity Associate Fellow, Ball State University, 2019-20
- Head Visual Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), 2019-20
- President, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Ball State University chapter, 2019 - present
- Member, Educational Testing Service Praxis Journalism National Advisory Committee, 2019 -present
- Awardee Great Ideas For Teaching (GIFT), Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), 2019
- Arkansas State University Outstanding Service, College of Media and Communication, 2016