WSU associate professor to speak at Independent meeting Thursday, May 7

Dr. Hayg Oshagan, associate professor of Communications at Wayne State University, will speak at the 6 p.m., Thursday, May 7, public meeting in the Cozadd rooms of the Belleville Area District Library.
The Belleville-Area Independent weekly newspaper has called this meeting to invite the public to hear Dr. Oshagan explain the current status of local newspapers in society and for readers to tell the newspaper what they would like to see in its pages.
The Independent, like other newspapers across the country, has been struggling with finances because of decreasing advertising revenue due to the rise of social media, rising prices of newsprint, and other factors, said editor Rosemary Otzman. The Independent is in its 31st year of publication.
In an attempt to save the local paper from closing its doors, the Independent has been approved as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 business under state and federal laws.
The non-profit status allows benefactors to give donations and grants without paying state and federal taxes.
Dr. Oshagan is former director of the Media Arts and Studies Program in the Department of Communications at WSU.
He also is the founder and chairman of New Michigan Media, the network of ethnic media, which aims to raise the visibility, enrich the content and strengthen the viability of ethnic media in Michigan.
An Armenian immigrant from Beirut, Lebanon, Dr. Oshagan earned his bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania, his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and has taught at Stanford University and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Oshagan’s research is on the effects of the mass media, on the ways in which media influence perceptions and frame debates, and on the role of ethnic media in ethnic communities and identity.
He is a frequent public speaker and is nationally recognized for his efforts with ethnic media. His work on New Michigan Media has been supported by grants from the Fords Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the McCormick Foundation and the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.
Dr. Oshagan has a busy public speaking schedule and has had many media appearances. He recently appeared on WDET, American Black Journal, the Craig Fahley Show, PBS, WDIV-TV NBC, FOX Detroit, CBS/WWJ TV, and has been featured on WXYZ-TV Detroit 2020. Dr. Oshagan has also been quoted in numerous local and national newspapers.