Ralph Berenger

Role Box
- Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, The American University in Cairo, Egypt (since 2004)
- Doctor of Arts, Political Science (since 2002)
 
Education, Career and Personal Background
Ralph Donald Berenger was born in 1945 in North Dakota, U.S. In 1969, he completed a BA in journalism, and graduated from St. Cloud State University. With international emphasis he holds MA's in both Mass Communication (University of Minnesota, 1975) and Public Administration (Idaho State University, 1998). In 2002, Ralph Berenger earned his PhD in Political Science from Idaho State University. His doctoral dissertation was entitled, 'Frame Theory and Behavior of Political Candidates, the National News Media and Voters in the 2000 Primary Election.'
 
Journalistic Career
Ralph Berenger has more than four decades of experience in public relations, print and broadcast media. From 1976-92, he was owner and publisher of three newspapers in Idaho, and general manager of a daily newspaper, one monthly and two weeklies. He has won scores of awards for excellence in journalism.
He has mostly worked in the U.S., but he has also operated worked in several other countries as a consultant, e.g. community development seminars for extension service workers in Bolivia in 1970-1971, and he assisted the creation of a weekly newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya in 1994.
 
Academic Career
Since 2000 he has been an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at The American University in Cairo (AUC), and also has a joint appointment as an assistant professor at the same university. In 2004, he was designated as director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Dr. Berenger has also taught and designed courses at various American universities (Minnesota Metropolitan State University, Idaho State University and College of Southern Idaho).
 
Publishing
Berenger has been widely published in newspapers and magazines, and academic journals both in the U.S. and internationally. He has also presented seminar and conference papers, and has published three books, including 'Global Media Go to War: Role of News and Entertainment Media in the 2003 Iraq War,' and 'Cybermedia Go to War: Role of Converging Media in the 2003 Gulf War and Aftermath,' both from Marquette Books, 2004, 2007.
(For complete list of publications see www.aucegypt.edu/faculty/berenger/paper_pres0203.html)
 
Memberships
Academic Professional Associations
- Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Education (since 2002)
- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (since 2001)
- Beirut Institute for Media Art, Lebanon (since 2003)
- Global Fusion (since 2000)
- International Academy of Business Disciplines (since 2000)
- International Association for Mass Communication Research (since 2002)
- Western Social Science Association (since 2001)
- World Congress for Middle East Study (since 2002)

Academic Boards and Editorships
- International Journal of Humanistic Studies (Editorial Board since 2004)
- Global Media Journal, Polish Edition (Editorial Board since 2005)
- Journal of Computer-Media Communication (Guest editor and reviewer since 2004)
- Journal of Communication Studies, Arkansas State Communication Association (Editorial Board since 2005)
- Center for Global Media Studies, Washington State University (Series editor)
- Global Media Monitor, Purdue University, Calumet (Consultant)
- Institute for Education in International Media, Loyola University, Maryland (Proposed Egypt Project director, summer 2007)

Professional Organizations
- American Association of Newspaper Publishers (1976-88)
- Colorado Press Association (1975-76)
- Denver Press Club (1975-76)
- Idaho Newspaper Association (1976-88 and 1990-92)
- Minnesota Newspaper Association (1966-70)
- Minnesota School Public Relations Association (1972-76)
- North Dakota Press Association, student member (1964-66)
- Public Relations Society of America (1972-76)
- Sigma Delta Chi, student member (1964-66)
- Twin Cities Newspaper Guild (1969-70)

Community Groups
- Burley Chamber of Commerce, Idaho, U.S. (1990-93)
- Minidoka County Republican Central Committee (1993-2000)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Shelley, Idaho, U.S. (1977-99)
- Shelley Chamber of Commerce, Idaho, U.S. (1976-90)

 
Political/Religious Involvement
Ralph Berenger considers himself a social conservative. He was active in political organizations in the United States, and served as an officer in his political party's local committee. In 1991, he was campaign manager of the 'Steed for U.S. Senate' primary campaign in his home state of Idaho. Since then he has served as a consultant for local political organizations and candidates in the United States. As an advisor he has served Democrats, Republicans and independents.
 
Involvement in Arab/West/Intercultural/Interfaith Relations
Through his professional work, Ralph Berenger has been involved in intercultural issues. Both his books mentioned above deal with the role of both Western and Arabic media providing abundant misinformation and distortion. One of his major points in general about media reporting on war and conflict is what he terms the rallying effect: The effect that the national media tends to defend their own country and cherished values, especially when the country is being criticized by the outside world. [RNSAW 2002, 24, art. 1]
According to Berenger, an example of this rallying effect was seen in Egypt in June 2000, when Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a colleague of Berenger's at the American University in Cairo, was sentenced to seven years in prison for damaging the good name of Egypt. He accepted foreign funds for research in Egypt without the permission of the Egyptian authorities, and allegedly misappropriated the funds. Ibrahim himself called the sentence "politically motivated" and "a political dictat," and professors from AUC, who attended the court sessions, responded to the verdict in utter amazement. They had not expected such a heavy sentence. Ralph Berenger studied the attitude of the Egyptian press in the first three months after Ibrahim's arrest. Dr. Berenger then said: "It is remarkable how unanimously the Egyptian press responded in its negative description of Ibrahim." He added: "It seems that Egyptians, when they believe their country is criticized, quickly follow the opinion of the government." [RNSAW 2002, 29, art. 23]
 
Additional Information on Other Issues
 
References:
www.aucegypt.edu/faculty/berenger/index.html
www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.cgi?path=104561144081818
This biography is partly built on an interview with Dr. Berenger specifically for this purpose, and he has reviewed the content of the biography himself.
 
Comments:
Hidden files:
Nationality: American
 
Contact Information:
- Address: The American University in Cairo, 113 al-Qasr al-cAynī St. (113 Kasr El Aini Street), Room SS025, Cairo 11511, Egypt
- Office phone: 011 20 2 797 6955
- E-mail address: [email protected]
(Ralph Berenger gave consent on November 27, 2006)

Mia Ulvgraven, October 2006