Expertise:
Political Communication, Journalism Media & Politics, Political News & Stereotypes, Gender Bias in News Media, News Media & Stereotypes, Communication Ethics, Gender & Communication, Social & New MediaFormer journalist Lauren Furey researches how media framing of women and underrepresented people affects public perception of news stories and newsmakers, with a particular focus on the portrayal of women in politics by news media and in popular culture.
Furey is also a co-host of The Pink State podcast, which highlights the role of women in U.S. local, state and national politics, their strides, struggles and hopes. At the 2025 International Women’s Podcast Awards, The Pink State episode featuring Jennie Armstrong, one of the first out LGBTQ+ representative in Alaska, was a runner-up in the Moment of Visionary Leadership category. A 2024 episode featuring Olivia Hill, the first transgender person to be elected to office in Tennessee, received the Award of Excellence at the 2025 Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts.
Prior to joining academia, Furey worked as a journalist in Florida and New York. At Cal Poly Pomona, she teaches in the multimedia journalism option, advises The Poly Post student newspaper and The Poly Pulse magazine, as well as co-leads a Media and Politics Research Team with undergraduate students.
Selected Publications:
- With A.E. Hall, “Miss-Gendered: Does Media Portrayal of Women Candidates Reinforce that Men Should Still be in Charge?” Politics & Gender (in preparation)
- With A.E. Hall, T. Acosta and K. Pascual, “A Lively Lawsuit: Exploring Gender Bias in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Media Battle” (in preparation)
- With J. Turcotte, G. Claiborne, V. Mejicanos, G. Sanchez and M. Zavala, “Sleepy, Senile and Seeking the Presidency: Age Frames in News Coverage of Joe Biden and Donald Trump” (in preparation)
- With A.E. Hall, “Still a Material Girl: Exploring the Evolution of President Barbie with Millennial Moms,” Fashion, Style, & Popular Culture in press
- With A.E. Hall, “She’s No ‘lady president’: Exploring the Evolution of Women Presidents on Television” in Women’s Leadership in Popular Culture (T. Everbach, G.S. Nisbett, N. Paul, eds., Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025)
- With A.E. Hall, “I’m With Her: Exploring Barbie for President Campaign Narratives with Young Women and Moms” in #Barbie and Social Media: Digital Discourses and Mattel’s Celebrity Doll (E.R. Aguiló– Perez, R.C. Hains, eds., Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2025)
- With J. Turcotte, J. Sorrell, N. Urbina, E. Frisan and N. Corrales, “Miss(ing) Representation: Examining how Race Shaped News Coverage of Missing Women Surrounding Gabby Petito’s Disappearance,” Journalism Practice 1538-1555, 2023
- With A.E. Hall and L. Muttram, “The Rise of #GirlDad in a #BoyMom World: Exploring Instagram’s Role in Influencing Performative Parenthood,” Journal of Social Media in Society Vol.12 No.1 235-256, 2023
Education:
B.S., Communications, Concentration in Journalism, University of North Florida
M.A., Journalism, Concentration in Business and Economic Reporting, Columbia University
Ph.D., Philosophy in Mass Communication, University of Florida
Languages:
English