Arenberg, Lowrey, Speakman receive COMJIG top paper honors at AEJMC

Members of the Community Journalism Interest Group were involved in several outstanding panels at last week’s AEJMC conference. We were also treated to some fantastic research and had a fruitful business meeting.

Two of the highlights of our conference programming were the presentation of our Top Faculty and Top Student papers. Tom Arenberg and Wilson Lowrey of the University of Alabama received the Top Faculty Paper award for their study entitled “The Impact of Web Metrics on Community News Decisions: A Resource Dependence Perspective.” From the study abstract:

This comparative case study of two community news organizations takes a Resource Dependence approach to assess impact of audience metrics on news decisions, and on mechanisms underlying these decisions. Findings show that the organization that more strongly emphasizes metrics publishes fewer in-depth civic-issue stories, and metrics are more likely to influence newsworthiness. However, reporters’ expertise with strategies for increasing numbers may actually free reporters for enterprise work. Findings also suggest effects from community size.

(From left) Outgoing COMJIG Head Marcus Funk and COMJIG Research Chair Rich Johnson present the Top Faculty Paper Award to Wilson Lowrey and Tom Arenberg.

Burton Speakman of Ohio University received the Top Student Paper award for his study entitled “Technology and the Public: The Influence of Website Features on the Submission of UGC.” From the study abstract:

Web 2.0 creates a situation where the Internet increasingly focuses on submissions of content from non-professionals and interaction between the masses as a method of creating dedicated audiences. Community newspapers work within this rapidly changing media market and one must follow their audience online, despite any reservations about if the web provides a hospitable economic environment. This study examines how community newspaper websites choose to engage in gatekeeping as it relates to UGC. Despite changes in technology gatekeeping continues to occur on community newspaper websites. Furthermore, it provides clarity about what type of audience submitted content is more likely published at community media.

Burton Speakman (center) receives the Top Student Paper Award from COMJIG Research Chair Rich Johnson (left) and outgoing COMJIG Head Marcus Funk.

Abstracts for other research papers presented at COMJIG panels can be found here.

6 reasons to submit your research to the Community Journalism Interest Group. You won't believe No. 5!

I thought I'd have a bit of fun with tthis post encouraging everyone to consider submitting to our interest group for the 2015 AEJMC conference. I hope it got your attention. I also think an Unworthy-style listicle fits our goals as an interest group because anyone using conversational headlines is relying on the principles of community to bring people together, and that's what COMJIG is all about.
Remember the deadline for papers is Wednesday, April 1 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. All papers are submitted through the submission site. Check out the AEJMC Uniform Paper Call to see what individual division/interest groups are looking for (by clicking on the link above and scrolling to the bottom of the page), but we hope that you consider COMJIG.
Without further ado, here are six reasons to consider COMJIG.

1. Feedback: As research chair last year, I was able to secure three reviews for almost every paper pretty easily. I know this year we've already got a good stable of reviewers lined up so you can expect reviews you can use.
2. Attention: As a small division, we know most of the people who submit papers, and if we don't know you, we will. We might even ask you to join the board as we did with our top student author last year. Don't be intimidated by that, however, because we're a friendly group of scholars interested in our members' success. I can attest to the feedback group members gave me as I applied for tenure this year.
3. Acceptance: We all want our papers accepted. To be honest, all divisions and interest groups strive for that magic 50 % number. But I can tell you, again from my experience last year, that we had a bit of leeway in going over that number a bit to make sure that all the highly reviewed papers we received got presented. It made my job easier knowing I didn't have to turn down a really good paper just to hit an arbitrary number.
4. Publication: Each of our top student and faculty papers are considered for our affiliated journal, Community Journalism. The online, open access journal just published its third edition. Check it out!
5. Definition: Don't think anymore that community journalism is just about small newspapers. In fact, we have made a conscious effort the last two years to educate AEJMC members that we are looking for any research that explores the definition, creation and cultivation of community through news, whether that community is organized geographically or by a topic of interest, whether it meets face to face or entirely online. This concept is something that our members have decided to become experts in. In line with No. 2 above, we want to help you expand this definition so everyone -- researchers, professionals, journalists -- can understand how to strengthen and build communities through factual, fair, and balanced information.
6. Community: I know it seems redundant, but COMJIG is more than a bunch of scholars just researching the same topic. We are trying to live up to our name by building and sustaining a group of scholars with something important to share. Even if you don't submit to COMJIG this year, we'd love to see you at our business meeting Saturday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.

Thanks for reading! You can contact our research chair David Schriendl with any questions about submitting a paper or our chair Dianne Garyantes or me, Hans Meyer, vice chair, with any questions about the Community Journalism Interest Group.

Call for Papers: AEJMC Midwinter Conference 2015

AEJMC Midwinter Conference 2015, March 6-7, 2015

Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma

General Call for Paper Abstracts and Panel Proposals

The AEJMC Midwinter Conference is an annual forum for the presentation of research and debate in areas relevant to the 10 AEJMC groups (divisions, interest groups and commissions) sponsoring the event. The conference provides a platform for presentations and extended discussions in a relaxed setting.

The upcoming conference is scheduled for March 6-7, 2015 at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication (University of Oklahoma) in Norman, Oklahoma. Conference participants will be able to enjoy the College’s state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, as well as many winter diversions outside the conference activities, including world-class museums and art galleries.

Paper abstract submissions: Authors are invited to submit research paper abstracts of between 600 and 800 words (word count excludes author information and references). Abstracts should give a clear sense of relevant literature, research objectives, methodological approach, stage of research project (conceptual, data gathering, data interpreting), findings and conclusions.

Submissions should be made by e-mail to the midwinter chair (from the list below) of the group authors wish to submit to. Note that authors can submit any specific paper abstract to only one participating group – submitting the same paper abstract to several groups will result in disqualification and withdrawal from the review process. Do not submit full papers.

Authors of accepted papers will be notified by mid-January 2015. Papers presented at the midwinter conference are also eligible for presentation at the AEJMC national convention in August. Authors are encouraged to use the midwinter conference as an opportunity to get feedback on their research to improve and finalize it for submission to the national conference.

Authors of accepted abstracts must submit complete papers (not exceeding 30 pages) to the discussant of their conference session at least two weeks before the midwinter conference. The midwinter chair for the relevant group will send authors the names and contact details of the discussant for their session.At least one author of each accepted paper must register and attend the conference to present the paper. Failure to register by the deadline will result in authors’ names and papers being removed from the program. NO onsite registration will be available.

Panel submissions: In addition, the organizers are also inviting panel proposals. These proposals should be sent to the midwinter chair of the particular division or group they wish to present the panel to. Panel submissions should include the panel title, a description of the session’s focus, the issues to be discussed, and a list of panelists (potential and confirmed), including affiliation. Panel proposals should not exceed two double-spaced pages.

Submission format: All submissions (for paper abstracts and panels) should include the name(s) of the author(s) or panel organizer(s) on the title page only. The title page should also include the author or lead author’s (or organizer’s) mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address. The title should be on the first page of the text and on running heads on each page of text. Authors should e-mail their abstracts or proposals as attachments (saved with the author’s last name as file name) in a standard word-processing format (preferably Word or RTF) to the relevant midwinter chair. Authors must ensure that they remove any identifying information from their document (with the exception of the title page).

Deadline: All submissions should reach the appropriate group’s midwinter chair by noon, December 1, 2014.

The University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, 20 miles south of Oklahoma City, with easy access to the Will Rogers World Airport. Details on conference registration, hotel accommodation and airport transportation will be available at http://www.ou.edu/gaylord.

For more information, please contact Elanie Steyn, Conference Site Host (elanie@ou.edu).

AEJMC 2015 Midwinter Chairs

Communication Technology Division

Jessica E. Smith (jessica.smith@acu.edu)

Commission on the Status of Women

Candi Carter Olson (ccartero@gmail.com)

Cultural and Critical Studies Division

Madeleine Esch (madeleine.esch@salve.edu)

Entertainment Studies Interest Group

Amy Carwile (acarwile@tamut.edu) 

International Communication Division

Ammina Kothari (ammina.kothari@rit.edu)

Mass Communication & Society Division

Jay Hmielowski (jay.hmielowski@gmail.com) Kelly Kaufhold (kellykaufhold@gmail.com)

Media Management and Economics Division 

Charlene Simmons (Charlene-Simmons@utc.edu)

Minorities and Communication Division

Riva Brown (rrbrown@uca.edu) 

Participatory Journalism Interest Group (PJIG)

Anne Hoag (amh13@psu.edu)

Visual Communication Division

Matt Haught (mjhaught@gmail.com)