Call for Papers: Journalism Ed Issue on News Literacy

Call for Papers:

Exploring News Literacy:

Preparing future journalists—and citizens—for engagement in global digital culture

Special Issue of Journalism Education

Guest editors:

Paul Mihailidis, Emerson College, Boston, USA

Stephanie Craft, University of Illinois, USA

This special issue of Journalism Education is devoted to the emerging field of news literacy. It aims to provide new understanding, approaches, and foundations for how we understand the competencies that future journalists – professionals and citizens alike -- need to effectively report news stories that demand attention in digital culture today.

Contributions to this special issue will identify and critique a range of factors that are facing journalism and media educators. In recognizing the pedagogical challenges engendered by the destabilization of traditional models for news, this issue calls for theoretical treatments of the term ‘news literacy’ as a productive basis for rethinking media literacy and public engagement in civic life.

Research examining news literacy in primary, secondary or higher education contexts is welcome. Possible topics include:

How best to define news literacy?
News literacy as a response to a destabilizing industry
Evolving forms and practices of news media pedagogy
Students’ uses of social media for engagement with news
News literacy in connective networks and sharing culture
Training citizen journalists
Curation as news pedagogy
Storytelling as news literacy
Teaching reporting in an “everything is free” culture
How best to keep up with the changing demands for teaching about news and journalism?
Innovation and experimentation in news education in digital culture
Ethical responsibilities in producing, curating, disseminating and consuming news

Prospective authors should submit an abstract of approximately 250 words by email to Paul Mihailidis (paul_mihailidis@emerson.edu). Following peer-review, a selection of authors will be invited to submit a full paper in accordance with the journal’s ‘Instructions for authors.’ Please note acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication, given that all papers will be put though the journal’s peer review process.

Timeline

Deadline for abstracts: 15 December 2014; deadline for submission of full papers: 1 April 2015. Final revised papers due: 15 June 2015. Publication: Volume 9, Number 4 (September 2015).

Guest Editors

Paul Mihailidis is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies in the school of communication at Emerson College and Associate Director of Emerson’s Engagement Lab. He also Directs the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change. He newest book is titled Media Literacy and the Emerging Citizen: Youth, Engagement and Participation in Digital Culture (Peter Lang, 2014).

Stephanie Craft’s is an Associate Professor of Journalism in the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Her research, focusing on news literacy, press practices and journalism ethics, has appeared in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Communication Law & Policy, Mass Communication & Society, Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, and Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. With Charles Davis, she is author of the textbook Principles of American Journalism, published by Routledge. Before earning a PhD, Craft worked as a newspaper journalist in California, Washington and Arkansas.

Editorial Contact

Paul Mihailidis

Emerson College

120 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02116

email: paul_mihailidis@emerson.edu

tel: +001(978)761-2412

web: paulmihailidis.com