Grady College faculty and graduate students share insights at 2023 AEJMC Conference

Faculty and graduate students from Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication will present research and network with educators at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference. The 2023 conference takes place in Washington, D.C. August 7-10.

Several faculty will be honored for outstanding work including Kyser Lough, assistant professor in journalism, who co-authored “Beyond Graduation: Evaluating the Impact of University-Level Solutions Journalism Education on Journalists in the Field,” a Top Faculty Extended Abstract in the Scholastic Journalism division.

Denetra Walker, assistant professor in journalism, placed third in the Critical and Cultural Studies Division highly-regarded James Murphy Top Faculty paper competition for her paper, “Black Television Journalists and their Lens of ‘Gatekeeping Blackness.’”

Finally, alumna Jane Singer (ABJ ’76), City University of London, is the 2023 winner of the Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research, which recognizes a body of significant research over the course of one’s career. Singer will be recognized at the General Session on Aug. 9. Singer was the recipient of the Grady College Distinguished Alumni Scholar Award in 2017.

A day-by-day summary of sessions which faculty and graduate students are participating includes:

Monday, Aug. 7

8:30 to 10:00 a.m., Karin Assmann is a discussant for “Redefining the Scope, Value, and Influence of Community Journalism.”

8:30 to 10:00 a.m., Kyser Lough is a presenter for “The Influence of Photo Editors on Visual News Representation”  a Visual Communication division, poster session.

8:30 to 10 a.m., Hye Jin Yoon presents “The Role of Fresh Start Mindset (FSM) and Collectivistic Orientation in Mental Health Awareness Ads,” in the Visual Communication, International Communication and Advertising Divisions.

10:30 a.m. to Noon, Hye Jin Yoon and Jeong-Yeob Han, along with graduate students JaKyung Seo and Youngjee Ko, present “The Order Effects of Humor and Risk Messaging Strategies in Public Service Announcements Promoting COVID-19 Vaccinations: The Moderating Role of Trust in Science,” part of the Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division.

12:15 to 1:45 p.m. Juan Meng and Glenna Read are panelists discussing “Articulating your career identity,” organized by the Public Relations Division. The panel is followed by the Graduate Student Luncheon, which is sponsored by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. This is an offsite panel and event.

Tuesday, Aug. 8

8:30 to 10:00 a.m., Itai Himelboim is a discussant for “Social Media Effects, Mood and Image,” a Scholar to Scholar (poster) session.

8:30 to 10 a.m., Juan Meng discusses “The Online Media and Global Communication: Bridging scholarship between the global north and the global south.” This invitation-only breakfast event is organized and sponsored by our partner university, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Shanghai International Studies University.

12:30 to 2 p.m., Yan Jin and graduate student Wenqing Zhao are presenters for “Public Affairs, Public Opinion, and Public Relations,” a Public Relations Division Refereed Research Paper Session. The presentation is titled “Pushing Hands and Buttons: The Effects of Corporate Social Issue Stance Communication and Online Comment (In)Civility on Publics’ Emotional and Behavioral Responses.”

12:30 to 2:00 p.m., Bart Wojdynski, Kyser Lough and graduate student Sohyun Park are presenters for “Effects of Visuals in Solutions Journalism: A Social Media Eye-Tracking Experiment,” a Newspaper and Online News division, paper session.

2:30 to 4 p.m., Karin Assmann moderates the research panel “It’s About Power, Stupid! (Re)Exploring Critical and Cultural Studies.”

2:30 to 4 p.m., Juan Meng is a teaching panelist for “Let’s Go Team! Fostering dynamic teamwork for career readiness,“ a panel co-sponsored by the Public Relations Division and the Internship and Careers Interest Group.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Kyser Lough presents at “Beyond Graduation: Evaluating the Impact of University-Level Solutions Journalism Education on Journalists in the Field,” a Scholastic Journalism division, Top Paper session.

Wednesday, Aug. 9

Noon to 1:30 p.m., Itai Himelboim and doctoral student Jeonghyun Janice Lee are presenters for “If It Bleeds, It Doesn’t Lead: Emotional Appeal and Engagement in an Immigration and Election Conversation on Twitter,” AEJ Scholar to Scholar (poster) session.

6 to 9 p.m., Karin Assmann moderates the Cultural and Critical Studies Divisions Top Research Paper session.

Thursday, Aug. 10

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kyser Lough and recent undergraduates Cassidy Moore (AB ’23) and Anna Chapman (AB ’23) present “Evaluating Ethical Community Representation in Photojournalism Through Feature Photographs and Demographic Congruence” a Media Ethics division, paper session.