TNTeaching award deadline June 13
Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century call for entries
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Thursday, June 13, 2013
Do you have an innovative idea for improving the teaching of newswriting, reporting or editing in the digital era? If so, enter it in Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century, the teaching-ideas competition sponsored by the Newspaper and Online News Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
TNT21 was founded in 2009 to publicly acknowledge good ideas for teaching three types of foundational journalism courses – newswriting, reporting and editing – by three types of instructors:
- Full-time faculty members
- Adjunct professors
- Graduate-student instructors
Social-media research takes first ACES award
A study of how social media editors do their jobs won the inaugural ACES Award For Research On Editing, presented at the AEJMC conference in Chicago on Aug. 9-12.
Tim Currie, an assistant professor of online journalism at University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, received a $100 prize and complementary registration to the ACES national conference in St. Louis in 2013. His winning paper is titled “Social Media Editors in The News: A Survey of Roles and Functions.”
The award, co-sponsored by the Newspaper & Online News Division and the American Copy Editors Society, honors research about story editing, headline writing and other topics related to editing.
“It’s a real honor to receive this award,” Currie said. “It’s important that ACES acknowledges and supports research into new practices.”
Currie’s survey of social media editors at Canadian news organizations found that these journalists must balance the demands of their newsrooms and the expectations of their readers, who expect online interaction. The study found that social media editors are increasingly visible and influential in newsrooms, though some still feel they are treated as “Twitter monkeys.”
“This greater audience role challenges the traditional gatekeeping function of news editors, as website traffic data and reader comments influence the types of stories journalists cover and the manner in which they cover them,” Currie concludes. “Canadian social media editors envision a new partnership with the audience but, at present, struggle to identify how that partnership will work.”
Among Currie’s other findings:
- Facebook and Twitter are the leading platforms used by social media editors, with LinkedIn and Instagram less popular.
- Besides Tweeting and posting to Facebook, these editors are involved in training colleagues, leading online chats with readers and reaching out to bloggers in their communities.
- Social media editors “likened their role that of an emissary or missionary bringing new ideas to the newsroom.”
- Social media editors have “a high level of journalistic ability and skill dealing with people.”
The research award is part of an effort by ACES to connect academic research to the daily work of editors. A call for papers for next year’s award will go out this fall.
“ACES places a high value on research,” said Teresa Schmedding, president of ACES. “We can’t afford to keep doing things because that’s the way we’ve always done them. Research is the key to helping practicing journalists figure out where to direct resources.”
To read the full study, download Currie’s paper as a PDF file from his website.
Congratulations, TNT 21 Teaching Tips Winners!
From the convention in Chicago, award administrator Susan Keith announces the winners and offers a PDF TNT21 winners booklet from the Newspaper and Online News Division’s “Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century” teaching ideas competition. TNT21 was founded in 2009 to acknowledge good ideas for foundational journalism courses (newswriting, reporting and editing) from faculty members, adjunct professors, and graduate-student instructors.
This year’s winners…
- First place: Jennifer Brannock Cox, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md., ”Better Media Writing is Just a Click Away”
- Second place (a tie): Amanda Sturgill, Elon University, Elon, N.C., ”Covering Class: Tweeting to Practice Social Media Reporting Skills,” and Michael Longinow, Biola University, La Mirada, Calif., ”Sidewalk-Level Teaching about Truth, Quotes and Plagiarism”
- Third place (a tie): Jennifer Kowalewski, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, ”Using Social
Media in Your News Stories,” and Sue Burzynski Bullard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ”Comparing Coverage: You be the Judge”
Adjunct division
- Paul Atkinson, Arizona State, Phoenix, ”Using Twitter to Teach Story Pitches”
Graduate student division
- Robert N. Spicer, ”Pressing Politicians: Participation and Writing for Campaign Press Conferences”
TNT21 has been administered since 2009 by Susan Keith, an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
Note: File updated 08132012
Hail to the winners, during Friday’s Division meeting
Graphic by Leslie-Jean Thornton, Arizona State
At the start of our meeting we’ll honor Brooks — and present plaques, certificates, and/or checks to winners of our academic paper and TNT21 (Teaching News Terrifically in the 21st Century) competitions.
The meeting begins at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Chicago G&H, which is on the fifth floor of the convention hotel.
See you there.
Chris Roberts, Ph.D.
Head, Newspaper and Online News Division
Assistant professor, University of Alabama
Call for entries: The division’s newspaper project award
CALL FOR ENTRIES:
2012 AEJMC NEWSPAPER AND ONLINE NEWS DIVISION NEWSPAPER PROJECT AWARD
May 1 deadline
The AEJMC Newspaper and Online News Division’s Newspaper Project Award recognizes publications produced by students and professors in journalism classes or as special curricular projects connected to courses. To qualify, the publication must have been edited and produced as part of the curriculum, text reported and written by students, and professors must have been responsible for editing and/or advising. Magazines, newsletters or Yellow Page-like compilations will not be accepted. Eligible publications must have been published in either the 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 academic years. Online newspaper publications are eligible and may be submitted on a DVD or CD. The following form should be filled out and accompany the entry: Read more
Call for papers: ACES award for for research on editing
Newspaper and Online News: ACES Award for Research on Editing
The Newspaper Division of AEJMC invites faculty and students to submit research papers in the inaugural competition for the ACES Award For Research On Editing. Deadline: April 1, 2012.
Sponsored by the American Copy Editors Society, the award will honor the best research about story editing, headline writing and other topics related to editing. The winner will present the research at the AEJMC conference in Chicago, August 9-12, 2012. The winner will also receive a $100 prize and complementary registration to the ACES conference for the following year.
Qualitative and quantitative papers in history, law, effects, processes, use, ethics and emerging technologies are welcome. Read more
Research, teaching grants
A University of Oregon Ph.D. candidate and a University of Arizona professor won the division’s inaugural research and teaching awards. Arthur D. Santana of Oregon, a former reporter and editor for The Washington Post and Seattle Times, took home the research award, which provides $500 for his project on online comments, titled Civility, Anonymity and the Breakdown of a New Public Sphere. Jeannine E. Relly of Arizona will receive $200 for a student reporting trip to Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Ariz.
Educator of the Year
Leslie-Jean Thornton, an assistant professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State, received the division’s Educator of the Year award from teaching tri-chair Brian Carroll.
Leadtime: It’s not a long ‘way’ to St. Louis
Does the AP Stylebook accept “way” as a measure of time? Probably not. But the summer off-to-the-convention edition of LeadTime is here, with more useful information concerning the AEJMC annual event, August 10-13.
Headline news:
For even more about the division’s plans for the convention, see the Winter 2011 LeadTime.
Nostalgia fans can follow this link to last summer’s debate over renaming the division.
Research, teaching grants deadline: July 1
At many colleges and universities, expectations for research and innovative teaching are increasing just as opportunities for external funding to support such work are declining. The Newspaper Division of AEJMC is stepping into that breach with a new program of small grants.
The program will offer two grants for the 2011-2012 academic year:
- A $500 grant to support research on newspapers or their online units
- A $200 grant to support innovative teaching in courses related to newspapers or their online units
Click here to download the grant applications. Deadline for applying is 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on July 1, 2011. Applications should be submitted by email to newspaperdivisiongrants@gmail.com
The research grant could be used to cover some or all of the cost of such scholarly expenses as a research assistant, a subscription to an online survey program, travel to an archive, copying, mailing or transcription. The teaching grant could be used to cover such expenses as part of the cost of a piece of equipment or software, a student reporting trip or an honorarium for a professional who can teach students specific skills.
To qualify for consideration for a grant, applicants must be members of the Newspaper Division of AEJMC as of July 1, 2011. You can check your membership status by contacting AEJMC Membership Manager Pamella Price at aejmcmemsub@aol.com or 803-772-3507.
To apply for a teaching grant, applicants must, in addition, plan to be involved in teaching journalism or mass communication at the post-secondary level, as a full-time faculty member or instructor, adjunct professor, graduate-student teacher of record or teaching assistant between Sept. 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012.
Full-time faculty members, adjunct professors, graduate students and independent scholars are eligible to apply for the research grant. Members of the Newspaper Division’s executive board for 2010-2011 are not eligible to apply for either grant.
Grant recipients will be asked to provide a report on how they used grant funds to the head of the Newspaper Division by July 1, 2012.
If you have questions about the grant program, please contact Newspaper Division co-teaching chair Susan Keith of Rutgers University at susank@rutgers.edu
