AEJMC Code of Ethics Research

Statement on Professionalism
(March 2021)

AEJMC members share a common responsibility for maintaining collegial relationships inspired by high standards for professional behavior. Civility in words and behaviors are rooted in AEJMC values of accountability, fidelity and truth telling, justice, and caring – which include but exceed politeness alone. All communications (written, spoken or physical acts) related to the research competition — including but not limited to the  submission of papers, abstracts, nominations and proposals — should be respectful and civil. All associated with these processes should not succumb to potential negative effects linked to anonymity or social media online identity that may contribute to incivility and manifest in bullying, direct or indirect threats, or other destructive behaviors. Thus, disagreements should be handled in a civil manner. All efforts to resolve disputes related to the research competition should occur through the division, interest group, or commission to which the paper, abstract or proposal was submitted. Authors should exhaust all levels of  the relevant group’s chain of command before bringing an issue to the Elected Standing Committee on Research (SCR). The SCR will be the ultimate arbiter of research competition decisions. While we respect freedom of speech, we also expect professionalism. Abusive, threatening or intimidating communications directed toward division, interest group or commission officers for issues related to the research competition may result in suspension or being barred from submitting to a division or to the annual AEJMC conference.

Statement Approved by the Standing Committee on Research, March 2021


Recommended Ethical Research Guidelines for AEJMC Members(1)

Unanimously Approved by the Standing Committee on Research, August 11, 2005

Preamble

Every aspect of research must be guided by ethical research standards. It is the responsibility of AEJMC members to follow ethical research standards when designing, conducting, analyzing, publishing, and supervising research studies. In the fields of journalism and mass communication, research studies may be conducted on humans or their artifacts. Research methodologies involving humans may include surveys, experiments, participant observation, depth interviews, or focus groups while research studies that focus on artifacts of humans might include methods such as content analysis, textual analysis, or unobtrusive observation.

If Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is required for human subjects research, it is the responsibility of AEJMC members to follow the guidelines of their university’s IRB. It is important to emphasize, though, that these guidelines should not include the practice of journalism. Because the practice of journalism, due to its First Amendment protection and separate ethics codes, is different from the federal government’s definition of research involving human subjects2, IRB review of news gathering procedures should be inappropriate. It is important to keep in mind that IRB’s are primarily concerned with the treatment of human subjects, but human participants represent only one, albeit important, component of a research study. Once IRB approval is received, it does not absolve AEJMC members from following ethical standards for other aspects of research studies. Ethical standards apply to AEJMC members conducting or supervising research studies as well as journal editors, editorial boards, research chairs, and reviewers.

I. Plagiarism and conflict of interest violate ethical research standards.
AEJMC members must never plagiarize nor take credit for another individual’s work, whether published or not. AEJMC members must accurately and fully document sources for ideas, words, and pictures. Research studies must be designed free of conflict of interest; studies tailored to produce an outcome consistent with the interests of a funding sponsor, institution, or research agenda are in breach of ethical research standards.

II. Knowingly causing harm to research participants is unethical.
In addition to adhering to a university’s IRB requirements that protect human research participants, AEJMC members must treat all research participants with respect, fairness, and integrity, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, religion, culture, or sexual orientation. Actions that may cause harm include but are not limited to: coercing participation in a research study; disclosing information that the researcher has promised will remain confidential; failing to secure informed consent from participants in experimental studies; failing to debrief participants at the conclusion of an experiment; failing to disclose in advance that participants will be observed or taped; failing to warn participants in advance that they will be queried about sexually explicit or illegal behavior.

III. Data collection, processing, and analysis must be undertaken with integrity.
AEJMC members must make every effort to safeguard the integrity of the research data from collection through analysis. It is unethical to fabricate data. Likewise, concealing data that do not support hypotheses, a research agenda, or a funding sponsor’s goals is unethical.

IV. Research studies must be reported accurately and objectively.
The research report must accurately represent the study’s purpose, procedures, and results. It is unethical to exclude information about research procedures that may influence the validity or interpretation of results. Procedures for selecting participants for a survey, experiment or focus group or media content for a content analysis must be explained fully. Sample size, response rate, question wording, inter-coder reliability, weighting, analyses of sub-samples, and recoding of data must be reported accurately and completely. Finally, slanting the writing of a research study to produce an outcome that is inconsistent with the results or to satisfy an outside sponsor or to make consistent with a research agenda, is unethical. If the author ever discovers an error in the study after the article is submitted, accepted, or published, the author must immediately inform the journal’s editor.

V. Authorship credit must be fair, accurate, and without conflict of interest.
An author is involved in conceiving, designing, conducting, and writing a research study. The first author usually has primary responsibility for most components of a study. Although co-authors contribute to a study, the co-author credit often means less involvement than the first author. In cases where the contribution of co-authors is truly equal, which author gets listed first can be determined alphabetically, randomly, or by some other method acceptable to the authors. When three or more authors contribute to a study, the order of authors’ names should be consistent with the level of involvement for each author, ranging from most to least involved.

Although the results of a Standing Committee on Research survey of AEJMC members suggested the membership is split on the ethics of faculty co-authorship of a student dissertation or thesis, the Standing Committee recognizes the potential for conflict of interest in publications produced from student work.3 Faculty should never pressure graduate students for co-author credit and graduate students should always acknowledge the contributions of faculty advisors to their scholarly publications.

VI. Submit original work for publication.
AEJMC members should only submit manuscripts representing original work and not work that has been published elsewhere or work that is a re-write of previously published articles. It is the responsibility of the author to inform editors when manuscripts are based on dissertations or theses.
Because multiple and simultaneous submission policies vary by disciplines, it is imperative that editors and research chairs publish submission guidelines. Disregarding editorial policies on multiple and simultaneous submissions is unethical.

VII. Ethical research principles should guide the supervision of students and mentoring of junior faculty.
AEJMC members are responsible for ensuring that the students they supervise and junior faculty they mentor follow ethical research standards. Furthermore, AEJMC members must be sensitive to the potential for conflicts of interests and breaches of ethical research standards when advising students and junior faculty on research matters. Faculty should not pressure students to select certain dissertation topics; students and junior faculty should not feel obligated to give undeserved co-author credit to faculty advisors or mentors. Demanding undeserved credit for work done by a student or junior faculty member is unethical.

VIII. Ethical research standards should guide the handling of manuscripts by editors, editorial boards, research chairs, and reviewers.
Manuscripts must be handled with confidentiality and integrity during every phase of the editorial review process. Without exception, authors’ manuscripts must be evaluated objectively on the quality of work, not on personal preferences, hidden agendas, or politics. Additionally, AEJMC members who are editors and reviewers should follow American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines when handling manuscripts: “Editors and reviewers may not use the material from an unpublished manuscript to advance their own or others’ work without the author’s consent.”4

Notes
(1)The idea of writing Guidelines for Ethical Research for AEJMC members was conceived in Kansas City during the meeting of the Standing Committee on Research at the 2003 convention. After discussing the results of a 2003 ethical research survey of AEJMC members that found evidence of violations of research ethics, the research committee decided to develop ethical research principles that could be adopted by the organization as a whole. Members of the 2002-2003 Standing Committee on Research included: Linda Steiner (Chair), Alison Alexander, Tsan-Kuo Chang, Jack Dvorak, Michael Real, Mary Alice Shaver, Elizabeth Toth, Sandra Utt, and Paula Poindexter who conducted the ethical research survey and drafted the guidelines. The draft guidelines reflected Standing Committee on Research member concerns, results of the ethical research survey of AEJMC members, ethical standards emphasized in research textbooks, journals, and publications from the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the American Psychological Association (APA), and Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements. The draft ethical research guidelines were first reviewed and discussed with the 2003-2004 research committee during the 2004 convention in Toronto. The 2004-2005 research committee further discussed revisions during the mid-winter meeting in San Antonio. The final version of “Recommended Ethical Research Guidelines for AEJMC Members” was unanimously approved by the 2004-2005 Standing Committee on Research which included the following members: Elizabeth Toth (Chair), Alison Alexander, Julie Andsager, David Domke, Carolyn Kitch, David Mindich, Michael Shapiro, Don Stacks, and Paula Poindexter who spearheaded the initiative to write ethical research guidelines for AEJMC members.

(2)Research means a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. <http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm#46.102>

(3)Paula M. Poindexter, “Ethical Issues and Dirty Little Secrets in Journalism and Mass Communication Research.” Results of the AEJMC member survey presented at the Plenary Session on “Ethics in Research and Teaching,” AEJMC Annual Convention, Kansas City, MO, July 31, 2003.

(4)American Psychological Association, “Ethics of Scientific Publication” in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (5th ed.) (Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001) p. 355

References
American Association for Public Opinion Research, Best Practices for Survey and Public Opinion Research and Survey Practices AAPOR Condemns. Ann Arbor, MI: American Association for Public Opinion Research, May 1997.

American Psychological Association, “Ethical Standards for the Reporting and Publishing of Scientific Information” in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) (Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001) 387-396

American Psychological Association, “Ethics of Scientific Publication” in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (5th ed.) (Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001) 348-355.

Babbie, Earl, The Practice of Social Research, (7th ed.) (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company) 448-457.

The Belmont Report <http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/Belmont.html>retrieved 31 July 2004.

Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Office for Protection from Research Risks, Code of Federal Regulations: Title 45 Public Welfare, Part 46, Protection of Human Subjects. <http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html> retrieved 29 June 2004.

Historical Perspectives on Human Subject Research, UT Training Model, Part I <http://www.utexas.edu/research/rsc/training/3.html>retrieved 31 July 2004.

Poindexter, Paula M., “Ethical Issues and Dirty Little Secrets in Journalism and Mass Communication Research.” Results of the AEJMC member survey presented at the Plenary Session on “Ethics in Research and Teaching,” AEJMC Annual Convention, Kansas City, MO, July 31, 2003.

Poindexter, Paula M. and Maxwell E. McCombs, Research in Mass Communication: A Practical Guide (NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s), 364-368.

Schiff, Frederick and Michael Ryan, “Ethical Problems in Advising Theses and Dissertations,” Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 51 (spring 1996): 23-35.

Stempell III, Guido H. and Bruce H. Westley, eds., Research Methods in Mass Communication (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1981) 117-118, 255-257, 387-388.

Wimmer, Roger D. and Joseph R. Dominick, Mass Media Research: An Introduction, (4th ed.) (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company) 399-411.

<Elected Standing Committees

AEJMC Code of Ethics Teaching

A Code of Ethics for Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication

(Submitted by the Standing Committee on Teaching Standards, AEJMC, Dec. 5, 2005)

Preamble

Journalism and mass communication educators, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognize the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence and the nurture of democratic principles — especially the nurture of freedom of expression. They recognize the magnitude of the responsibility inherent in the teaching process.
(adapted from NEA Code of Ethics, 1975)

1. Respect for the Autonomy of Others.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • respect individual learners, their development and their learning needs;
  • value freedom of expression — and appropriate, respectful reactions to ideas and opinions expressed;
  • acknowledge the rights of students, faculty and staff to make their own decisions as long as their decisions do not interfere with the welfare or rights of others;
  • value academic freedom, of students as well as colleagues;
  • foster student discovery, rather than indoctrination.

2. Minimizing Harm.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • engage in relationships with students and colleagues that are not exploitative;
  • seek consultation when ethical problems arise;
  • attempt to mitigate any injurious effects of bias in their work;
  • convey personal ideology or positions in respectful ways;
  • do not mandate social or political behavior in their students;
  • do not tolerate, even passively, unethical behavior on the part of colleagues or students.

3. Benefits to Students and Colleagues.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • accept responsibility for their part in student welfare and development;
  • deliver the services to which students are entitled (e.g. dependable performance in teaching, advising);
  • whenever appropriate, acknowledge assistance from students or colleagues;
  • recognize and attempt to fulfill their role as exemplars, both in scholarship and in ethical behavior.

4. Fairness and Equity.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • treat others as they would wish to be treated under similar circumstances;
  • maintain fair and judicious practices when evaluating students or colleagues;
  • pursue sanctions for academic misconduct only after gathering thorough evidence.
  • advocate and practice non-discrimination in all aspects of teaching.

5. Fidelity and Honesty.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • exhibit truthfulness and keep promises in their dealings with students and colleagues;
  • demand and foster honest academic conduct;
  • label their own opinions as such and expect others to do the same;
  • avoid conflicts of interest and other behavior that would reduce others’ trust in the faculty or academic profession;
  • display openness in dealing with students, colleagues and the public;
  • use procedures for informed consent whenever applicable.

6. Dignity.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • accord dignity to students and colleagues;
  • respect the confidential nature of the student-instructor relationship;
  • respect diversity in all its forms.

7. Caring.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • exercise institutional duties with care;
  • extend compassion and sensitivity to the greatest extent possible toward students and colleagues.

8. Pursuit of Excellence.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • maintain their own competence, in both their subject and in their pedagogy;
  • engage in continued reflection and evaluation — and are committed to consequent improvement of their own practice;
  • engage in continuous professional development by learning and adopting new instructional methods and strategies;
  • are open to criticism and new ideas, from students and colleagues, yet do not succumb immediately to any suggestion;
  • take pride in their work and encourage students and colleagues to do the same.

9. Commitment to the Learning Community.
Journalism and mass communication educators:

  • are collegial with colleagues, staff and students;
  • maintain an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning.

10. Opportunity.
Journalism and mass communication educators are committed to greater participation in higher education in journalism and mass communication, and especially committed to equality of educational opportunity.

<< Code of Ethics Index

AEJMC Code of Ethics PF&R

Recommended Ethical Professional Freedom & Responsibility Guidelines

Preamble

Professional freedom and responsibility encompasses research, teaching and service and is related to AEJMC members’ interaction with the media professions through preparation of students for media careers, research examining media roles and responsibilities, and service to the professions through engagement and training. Service in support of professional freedom and responsibility is an essential expectation of every member of AEJMC. Members should work in support of the principles of professional freedom and responsibility within this organization, at their home institutions, and in society at large.

I. Free expression should be nurtured and protected at all levels.
AEJMC members should promote and protect free expression, particularly freedom of speech and freedom of the press. AEJMC members should work to improve the understanding of free expression intellectually, historically and legally. They should also work to implement this freedom in the broadest sense: within the organization, on their campuses, in their communities, and nationally. Free expression is a fundamental right and responsibility; AEJMC members should serve as the voice and support of free expression on their campuses and in their communities whenever that right is threatened. AEJMC as an organization should establish and maintain a position as an advocate of free expression with regional and national authorities that seek to limit this right.

II. Ethical behavior should be supported and promoted at all times.
AEJMC members should seek the highest ethical standards possible through education, research and service. Ethical concerns include such topics as individual privacy, confidentiality, conflict of interest, sensationalism, truthtelling, deception and social justice. AEJMC members should also act ethically with regard to their dealings with students and colleagues, avoiding any appearance of impropriety or unfair treatment.

III. Media criticism and accountability should be fostered.
AEJMC members should conduct and/or encourage their students to conduct constructive evaluation of the professional marketplace. AEJMC members should work with practitioners and industry watchdog groups to inspire media analysis and foster media accountability. AEJMC members should act as media critics on their campuses and within their communities. AEJMC as an organization should promote the recognition and reward of effective media criticism, and should provide a voice in regional and national discussions of media accountability.

IV. Racial, gender and cultural inclusiveness should be encouraged and recognized.
AEJMC members should work to make certain that racial, gender and cultural inclusiveness are included in curricula and focused on in institutional hiring decisions. The work of women and minorities should be represented in the curriculum; efforts should be made to include segments of the population historically excluded from public communication because of lack of opportunity. Within AEJMC, divisions and interest groups that show marked success in embracing racial, gender and cultural inclusiveness should be identified and, whenever possible, rewarded. AEJMC as an organization should collaborate with other media organizations that promote diversity and should provide a voice in regional and national discussions in this area.

V. Public service contributions should be expected of all AEJMC members.
AEJMC members have a mandate to serve society beyond their teaching and research. AEJMC members should offer services related to their appropriate professional fields, particularly activities that enhance understanding among media educators, professionals and the general public. AEJMC members should assist the organization, other media organizations, and media practitioners.

VI. AEJMC programs and faculty should make every effort to insure equal opportunity for students to enter student contests.
Preference and special coaching should not be offered to individuals singled out by faculty. The effort to win contests should not have undo influence over curriculum or the way in which student publications of broadcasts are staffed or structured.

<< AEJMC Code of Ethics Index

AEJMC Code of Ethics

Preamble and the Core Values

AEJMC Code of Ethics

Overall Preamble: AEJMC members are educators, scholars, and advocates of free and responsible journalism and media, and free inquiry in pursuit of knowledge. We are committed to fulfilling our responsibilities with high standards of professional competence and integrity in the service of our discipline, peers, students, institutions, and society. We adhere to the following core values:

  • ACCOUNTABILITY. AEJMC members act with openness and transparency in our scholarship, teaching, and service roles.
  • FIDELITY AND TRUTH TELLING. AEJMC members value honesty, promise-keeping, and faithfulness to our discipline and stakeholders.
  • JUSTICE. AEJMC members strive for fairness, impartiality, and distributive justice in our relationships with peers, students, and other stakeholders. We celebrate and promote diversity.
  • CARING. AEJMC members act with respect, sensitivity, consideration of others, compassion, and mercy. We try to protect others from abuse and coercion.

In Research

Preamble: AEJMC members follow ethical research standards as researchers, in designing, conducting, analyzing research; when publishing research; as reviewers, referees, and editors; and as teachers, including when teaching methods and supervising studies. As researchers, AEJMC members are committed to:
Accountability. AEJMC members accurately and fully document sources for ideas, words, and pictures. We never plagiarize or take credit for another individual’s work, whether published or not, nor do we ever fabricate data. We safeguard the integrity of research data and report accurately and fully a study’s purpose, procedures, and results. Authors inform editors when manuscripts are based on dissertations or theses. Researchers who discover errors after an article is submitted, accepted, or published immediately inform the journal’s editor.
As editors, reviewers, referees, and research chairs, AEJMC members handle manuscripts with confidentiality and integrity during every phase of the review process. We evaluate manuscripts without reference to our personal preferences or political agendas. We do not use the material from unpublished manuscripts to advance our work; as editors, we ensure that authors whose work we are publishing conform to ethical standards Because multiple and simultaneous submission policies vary by disciplines, AEJMC editors and research chairs make submission guidelines public.
Fidelity and truth telling. AEJMC members submit to journals manuscripts representing original work, not work that has been published elsewhere. AEJMC members design our work to be free of conflict of interest, and we ensure that the conclusions of our work are consistent with the data we find. We inform subjects of our status as researchers. We do not tailor studies to produce outcomes consistent with interests of funding sponsors or institutions, nor do we conceal data or slant the writing of a study to satisfy an outside sponsor or funding agency.
Justice. AEJMC members acknowledge co-authorship credit fairly and accurately, such that the order of co-authors’ names is consistent with the level of involvement for each coauthor. When the contribution of co-authors is truly equal, we agree on and explain the order for listing co-authors.
Caring. AEJMC members protect research participants; treat all research participants with respect, fairness, and integrity, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, religion, culture, or sexual orientation. We ensure that participants provide informed consent and that participation in research is not coerced; keep promises regarding confidential information.

In Teaching

Preamble: AEJMC members believe in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognize the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence and the nurture of democratic principles — especially the nurture of freedom of expression. We recognize the magnitude of the ethical responsibilities inherent in the teaching process. As teachers, AEJMC members are committed to:
Accountability. AEJMC members respect the autonomy of others, including of individual learners, their development and their learning needs. We acknowledge the rights of students, faculty, and staff to make their own decisions as long as their decisions do not interfere with the welfare or rights of others.
AEJMC members are accountable to students and colleagues, accepting responsibility for our part in student welfare and development. We deliver the services to which students are entitled (e.g. dependable performance in teaching, advising); whenever appropriate, we acknowledge assistance from students or colleagues. We recognize and attempt to fulfill our role as exemplars, both in scholarship and in ethical behavior, and ensure that ethical principles guide the supervision of students and mentoring of junior faculty. We do not tolerate, even passively, unethical behavior on the part of colleagues or students. Simultaneously, we are collegial with colleagues, staff, and students, and promote environments conducive to teaching and learning; we do not involve students in faculty conflicts.
Fidelity and truth telling. AEJMC members exhibit honesty and keep promises to students and colleagues. We demand and foster ethical academic conduct; avoid conflicts of interest and other behavior that would reduce others’ trust in the faculty or academic profession; display openness in dealing with students, colleagues, and the public. We use procedures for informed consent whenever applicable.
We value academic freedom and freedom of expression as well as appropriate, respectful reactions to ideas and opinions expressed by students as well as colleagues; we label our own opinions as such and expect others to do the same. We foster student discovery, rather than indoctrination.
Justice. AEJMC members are committed to fairness and equity. We treat others as we would wish to be treated under similar circumstances; maintain fair and judicious practices when evaluating students or colleagues; pursue sanctions for academic misconduct only after gathering thorough evidence; advocate and practice non-discrimination in all aspects of teaching. We accord dignity to students and colleagues; respect the confidential nature of the student-instructor relationship; respect diversity in all its forms. We are committed to extended participation in higher education in journalism and mass communication, and especially to equality of educational opportunity.
Caring. AEJMC members seek to minimize harm. We engage in relationships with students and colleagues that are not exploitative; do not coerce students to select our favored dissertation and thesis topics, or give undeserved co-author credit; seek consultation when ethical problems arise; and attempt to mitigate any injurious effects of bias in our work. We convey personal ideology or positions in respectful ways; and do not manipulate or coerce social or political behavior in our students. We exercise institutional duties with care, extending compassion and sensitivity to the greatest extent possible toward students and colleagues.
AEJMC members pursue excellence. We engage in continued reflection, evaluation, and improvement in both our subject and in pedagogy. We engage in continuous professional development by learning and adopting new instructional methods and strategies; are open to criticism and new ideas from students and colleagues; take pride in our work and encourage students and colleagues to do the same.

In Professional Freedom & Responsibility

Preamble: Professional freedom and responsibility encompasses research, teaching, and service. This is related to AEJMC members’ interaction with the media professions through preparation of students for media careers, research examining media roles and responsibilities, and service to the professions through engagement and training. Service in support of professional freedom and responsibility is an essential expectation of every AEJMC member. Members work in support of the principles of professional freedom and responsibility within this organization, at our home institutions, and in society at large. As ethical researchers, teachers, and citizens, AEJMC members are committed to:
Accountability. AEJMC members conduct (and encourage students to conduct) constructive evaluation of the professional marketplace. We work with practitioners and industry watchdog groups to inspire media analysis, to foster media accountability, and to promote attention to ethics in journalism and other forms of mass communication. We act as media critics on our campuses and within our communities.
Fidelity and truth telling. AEJMC members nurture, promote, and protect free expression, particularly freedom of speech and freedom of the press, at all levels and at all times. AEJMC members work to improve the understanding of free expression intellectually, historically, and legally. We also work to implement this freedom in the broadest sense: within organizations, on campuses, in our communities, and nationally and globally. Free expression is a fundamental right. When that right is threatened, we act on our ethical obligation to serve as the voice and support of free expression on our campuses and communities.
Justice. AEJMC members work to ensure that racial, gender, and cultural inclusiveness are included in curricula, considered during hiring decisions, and taken seriously by media organizations with which we collaborate. We encourage AEJMC divisions and interest groups to embrace racial, gender, and cultural inclusiveness and include populations historically excluded from public communication.
Caring. AEJMC members have a mandate to serve society beyond our teaching and research. We offer services related to our appropriate professional fields, particularly activities that enhance understanding among media educators, professionals, and the general public. We assist AEJMC, other media organizations, and media practitioners.

<< AEJMC Code of Ethics Index

Code of Ethics

The AEJMC Code of Ethics was approved by the membership August 8 during the 2008 AEJMC Chicago Convention.

The Task Force on Ethics was appointed in spring 2004 by incoming president Mary Alice Shaver of Central Florida. The task force was charged to identify core values appropriate to members as well as identify ethical best practices related to training and developing the next generation of researchers and teachers.

Members of the Task Force on Ethics were: Linda Steiner of Maryland (chair), Alan Albarran of North Texas, Beth Barnes of Kentucky, Jay Black of South Florida, Sandra Borden of Western Michigan, Hub Brown of Syracuse, Cliff Christians of Illinois, Ted Glasser of Stanford, Ruth Walden of North Carolina, Dan Shaver of Central Florida and Lorna Veraldi of Florida International.

AEJMC Resolution Two 2022

New Voices Laws

 

CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271

Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president

Resolution Two: 

Whereas, in its mission the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC), as part of its “Professional Freedom and Responsibility” goals, works to promote freedom of speech and the press as embodied in the First Amendment; and

Whereas, the association encourages its members to promote and defend those rights vigorously; and

Whereas, in 2022, Hawaii became the 16th state to adopt a New Voices law, which restores and protects the freedom of Hawaii’s student media; and

Whereas, Hawaii’s HB 1848 ensures that student journalists alone determine the content of school-sponsored media, including but not limited to video, audio, print and digital outlets, and are protected from censorship except in narrow, well-defined circumstances while protecting student media advisers from retaliation for refusing to illegally censor their students’ work; and

Whereas, similar laws have been or are currently being considered by a number of state legislatures, including New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia; and

Whereas, First Amendment rights of student journalists are now protected by state law in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the state of Washington.

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that AEJMC take an active role in supporting the passage of New Voices laws through its Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility and the AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Division, one of the association’s original divisions; and

Be it further resolved that through units such as the AEJMC Law and Policy Division, AEJMC strongly encourages research and teaching about New Voices laws and student press freedom in courses in the law of mass communication required in programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, as well as in other courses as appropriate.

 

<AEJMC 2022 Resolutions

AEJMC Resolution Four 2022

Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws

 

CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271

Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president

Resolution Four: 

Whereas, as part of its mission the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC) promotes the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum; and

Whereas, the association works to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve a better-informed public; and

Whereas, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an intellectual and social movement begun in legal studies in the late 1980s based on the idea that racism is inherent in law and legal institutions insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between white and non-whites; and

Whereas, mass communication educators are charged with preparing students who can produce news and strategic communication content related to CRT; and

Whereas, courses that focus on mass communication theories and research should include CRT as one potential approach to producing scholarship; and

Whereas, state legislatures recently have considered legislation that bans or limits Critical Race Theory from being discussed in classroom settings, including those at universities; and

Whereas, Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) accrediting standards mandate continuing education for faculty in diversity, equity, and inclusion;

Whereas, to achieve compliance with those accrediting standards, units are expected to demonstrate the impact of faculty professional development aimed at enhancing their ability to teach courses related to diversity, equity, and inclusion;

BE it resolved that AEJMC divisions and interest groups be encouraged to continue sponsoring research and teaching panels and programming that educates members about what Critical Race Theory is and its application to education and research in mass communication; and continue to educate faculty members about ways to respond to legislation that serves to restrict viewpoint diversity in the classroom;

AND AEJMC members or mass communication units should provide faculty training on educating students about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion which may include CRT.

 

<AEJMC 2022 Resolutions

Constitution/Bylaws

Constitution/Bylaws for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
AEJMC Constitution (adopted August 11, 1990)
Slightly revised Aug. 12, 1992; Aug. 13, 1994; Aug. 12, 1996; Aug. 7, 1998; Aug. 6, 1999; Aug. 1, 2003; Aug. 12, 2005; Aug. 4, 2006; Aug. 11, 2007; Aug. 12, 2011; Aug. 10, 2013; Aug. 5, 2022; Nov. 19,2022 and Feb. 21, 2023.

Constitution


ARTICLE I — ESTABLISHMENT

Section 1
The name of the corporation shall be the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the corporation or AEJMC.

Section 2
The corporation has been organized and established as a non-profit South Carolina corporation under Section 33-31-10, et. seq. SC Code of Laws, 1976, as amended. The purpose of the corporation shall be the improvement of education in journalism and mass communication to the end of achieving better professional practice, a better informed public, and wider human understanding. The corporation seeks to achieve this purpose through the functions of (a) encouraging high academic and professional standards for education in mass communication; (b) fostering scholarly research and inquiry in mass communication and facilitating the publication and distribution to the public of reports based on such activity; and (c) supporting freedom of communication consonant with the ideal expressed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Section 3
The functions of teaching, research, and public service recognized in Section 2 shall be undertaken by each division of this corporation as well as by the full membership of the corporation.

Section 4
This corporation shall not afford pecuniary gain, incidentally or otherwise, to its members, and no part of the net income or net earnings of this corporation shall inure to the benefit of any members, private shareholders, or individuals, and no substantial part of its activities shall consist of carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. This corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 5
This corporation is committed to the achievement of inclusiveness in the professions of journalism and mass communication, in its own membership, and in participation in its programming. The corporation will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, race, color, religion, age, ethnicity/ national origin, disability/ differently abled, sexuality or sexual orientation, marital status, family/parental status. In efforts to achieve this goal of diversity and inclusion of membership and participation, the corporation has charged the Commissions with monitoring and upholding the highest standards of diversity, inclusion and justice in the profession and the corporation on a regular basis, report its findings to the membership, and take affirmative steps to rectify problems.

ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP

Section 1
Membership shall be by individuals and by educational or professional journalism and mass communication organizations. Eligible individuals and organizations are those concerned principally with teaching, research, or public service in journalism or mass communication and those concerned principally with practicing in the various fields of journalism and mass communication.

Section 2
Co-founding affiliate status is hereby recognized for the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC). Other organizations may gain affiliate status in accordance with the Bylaws.

ARTICLE III — OFFICERS

Section 1
Officers of the corporation shall include a president, a president-elect, and a vice president, chosen in the manner provided in the Bylaws. Duties for each office include those specified in the Bylaws.

Section 2
The affairs of the corporation shall be administered by the Board of Directors, which shall include the officers specified in Article III, Section 1, and other members as provided in Article III of the Bylaws. The Board of Directors shall in all respects be the agent of and shall be responsible to the membership of the corporation, as prescribed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV — MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1
The corporation shall meet at least once a year, as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 2
The corporation shall elect all officers listed in Article III, according to procedures specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE V — DIVISIONS AND INTEREST GROUPS

Section 1
A group of AEJMC members who share a specific interest compatible with those of the corporation may become a division of AEJMC according to provisions in the Bylaws. Functions and responsibilities of divisions are specified in this Constitution and in the Bylaws.

Section 2
Members of the corporation who share a common interest compatible with the purposes of AEJMC may form an Interest Group of AEJMC in accordance with procedures and requirements specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI — COUNCILS

Section 1
There shall be a Council of Divisions and a Council of Affiliates of the corporation.

Section 2
The Council of Divisions shall consist of one representative of each division and of representatives of other bodies specified in the Bylaws. Representatives shall be selected in accordance with the Bylaws.

Section 3
The functions of the Council of Divisions shall be to plan the annual meeting’s programs and to represent the membership’s diverse interests to the Board of Directors.

Section 4
The Council of Affiliates consists of a representative from each professional or educational organization granted affiliate status in AEJMC. The function of the Council of Affiliates is to afford member organizations a voice in the direction and programs of AEJMC.

ARTICLE VII — COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS

Section 1
The following standing committees shall be elected to carry out the functions of the corporation stated in Article 1, Section 2:
A. Committee on Teaching
B. Committee on Research
C. Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility
D. Committee on Publications

Section 2
The following standing committees shall be appointed to carry out policies of the corporation:
A. Committee on Membership
B. Committee on Finance
C. Committee on Nominations and Elections
D. Committee on Career Development

Section 3
The membership and duties of each standing committee shall be as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 4
Other committees, including joint committees with other associations, may be appointed by the president or the Board of Directors. Their terms and duties shall be specified in the Bylaws or approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 5
The following commissions shall be established to address issues outlined in Article I, Section 5. The commissions will be formed according to provisions in the Bylaws. Functions and responsibilities of the commissions are specified in the Bylaws.
A. Commission on the Status of Women
B. Commission on the Status of Minorities
C. Commission on Graduate Education

ARTICLE VIII — ENDOWMENT AND GRANTS

Section 1
All gifts for endowment purposes shall constitute endowment funds. The Committee on Finance shall manage such funds, as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 2
The corporation may seek and receive grants or other financial support pursuant to its purposes, as specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE IX — PUBLICATIONS

Section 1
The corporation shall produce such publications as are deemed appropriate to its purposes. These shall be administered according to the Bylaws.

ARTICLE X — AMENDMENTS

Section 1 This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting membership by an online ballot distributed to each member in good standing, provided that sufficient notice of the proposed amendment be submitted in writing to all members as specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE XI — POWERS, LIMITATION

Section 1
All the powers of the corporation and those granted to divisions and committees shall be exercised only so that its operations shall be exclusively within the contemplation of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1954, as now enacted or as hereafter amended.

ARTICLE XII — PROMULGATION

Section 1
This Constitution and Bylaws shall become effective upon approval by the membership.

ARTICLE XIII — DISSOLUTION

Section 1
Upon dissolution of this corporation any surplus property remaining after the payment of its debts shall be disposed of by transfer to an organization or organizations described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as now enacted or as hereafter amended, in such proportions as the Board of Directors of this corporation shall determine.

ARTICLE XIV — SAVINGS PROVISION

Section 1
If necessary, this constitution is to be considered part of the Bylaws.

AEJMC Bylaws

ARTICLE I — ESTABLISHMENT

Section 1
There shall be a consolidated central office headed by an executive director, and housing support personnel, and membership and other records of the corporation, except for those records submitted to the AEJMC archives. The location of the central office shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 2
The fiscal year of the corporation shall be from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

ARTICLE II — MEMBERSHIP

Section 1
Classifications of membership, with their respective qualifications, are: Regular members, who shall be university or college faculty members engaged in education for journalism and mass communication; Associate members, who shall be other persons engaged in journalism and mass communication education or shall be persons with professional interests; Student members, who shall be students in journalism and mass communication and who are not eligible for Regular membership; Affiliate members, which are educational or professional journalism and mass communication organizations.

Section 2
Dues shall be fixed by the Board of Directors, subject to approval by the membership. Persons or institutions paying more than the required dues for their classification shall be designated Contributing Members.

Section 3
Membership is on a continuing basis from year to year. A member in good standing is one whose dues of any year are paid in advance. The membership year for each new member of the corporation shall extend for 12 months from the date payment of dues is received by the central office. Dues notices shall be sent annually from the central office at least 30 days before membership expires. If, after being sent an appropriate second notice, members fail to pay dues by the expiration date, the members are no longer in good standing and lose all membership privileges, including voting, publications, and the right to hold office. All paid-up members shall receive Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, Journalism and Communication Monographs, and AEJMC News. Memberships are subject to approval by the Committee on Membership as provided in Article VII, Section 9 of the Bylaws.

Section 4
All members in good standing are eligible to vote. Regular, Associate, and Affiliate members in good standing are eligible to hold office in divisional and non-divisional positions. The executive director shall have available before any vote a list of members in good standing, and only those members shall be eligible to vote. Eligibility for student members to hold office in divisions, interest groups, and commissions shall be determined by individual group bylaws.

Section 5
Affiliate members shall be entitled to use central office facilities and to deposit their funds with the AEJMC central office, subject to charge for extra services rendered and cost of extra materials.

Section 6
Affiliate status is granted or revoked by action of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE III — OFFICERS

Section 1
The Board of Directors shall consist of the president, the president-elect, the vice president, the immediate past president, the heads of the elected standing committees, two officers designated by the Co-founding Affiliate, two officers designated by the Council of Divisions, and an officer designated by the Council of Affiliates, and one officer each designated by the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Graduate Education, and the Commission on the Status of Minorities. The executive director shall be a non-voting member. The Board of Directors shall have the power to fill all vacancies in elected offices pro tempore.

Section 2
The president shall appoint all officers and committee members not otherwise provided for in the Bylaws. In case of the death, inability to act, or resignation of the president of AEJMC, the president-elect shall become president to serve until the end of their elected term as president, and the vice president shall become president-elect.

Section 3
Terms of office of all officials elected by the AEJMC membership, and of the committee members appointed by the president, shall be for one calendar year following their election or appointment — from October 1 to September 30 — unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws or appointment/election criteria.

Section 4
The executive director shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term specified by the Board of Directors at the time of appointment.

Section 5
The president shall be the principal officer of the corporation and shall establish its policies, with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors. The president shall chair the Board of Directors, and shall be responsible for preparing and presenting an annual report at the annual meeting on all matters of policy. They shall have a discretionary fund in an amount set by the Board of Directors.

Section 6
The president-elect shall succeed the president and shall serve as chair of the Committee on Finance. In consultation with the executive director, the president-elect shall prepare a budget and submit it to the Board of Directors at its annual meeting and shall report at the annual meeting on the fiscal condition of the corporation.

Section 7
The vice president shall succeed the president-elect, shall serve on the Board of Directors and the Committee on Finance, and shall perform other duties assigned by the president.

Section 8
The executive director shall be the administrative officer of the corporation, shall serve as its secretary, shall be general manager of the central office and shall be business manager of AEJMC publications. The executive director shall report to the president, and shall perform duties assigned by the president and the Board of Directors, shall initiate programs consistent with the goals and policies of AEJMC, shall submit reports of corporation business, shall maintain membership and convention records, and shall have responsibility for collection and disbursement of funds. The executive director may serve as administrative officer of the Co-founding Affiliate and may appoint deputies and office staff consistent with the approved AEJMC budget. The executive director shall give a surety bond to the corporation in an amount set by the Board of Directors. The executive director, under supervision of the Committee on Finance, shall arrange for annual audits by a certified public accountant of AEJMC accounts and those of AEJMC publications.

Section 9
The Board of Directors shall approve all matters of financial policy for the corporation including acting on the proposed budget before the beginning of each fiscal year. Its annual meeting shall be held at the time and place of the AEJMC annual meeting. Other meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the president at any time, and also upon request of a majority of the Board members. In the interim between meetings, matters may be submitted to the members of the Board of Directors in writing or via email and votes cast in writing of via emails. These votes shall have the effect of votes at any official meeting.

Section 10
The Board of Directors shall encourage inclusiveness in gender, race and culture in the membership and programming of the corporation. It shall monitor the status of women and minorities in the corporation and in journalism education on a biennial basis and report its findings to the membership. The Board of Directors may ask the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on the Status of Minorities, and the Commission on Graduate Education to conduct these studies under the sponsorship of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IV — MEETINGS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1
The annual meeting of the association, of its divisions and of the co-founding affiliate shall be held coincidentally. Special meetings of AEJMC or of the co-founding affiliate may be called by their respective Board of Directors.

Section 2
The place of the annual meeting shall be selected by the Board of Directors. The Board will seek feedback from the Council of Divisions and elected standing committees prior to making its decision.

Section 3
Decisions of the corporation and of its Board of Directors shall be effected by a majority of members voting, except that Bylaws may be suspended only by a three-fourths majority of those present and voting.

Section 4
Robert’s Rules of Order, current edition, shall be the manual for parliamentary procedure in the meetings of this corporation and its Board of Directors.

Section 5
This shall be the uniform nomination and election procedure for the vice president, members of the elected standing committees and the association’s representatives to the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). Not less than six months before each annual meeting, the executive director of the corporation shall provide nomination forms to all members. Such forms shall be returnable to the chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee by the date specified by the committee. The date specified shall not be less than 21 days from the date forms are distributed. The date may vary from year to year but shall be selected to encourage maximum response from the members and to enable the committee to complete its work in a timely manner and meet other deadlines indicated in the Bylaws. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall give serious consideration to the results, but the poll shall be advisory only.

Section 6
The Nominations and Elections Committee shall provide to the executive director a ballot containing the names of at least two members for every elective office and committee at least four months before the annual meeting. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall also provide to the executive director a summary of the professional record of candidates for all offices.

Section 7
The executive director shall prepare an online ballot that conforms to the Nominations and Elections Committee’s reports and that provides space for write-in candidates for each elective office. One copy of the online ballot shall be distributed to each member in good standing at least three months before the annual meeting. The executive director shall also distribute to each member in good standing a summary of the professional record of all candidates for office.

Section 8
The voting period shall close 30 days following distribution of ballots. Completed ballots shall be returnable to the office of the executive director, who shall notify all members in good standing of the results at least one month before the annual meeting. If a tie occurs between candidates for an office, a runoff shall be conducted by the Nominations and Elections Committee by ballot of the membership prior to the annual meeting.

ARTICLE V – DIVISIONS AND INTEREST GROUPS

Section 1
Interest Groups of 75 or more voting members shall be formed and recognized by action of the Board of Directors. Petition requesting creation should include a description of the program planned by the Interest Group in each of the three AEJMC functions: teaching, research, and public service, with at least 100 voting member signers. At least 75 voting members must pay dues to become members of the Interest Group by Oct. 1st in order for the interest group to be formed. Dues collection and funds for a recognized Interest Group shall be handled by the central office. Formal status as an Interest Group is normally for a finite term of one to three years, but is renewable by Board of Directors action. Each Interest Group shall report annually to the Board of Directors. An Interest Group in good standing may petition to become a Division after it has undergone at least one positive five-year assessment, following the procedure outlined in Article V, Section 2. The 75- member requirement does not apply to Interest Groups existing as of Oct. 1, 2012.

Section 2
A new division shall be created from an interest group in good standing by a majority vote of the annual meeting. Before that vote, the Board of Directors must approve of a petition signed by 10 percent of the voting members of this corporation. The Interest Group must have at least 125 voting members in order to petition for divisional status. The petition shall include a description of the program planned by the division in each of the three AEJMC functions: teaching, research, and public service; and a detailed explanation of the need for the change in status.

Section 3
Divisions and interest groups shall report annually, not later than June 15, on their current year of activities. These reports shall be used during each group’s assessment process. Each division and interest group will be assessed every five years by an Assessment Committee composed of one member of each elected standing committee and the chair and vice chair from the Council of Divisions. The officers of each group being assessed in any given year will meet with the Assessment Committee during the annual convention and discuss the group’s activities and projects over the five-year period. The Assessment Committee will report to the Board of Directors on these meetings and recommend any actions that might be needed as a result of the assessments.

Divisions and interest groups may be dissolved in two ways: 1) any group may voluntarily seek to be dissolved through a majority vote of its members. Such recommendation would go directly to the Board of Directors, which may grant the request, or 2) through action of the corporation’s members during the annual business meeting, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors. The Assessment Committee can offer such a recommendation to the Board of Directors following the five- year assessment of the division or interest group. If such a recommendation is made, the division or interest group may request and thus receive a hearing by the Board of Directors. The hearing should be held no later than the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors determines that dissolution of the division or interest group is necessary, it must notify AEJMC membership of the motion to dissolve at least 30 days prior to a vote during the annual business meeting.

Section 4
Eligibility for membership in divisions and interest groups shall be determined by the divisions and interest groups themselves. However, no person eligible for membership in AEJMC may become a member of any division or interest group without first becoming a member of AEJMC by paying the appropriate dues. AEJMC officers who fail to pay dues on time or who become ineligible to hold office will be replaced by action of the AEJMC Board of Directors at its next meeting or by mailed ballot.

Section 5
Divisions and interest groups shall be empowered to assess dues on their members other than those required for corporation membership.

Section 6
The chief officer of each division and interest group shall be designated as “head.”

Section 7
Divisions and interest groups shall be entitled to use central office facilities at cost for their programs. All division and interest group funds must be deposited with the AEJMC central office.

Section 8
Divisions and interest groups shall plan programs for the annual meetings in cooperation with the Council of Divisions.

ARTICLE VI — COUNCILS

Section 1
The Council of Divisions shall consist of the chief officer or other representative designated by each of the divisions and interest groups, of the Council of Affiliates, of the Commission on the Status of Women, of the Commission on the Status of Minorities, and of the Commission on Graduate Education. It shall annually choose a chair, a vice-chair, and such other officers as may be required. The Council establishes its own operating procedures, subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

Section 2
Each professional or educational organization granted affiliate status in AEJMC shall name a representative to serve on the Council of Affiliates. The elected head of the Council shall be a member of the Board of Directors and the elected vice head shall be a member of the Council of Divisions.

ARTICLE VII — COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS

Section 1
The elected standing committees on Teaching, Research and Professional Freedom and Responsibility shall each have twelve members and the standing committee on Publications shall have nine members. No more than one Regular, Associate, or Affiliate member from any school shall serve on the same committee, nor shall one Regular, Associate, or Affiliate member serve on more than one elected standing committee at one time. Student members are not eligible to be elected to or serve on the standing committees. All terms shall be for three years. No person shall serve more than two consecutive elected terms on a standing committee. An individual who serves two consecutive elected terms may return to the committee after an interim of two years. The committee shall choose annually a chair.

Section 2
The elected standing committees on Teaching, Research, and Professional Freedom and Responsibility shall serve AEJMC on matters relevant to their respective functional areas. They shall initiate programs in these areas consistent with AEJMC policy. They shall participate in the division and interest group assessment process, and one representative from each standing committee shall serve on the Assessment Committee. The members of the elected standing committees shall serve as liaisons to divisions and interest groups in their programs and help them meet their responsibilities in these functional areas.

Section 3
If a member of an elected standing committee does not fulfill the duties of office during their three-year term, and specifically does not: participate in the activities of the committee, or send required materials for which they were responsible, or attend the main committee meeting at the conference, then the Board of Directors, through established procedures, may deem that person’s seat on the committee vacant. The established procedures will allow the inactive committee member to respond and participate in the discussions regarding the status of the seat. The Board of Directors may then fill the remaining years of the position through its authority from the Bylaws Article III, Section 1, or through the next regular election.

Section 4
The elected standing Committee on Teaching shall be primarily concerned with teaching excellence:
• Principles of Curriculum.
• Principles of Leadership.
• Principles of Course Content and Teaching Methods.
• Principles of Assessment
• Additional matters related to teaching as identified by the committee or the AEJMC membership.

This committee shall bring before the annual meeting such resolutions on such matters as it considers appropriate.

Section 5
The elected standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility is particularly concerned with freedom of expression legally and intellectually, ethical issues among media educators and practitioners, media criticism and accountability, minority affairs, and liaisons between educators and professionals. This committee shall bring before the annual meeting such resolutions on these matters as it considers appropriate.

Section 6
The elected standing Committee on Research is responsible for:
• Policies that will enhance the scholarly activities of AEJMC
• Conferral of academic honors on behalf of AEJMC for meritorious scholarly achievements
• Liaison with other associations and organizations concerned with communication processes.

This committee shall bring before the annual meeting such resolutions on such matters as it considers appropriate.

Section 7
The elected standing Committee on Publications shall administer the publications of the corporation, and shall have the responsibility of recommending to the Board of Directors a qualified AEJMC member for the editorship of Journalism and Communication Monographs, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, and Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. The editor of each AEJMC publication is appointed by the Board of Directors upon recommendation by the Committee on Publications. The Board of Directors shall be the final authority for policy concerning AEJMC publications.

Section 8
The size of each appointed standing committee shall be appropriate to the work of the committee. No more than one member from any school shall serve on the same committee, nor shall one member serve on more than one appointed committee at one time. Each committee shall have a chair who shall be appointed by the president, except that the president-elect shall chair the Committee on Finance. A representative of the Council of Affiliates may be named to any committee under the same conditions as applied to any other member. Terms shall be for three years with one-third of the members appointed each year by the president.

Section 9
The appointed standing committees and commissions shall initiate programs in their respective functional areas consistent with AEJMC policy. They shall advise and recommend actions to the Board of Directors.

Section 10
The appointed standing Committee on Membership shall administer the membership policies of the corporation, and shall have the responsibility of reviewing qualifications for membership in AEJMC.

Section 11
The appointed standing Committee on Finance— under the guidance of its chair, the president-elect and in consultation with the president — shall supervise the fiscal records of the corporation, including the annual audits arranged by the executive director. The committee shall review the fiscal condition of AEJMC, shall recommend to the Board of Directors any changes deemed desirable and, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, shall have overall responsibility for the coordination of fundraising activities. The Committee on Finance, in consultation with the president and executive director, shall recommend to the Board of Directors policies regarding investment of the corporation’s reserves. Withdrawals from the corporation’s long-term reserves shall be recommended in advance by the executive director and approved by the president and president-elect.

Section 12
The appointed standing Committee on Nominations and Elections shall be responsible for soliciting and making nominations for all AEJMC elected offices, and for the conduct of elections, in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 13
The appointed standing Committee on Career Development works to:
• Implement plans for institutionalizing career service sessions at AEJMC conferences,
• Foster coordination among AEJMC groups that conduct career development sessions,
• Hold its own unique recurring career development events related to careers, and
• Support AEJMC initiatives to aid underrepresented groups in journalism and mass communication education.

Section 14
The incoming president may, in consultation with the Board of Directors, appoint such other committees as may be deemed necessary. Their duties shall be approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 15
There shall be three Commissions: The Commission on the Status of Women, The Commission on the Status of Minorities, and the Commission on Graduate Education. All Commissions shall serve both advocacy and programming roles on behalf of their respective bodies.

Section 16
Any interested member of the corporation may be a member of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on the Status of Minorities, and the Commission on Graduate Education.

Section 17
Commissions shall be empowered to assess dues on their members other than those required for corporation membership.

Section 18
The chief officer of each commission shall be designated as “head.”

Section 19
Commissions shall be entitled to use central office facilities at cost for their programs. All commission funds must be deposited with the AEJMC central office.

Section 20
The Commissions shall plan programs in a manner similar to divisions for the annual meetings in cooperation with the Council of Divisions.

Section 21
A representative of each commission shall serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors.

Section 22
A representative of each commission shall serve as a voting member of the Council of Divisions.

Section 23
The elected standing committees and commissions shall report annually at the meeting. The appointed standing committees shall report annually to the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII — ENDOWMENT AND GRANTS

Section 1
Unless otherwise dedicated by the donor, all earnings of the endowment funds shall be placed in the general fund of the corporation.

Section 2
The endowment funds of the corporation shall be handled outside the regular budget of AEJMC.

Section 3
The corporation may receive grants or financial support for special purposes that are consistent with the corporation’s objectives. Any grants or financial support for AEJMC publications and activities shall be received with the understanding that such financial support does not grant or imply any control whatsoever over such publications and activities by the granting agency, nor any endorsement by AEJMC of the granting agency’s policies or activities. All grant proposals must be submitted to the AEJMC president for consultation with the chair of the AEJMC Finance Committee and chair of the External Funding Committee. Grant proposals for AEJMC or division publications must also be considered by the Committee on Publications, which must also approve such a proposal before it may be submitted to the president.

ARTICLE IX — PUBLICATIONS

Section 1
The official publications of the organization are Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, Journalism and Communication Monographs, and AEJMC News.

Section 2
AEJMC News shall contain annually the minutes of the AEJMC business meeting and membership votes. The financial reports of the corporation shall be posted annually on the AEJMC website.

Section 3
The editors of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, and Journalism and Communication Monographs shall be appointed for three-year terms. The editors of AEJMC publications shall appoint subordinate and advisory editors. The editor of each AEJMC publication shall exercise final authority on editorial content. As specified in Bylaws, Article V, Section 6, the AEJMC Executive Director shall serve as business manager of AEJMC publications, and, subject to Publications Committee review, shall direct all business and fiscal matters.

ARTICLE X — AMENDMENTS

Section 1
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority of the voting membership by an online ballot distributed to each member in good standing.

Section 2
Amendments to the Constitution and to these Bylaws must be submitted in writing to all members of the corporation at least 20 days in advance with an online discussion forum before the online vote. Certification by the executive director that notice has been given shall be conclusive.

Section 3
Changes in AEJMC dues must be made under rules for change in the Bylaws.

AEJMC Resolution Three 2022

The 40th Anniversary of the Death of Vincent Chin and Anti-AAPI Violence

 

CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271

Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president

Resolution Three: 

Whereas, as part of its mission, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) promotes the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum; and

Whereas, as part of its “Professional Freedom and Responsibility” mission works to address issues of marginalization, systemic racism and unequal treatment of underrepresented groups; and

Whereas, the association held its 2022 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan, the same city where 40 years ago on June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was brutally attacked with a baseball bat by two White men seeking to incite racist hatred of anyone who appeared Japanese, because of the rise of Japanese car companies that they believed put U.S. autoworkers out of jobs; and

Whereas, after four days in a coma, Chin, the only child of Chinese immigrants Lily and Bing Hing “David” Chin, died; and

Whereas, Chin’s killers, Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, pleaded guilty to state charges of manslaughter and only received a $3,000 fine each and three years’ probation; and

Whereas, the brutal murder and the lenient sentence, and Lily Chin’s courageous pursuit for justice and visibility in their aftermath, galvanized the Asian American civil rights movement, which continues today with an added degree of importance because of the recent rise in Anti-Asian violence; and

Whereas, between March and August 2020, more than 2,500 Asian Americans reported being attacked by people blaming them for the COVID-19 pandemic because of its origination in Wuhan, China; and

Whereas, more Americans should be aware of Vincent Chin’s death and its role in the Asian American movement;

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that AEJMC as an organization take an active role in standing with organizations such as the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF), and the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) in working to cover stories about and combat the rise of Asian Americans being singled out in incidents of violence and ongoing systemic racism facing those in the larger Asian American Pacific Islander community. And;

Be it further resolved that AEJMC commends 2022 media efforts to address the underrepresentation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment’s (CAPE) My Life: Growing Up Asian in America; Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang’s RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now; and ABC News’s “Soul of a Nation” Together As One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage. And:

Be it further resolved that AEJMC, through its divisions and interest groups, offer programming and resources at both regional and national conferences that empower journalism and mass communication faculty to include Vincent Chin and the stories of other Asian Americans overlooked and under-addressed in their teaching and curricula.

 

<AEJMC 2022 Resolutions

Sports Communication Interest Group

2022 Abstracts

Extended Abstract • Faculty • Kim Bissell, University of Alabama; Bummsoo Park, University of Alabama • Narratives and frames of firsts in women’s sports: A content analysis of newspaper coverage of Sarah Fuller and Power Five Football Introduction • Sarah Fuller became the first woman to ever play in a SEC or Power Five football game in November 2020, and news coverage of the event touted the historic nature of it all. Social media users, however, were critical of everything from her actual play to the words on the back of her helmet–Play Like a Girl. Using framing as the underlying theoretical framework, the present study represents a content analysis of news stories published about her play in two NCAA football games. Using a coding protocol developed by Billings and Eastman (2003) to identify descriptors used and the nature of those descriptors, 71 (of 107) news articles were included in the analysis. Of the 5,628 total descriptors coded, a majority were positively valenced and emphasized the historic nature of the event and that it represented a “first” for women in sport. These and other findings are discussed.

Research Paper • Faculty • Patrick Ferrucci, U of Colorado-Boulder • Covering sports, when there’s no sports: COVID, market orientation, paywalls and The Athletic • This study incorporates in-depth interviews with 43 journalists from the digitally native, venture-capital-backed sports journalism organization The Athletic. Through the lens of gatekeeping theory and utilizing the concept of market orientation, findings illustrate how having a somewhat strong market orientation could positively impact gatekeeping processes. Data illustrated that, during the pandemic, journalists at The Athletic collaborated more, and included more diversity in content. This positive result, which led to a subscription increase, is primarily due to market orientation, leadership, staff size and technological adoption, all organization-level influences on gatekeeping. This study concludes with analysis on how these findings can impact journalism in general and sports journalism specifically now and after Covid-19.

Extended Abstract • Student • Adrianne Grubic, The University of Texas at Austin • Proud: A Case Study of the Social Media Representation of Ibtihaj Muhammad • Media portrayals of sportswomen along with Black and Muslim women in general tend to be monolithic, focusing only on oppression of the body and the barriers they face for entry into sport. Using fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad as a case study wiht an eye towards transnational feminism, this multimodal discourse analysis study found her social media representation provides complex insight into what it means to Black, Muslim, and a woman in a traditionally white and elitist sport.

Research Paper • Faculty • Virginia Harrison, Clemson University; Brandon Boatwright; Joseph Bober • “A manifestation of their city as a god”: Gritty memes, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and online representations of home • During the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty starred in political election-related memes. Using systematic discourse analysis, this paper analyzes 14 Gritty memes to understand the interplay of sport mascots, fandom and home, and meme co-creation. Evidence was found for meme intertextuality and polyvocality as well as four personas of Gritty that propelled the mascot to transcend sport and become a historic symbol of Philadelphia’s role in determining the election outcome.

Research Paper • Faculty • Guy Harrison, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Charli Kerns, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Jason Stamm, The University of Tennessee • Covering the Rooney Rule: A Content Analysis of Print Coverage of NFL Head Coach • While scholars and football insiders have given much attention to the NFL’s ongoing head coaching diversity crisis, the (mostly White) sports media’s coverage of the issue — and of systemic racism in general — has been uneven. 2020’s racial upheaval — and the ensuing commitments made by individuals and corporations to fight systemic racism — offered sports journalists an opportunity to reflect on and recalibrate their coverage of these issues, however. Employing agenda building as a theoretical framework (Lang & Lang, 1991; Rogers et al., 1993), and taking into account the United States’ racial upheaval in 2020, this study uses the content analysis method to compare the rate at which print sports journalists assigned to cover specific NFL teams broadly discussed race in their written coverage of the 2020 and 2021 NFL head coaching hiring cycles. Previous agenda building research has found that the media’s story selection has been influenced at times by external actors and events. In statistically comparing the written coverage of both hiring cycles, which took place before and after the events of 2020, this study explores the possibility that NFL beat writers may have been influenced by those events. The study found statistically significant increases in the amount of web articles that mentioned race during the 2021 hiring cycle, including stories that were written after a head coach was hired. These findings suggest that social movements may influence otherwise routine sports reporting.

Extended Abstract • Faculty • MILES ROMNEY, Brigham Young University; Kevin Hull, University of South Carolina; Kirstin Pellizzaro, University of South Carolina; Denetra Walker • “Where do I even begin?”: The Harassment of Female Local Sports Broadcasters • This study examines the harassment faced by female local sports broadcasters throughout the United States. The women in this study overwhelming report they experience sexism, gender discrimination, and harassment based on their gender. This poor treatment comes from the audience, station management, and the athletes on whom they are reporting. The participants share their stories and reveal some of the many difficulties they face while simply trying to do their job.

Extended Abstract • Faculty • Kevin Hull, University of South Carolina; John Carvalho, Auburn University; Blake Waddell, Auburn University • Who’s Got Game? A Survey of College-Level Sports Media Programs and Classes • As more higher education programs throughout the United States begin sports media programs, this research answers the call to take a closer look at what types of classes are being offered. An examination of the programs at 90 different journalism schools found that the majority offered some type of sports media class. These classes involved both theoretical, lecture-style classes and hands-on skills classes. Further breakdowns of the classes within type of school will be discussed.

Research Paper • Student • Muhammad Fahad Humayun, U of Colorado-Boulder • Construction of Mediated National Identity Through Sports Journalists Twitter Feed • The purpose of this study is to analyze how Pakistani and Indian national identity was portrayed in selected Pakistani and Indian journalists tweets about the 2017 International Cricket Council (ICC) champions trophy final. This study draws on the conceptual framework of mediated national identity, which has been extensively covered in previous sociological literature (e.g., Bale, 1986; Li, Stokowski, Dittmore, & Scott, 2016; Nossek, 2004). This study employed textual analysis to analyze Tweets from 10 sports journalists during the Champions Trophy final 2017. Results indicate that Pakistani and Indian sports journalists attempted to construct narratives of national identity while tweeting during the live match. They did so by employing metaphors, symbols, and semiotic anecdotes unique to their own countries. As one of the first attempts to evaluate how Pakistani and Indian sports journalists construct narratives around national identity and national belonging through their live tweets during a global sporting contest, this study helps push forward an understanding of sporting national identity in South Asia through a study of social media.

Research Paper • Faculty • Mark Mederson, Loras College; Michael Mirer, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee • Flipping the Frame: Rudy Gobert’s journey from episodic bad actor to thematic hero • Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis started the process that led to American sports shutting down in the early days of the pandemic. After the diagnosis, video of him touching reporters’ voice recorders at a press availability went viral. This framing analysis in five mainstream newspapers finds that over the course of 72 hours, Gobert went from a bad actor to a hero in news copy as an episodic frame focusing on his actions gave way to a thematic frame about the virus and its effects on the country.

Research Paper • Student Member • Dinfin Mulupi, University of Maryland, College Park • “Stick to tennis”? Media and public narratives in reaction to Naomi Osaka’s #BLM activism • This study examined social media commentary and news media framing of a Black woman athlete’s racial justice activism. Comments (N = 1,400) published to Naomi Osaka’s official Facebook page and online articles published by seven U.S. news organizations (N = 63) were analyzed qualitatively guided by framing and critical race theories. Facebook comments revealed frames of support, infantilization, and silencing of Osaka. News media framed Osaka’s activism as compatible with sports but sidestepped discussing racism.

Research Paper • Student • Vincent Peña, University of Texas at Austin • (Un)fair Pay to Play: Alienation, Exploitation, Labor Power and the NCAA • The argument about paying college athletes is not a new one and has long been a thorn in the side of the NCAA. However, there is a resurgence in the push for compensating college athletes amid a rash of legislation at the state level and court cases headed before the Supreme Court. This paper conducts a critical discourse analysis of this debate surrounding the compensation of college athletes that appears in both the popular and academic press. It examines news and sports media, as well as academic literature, major academic blog sites, and college newspapers. Using a Marxist lens, this paper examines the alienation, exploitation and labor power of major college athletes, especially those in the so-called moneymaking sports of basketball and football. It attempts to explicate the concepts in the context of college athletics and then look at the way various media outlets discursively perpetuate, challenge, or reify the alienation and exploitation of college athletes. Findings suggest that although there is a growing sentiment toward paying the players in some form, whether through granting them the rights to their name, image and likeness or providing them direct compensation, the arguments made by the media contribute to the alienation of college athletes from their athletic labor, and ultimately set the stage for the exploitation of these athletes.

Research Paper • Faculty • Gregory Perreault; Mildred Perreault • eSports as a news specialty gold rush: Communication ecology in the domination of traditional journalism over lifestyle journalism • Esports are becoming more popular with adults as they often result in prize money for those who play, and now even academic scholarships for Division 1 athletes. Therefore, online news might expand these opportunities to understand the impact of business news even further on investors and markets centering around eSports. This study included an analysis of news coverage in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes and Business Insider from January 2018 to December 2020 has yielded 406 articles. Researchers coded these articles for specific marketing and public relations messages, and identified how various entertainment businesses have worked their support of these teams into the news coverage of eSports. We will argue that eSports represents a topic that would typically be covered through lifestyle journalism–after all, both gaming and sports are predominantly lifestyle specialties–that traditional journalism has dominated in order to reaffirm its privileged placement in the communication ecology.

Extended Abstract • Student • Brian Petrotta, University of Oklahoma • From Prohibition to Promotion: Discursive Power in the Legalization of Sports Betting • The discursive power perspective has increasingly been employed in the study of political communication, but only recently made its way into sports scholarship. This study will explore which speakers wielded discursive power by introducing, amplifying, and maintaining topics and frames at critical points in time in the evolution of sports betting legalization in the United States. Results will contribute to the emerging study of discursive power within the context of public policy.

Research Paper • Student • Shannon Scovel, University of Maryland • #TriathlonSoWhite: A critical assessment of the representation, underrepresentation and branding of intersectional bodies on the @USATriathlon official Instagram account • This paper critically evaluates the representation of intersectional bodies on @USATriathlon’s Instagram account in 2020 to understand how the organization viewed the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results also reveal efforts to diversify representation in triathlon after a June 1 statement that committed the governing body to creating a more inclusive sporting space. @USATriathlon’s Instagram feed reproduces hierarchies of the white, able-bodied sporting male, though the 429 posts do also feature white women prominently.

Extended Abstract • Faculty • Matthew Taylor, Middle Tennessee State University • Crowd Pleasers: Exploring Motivations and Measuring Success Among Independent Sports Podcasters • This study uses in-depth interviews with independent sports podcasters to explore their motivations for podcasting and to determine how they measure their success. The findings will contribute to a growing body of podcasting research that has given limited attention to sports thus far despite the rising popularity of the format, which currently ranks among the Top 10 most popular genres for podcast listeners over the age of 18.

Research Paper • Student • Maria Tsyruleva, University of South Florida; Travis Bell, University of South Florida • “Golden Spike”: Examining Atlanta United’s Communication Strategies and Brand Attributes from Launch to Kickoff • This research explores Atlanta United FC, a soccer club that achieved record-breaking average attendance, from the communication perspective. Utilizing thematic analysis of the press releases published between the launch of the club through the team’s first official game, the study examines communication strategies the new organization used and core brand attributes it communicated. The results extend the current knowledge on strategic communication in the sports industry and provide insights for public relations practitioners.

Research Paper • Student • Carolina Velloso • Making Soufflé with Metal: Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Sports Journalism Routines • This paper investigates the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on sports journalism routines. Through open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 12 journalists, this study examines the challenges reporters faced, their adaptation strategies, and reflections on their professional capabilities. This paper argues that while the pandemic destabilized traditional sports journalism routines, respondents relied on previous experience and knowledge about their job requirements to find creative ways to combat the challenges imposed by the unusual sports seasons.

2022 Abstracts