*CFP* "THE HANDBOOK OF APPLIED JOURNALISM AND MEDIA STUDIES: INVESTIGATING JOURNALISM PRACTICE ACROSS REGIONS AND CULTURES", BOOK CHAPTER

Leon Barkho (Jönköping University, Sweden) and Jairo Lugo-Ocando (Northwestern University, Qatar) welcome chapter submission to their forthcoming companion on journalism studies titled: “The Handbook of Applied Journalism and Media Studies - Investigating Journalism Practice Across Regions and Cultures”.

Following the submission of a detailed proposal, they have obtained the greenlight from Intellect Books, to compile the handbook, a monumental work of about 50 chapters. At this stage, we are seeking an abstract of about 250 to 300 words to be submitted to us by the end of May. The handbook focuses on the question of how we can render our collective knowledge of journalism as a discipline and the mass of scholarly literature on the subject useful, practical, and relevant to those practicing journalism across regions and cultures. 

The edited handbook also welcomes contributions on any of the following key topics with emphasis preferably placed on own country, region, or culture:

1. Interlink between journalism as scholarship and Journalism as practice:

• Research which has practitioners (news outlets, newspapers, reporters, editors, media stakeholders, etc.) not merely as respondents or subjects, but as peers, counterparts, and co-authors. 
• Research focusing on journalism’s two planks at the same time: (1) content, and (2) practice. 
• Interlink between journalism studies as scholarship and journalism studies as practice that does not undermine the need of reporters to learn from the immense literature investigating their profession, and in turn will not deny receivers of journalistic content the opportunity to benefit from scholarly research.

 

2. Journalism studies contribution to journalistic profession:

• For the handbook, the concept of journalism research is understood as practice. This type of research, which takes practice as its thrust, is potentially meant to contribute to journalistic profession, and can be used by practitioners (reporters, media owners, editors, etc.). 
• What journalism studies can offer to help subjects of investigation (newsrooms, editors, reporters, etc.) to translate academic knowledge into practice to improve conditions in their field.

 

3. Journalism practice across regions and cultures:

• The utility of journalism, whether tackling conflict, economy, environment, peace, etc., and its relevance to journalism practitioners across regions and cultures. 
• Toolkits to bridge the theory-practice divide 
• Presentation of useful, relevant, and practical toolkits from the mass of journalism scholarship on how to bridge theory-practice divide.

 

4. Theories and methods:

• Novel research with novel methodologies and theories geared to benefit the practitioner world of journalism. 
• Work that investigates, operationalizes, and defines the gaping divide of theory and practice in journalism studies. 
• Research that shifts focus to the top of the journalistic process to arrive at a set of ideas involved in how reporters, editors and newsrooms practice their profession. 
• Research which is international in scope and examines the theory and practice of journalism across regions and cultures. 
• Research that looks at the entire news cycle and aims to provide a bridge between the theoretical and academic study of journalism and the actual practice of contemporary journalism. 
• Empirical examples, evidence and data of how journalists tend to adapt to crises, and our changing world.

 

5. The practitioner world:

• Research demonstrating to the practitioner world, which is expanding and gaining greater influence due to the overwhelming power of digital media, that academics are useful to journalism as a profession. 
• Research papers involving theories or concepts of how journalists view the emerging social realities of our world, empirical studies of 
• How journalists view their work or go about it and how our evolving social realities contribute to the production of new journalistic frameworks. 
• Presentation of practical solutions and alternatives with models on how to build concrete stories, models for coverage to help journalists to improve quality with examples that can be used by journalists and be useful for journalism education, training of journalists and students of journalism. 
• Everyday journalistic routines, practices, problems, conditions, etc. that guide journalists across regions and cultures. 
• Contributions by practitioners on their views and perceptions of journalism studies and its relevance.

 

6. Within this broader framework, questions that could be asked pertaining to the thrust of the interrelated dimensions of the handbook:

• How can the collective knowledge we have about media content and its reception contribute to improvements in the field of journalism and its practitioners? 
• How to change the existing mind logic or mindset towards journalism studies? 
• How to develop theoretical, applied, and empirical research that engages practitioners about the future of their own profession? 
• How far globalization in its various aspects, economic, social, or cultural, have impacted journalism as practice. 
• What differences are there in coverage of global and local issues in the practice of journalism?

 

Submission guidelines:

Please submit your abstract of about 250 to 300 words by 31st of May 2021 to Leon Barkho (leon.barkho@ju.se)