Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
Title	Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
Discipline	Journalism; Mass communication
Publisher	Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
History	1924–present
Frequency	Quarterly

Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The journal publishes empirical, theoretical, and methodological research addressing news production, media industries, audience study, and communication policy. Its editorial content draws on interdisciplinary conversations among scholars associated with institutions such as Columbia University, Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Berkeley.

History

The journal traces roots to early 20th-century professional organizations including the American Association for Newspaper Editors, Newspaper Association of America, National Association of Broadcasters, and the pedagogical reforms influenced by figures at University of Missouri School of Journalism, Syracuse University, and Northwestern University. During the Cold War era, debates paralleling work at Columbia Broadcasting System, National Public Radio, Time (magazine), The New York Times, and The Washington Post shaped editorial priorities. Key historical inflection points intersect with regulatory episodes such as actions by the Federal Communications Commission, litigation before the United States Supreme Court addressing press freedoms, and scholarly conferences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, and Ohio State University. The journal evolved alongside professional associations including the Radio Television Digital News Association, Society of Professional Journalists, and international bodies like the International Communication Association and World Association for Public Opinion Research.

Scope and Academic Focus

The journal’s remit encompasses scholarship on journalism practice, media economics, digital communication technologies, public opinion, and media law. Contributors frequently reference institutional case studies involving The Guardian, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, and Bloomberg L.P. as well as platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, and TikTok. Theoretical lineage connects to work by scholars associated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, Annenberg School for Communication, London School of Economics, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge. Methodological approaches intersect with projects funded by entities like the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, European Research Council, and foundations affiliated with Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and Knight Foundation.

Editorial Structure and Publication Details

The editorial board typically comprises academics and practitioners from institutions such as University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Michigan, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Guest editors have included scholars from Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, Duke University, and international partners like University of Amsterdam and University of Melbourne. The journal issues special issues and symposia coordinated with conferences at Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, International Association for Media and Communication Research, and interdepartmental centers such as Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Tow Center for Digital Journalism. Production schedules, peer-review procedures, and open access discussions often reference publishers including SAGE Publications, Oxford University Press, Taylor & Francis, and Routledge.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic services and citation databases alongside titles covered by Clarivate Analytics, Scopus, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and JSTOR. Related indexing intersects with disciplinary repositories connected to Google Scholar, CrossRef, DOAJ, WorldCat, and specialized bibliographies curated by Library of Congress and national libraries such as the British Library and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Impact metrics are discussed relative to rankings produced by Eigenfactor, Scimago Journal Rank, and analyses by Journal Citation Reports.

Influence and Reception

The journal has informed debates within institutions and outlets including United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, European Commission, Congressional Research Service, and policy reviews appearing in The Economist, The Atlantic (magazine), Columbia Journalism Review, Nieman Foundation, and Poynter Institute commentary. Its research has been cited in reports by Pew Research Center, Center for Democracy & Technology, Open Society Foundations, and think tanks like Berkman Klein Center, Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Brookings Institution. Citation networks connect to scholars affiliated with Noam Chomsky, Marshall McLuhan, Walter Lippmann-related archives, and contemporary voices at Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Noteworthy contributions include empirical investigations that intersect with events and organizations such as the Watergate scandal, studies of coverage surrounding the Iraq War, analyses of election reporting tied to 2008 United States presidential election and 2016 United States presidential election, and examinations of digital platforms during crises like the Arab Spring. Special issues have focused on themes resonant with work at International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Global Investigative Journalism Network, and collaborations with media projects at ProPublica and The Intercept. Influential methodological pieces reference practices from content analysis traditions and computational approaches developed at centers like Oxford Internet Institute and Alan Turing Institute.

Category:Communication journals