Abstract
This is the first issue of Newspaper Research Journal (NRJ) with a new editor in a longtime. So, as its new editor, I first want to thank its longtime now former editors, Sandy Utt and Elinor Grusin, for growing and strengthening the journal for such a longtime. I have “inherited” an excellent and experienced large and diverse editorial board and the journal’s fine book reviews editor, Prof. Matt Haught of the University of Memphis.
I also have inherited the journal’s thousands of faithful subscribers and readers, and its loyal supporters, some of whom have contributed articles and book reviews and served on its editorial board. The transition was substantial, not just a change in editors, but fully integrating the journal’s operations into SAGE Publications’ submissions and review process. Sandy and Elinor and SAGE Publications all did literally everything they could to make the transition as seamless as possible. To any extent that it was not that is on me.
I also want to thank Lynn Franken, former Vice President of Academic Affairs/Dean at Thiel College, for supporting my application for the editorship.
Readers may not notice any changes with this issue. Virtually the entire editorial board chose to continue through the transition and I have appointed only a few new editorial board members so far. All articles in this issue and in at least the next two were refereed, revised, accepted, and scheduled by Sandy and Elinor. Most changes in the journal, big and small, will happen gradually over time.
One exception is that the journal’s submission guidelines already have changed, effective immediately, including requiring all new manuscripts to be submitted in American Psychological Association (APA) style, rather than the (slightly modified) University of Chicago Press Style that the journal has used. Another change is that the word length guideline has been increased to 5,000 words, and even longer manuscripts will be considered. The journal has been publishing nine research articles in every issue, but that may well change.
NRJ can be and should be not only the world’s finest scholarly journal for newspaper-related research (many would say it already is) but one that represents and publishes research from around the world. After all, the newspaper industry in each country is watching and learning from other countries, many U.S. faculty and students are from abroad, many of us teach international journalism, some of us have taught abroad, and so on. Therefore, all potential contributors to NRJ need to know that this journal is open to submissions of article manuscripts about all aspects of newspapers from anywhere and everywhere in the world.
I have many other goals. First, over the coming months and years, I want to develop the means to, and habit of trying to, aggressively disseminate research findings in the journal to the newspaper and greater news industry. Many scholars want their research to be seen by industry professionals, if not have a tangible impact on the newspaper industry and larger news industry, and this journal should facilitate that. Getting the word out about NRJ’s content is mainly up to me and SAGE and we will do what we can.
Second, I will invite industry figures to interact with NRJ authors, potential authors, editorial board members, and editors in various ways so that research ideas from the industry get directly into the hands (and minds) of interested scholars. Some years ago, Earl Wilkinson of the International Newspaper Marketing Association prepared a list of research ideas that was widely shared within the Newspaper Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (publisher of this journal), and many research ideas were executed by members of what is now the Newspaper and Online News Division members and others. While not everyone was interested in the list, and perhaps others thought the industry figures should not try to influence theory-driven research agendas, overall, I think it was successful and applaud(ed) Wilkinson’s initiative and efforts.
Likewise, the journal could help facilitate contacts by researchers with industry figures who have volunteered to do anything from react to a research idea to read a final draft before it is sent to NRJ. Both the industry and academics should be encouraged to conduct and publish research together; the industry (or at least parts of it) have the money and have current data. Certainly, the newspaper industry is rightly concerned about confidentiality and competitiveness issues, but currently it appears (at least to me) that the level of joint newspaper industry-scholarly research is minimal, and not only for those reasons. And this at a time when so many journalism departments/schools have set up centers with names like “innovation lab” to, at least theoretically, experiment with ideas that the industry could benefit from.
Third, along with welcoming newspaper-oriented research about and from anywhere in the world, I will increase the international representation on the NRJ’s editorial board.
Fourth, I want NRJ to publish rigorously selected essays about the newspaper industry and newspaper industry research, with a focus on recent and current practices and events.
What can you do, as someone who is, or could be, a contributor to NRJ? Help us achieve those goals if and how you can. And if you are not already following day-to-day events in the newspaper industry, you can and you should. It is not easy, but three sources that I find highly valuable are the daily emails of headlines and links from Editor & Publisher and Columbia Journalism Review magazines, and the weekly email of headlines and links from Media Managers Club (see http://mediamanagersclub.org/). And there are others, of course.
The fact that the newspaper industry in the United States (and everywhere else in the world) is changing daily means it is essentially impossible for a scholar’s research agenda to keep up with more than a fraction of what is going on, but it also means that the industry does not have the time, personnel, and money to conduct research on a lot of what is happening either. What an opportunity for those who seize it!Dane S. ClaussenEditor