The Leibner Cooper Grant for Creative Productions on the History of Media has been awarded to Francesca Soans, University of Northern Iowa for her latest project, The History of KBBG.Francesca Soans is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. Her last film Sons of Jacob Synagogue, a recording of the stories of the Jewish community in Waterloo, won the Loren Horton Community History Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) and gained national recognition by winning a Silver Remi at the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival. Read More…

The 2020 BEA Textbook Award has been awarded to Yumi Wilson, Gina Baleria & Grace Provenzano for Writing & Reporting the News for the 21st Century: The Speed at Which We Travel (Cognella, 2019).In Writing & Reporting the News for the 21st Century, the authors take an innovative approach to teaching the fast-paced world of digital journalism. The text encourages students to embrace technology and social media while holding true to the ethical and professional standards of journalists. Read More…

This is a difficult President’s Corner to write. First, I fully expected to now be past-president. Second, it can be difficult to explain a complex issue in just a few paragraphs. I do, however, know it’s important to add some context to the message sent out from the Board of Directors on Friday. Our discussion began around a recognition that it didn’t make sense to move forward like everything was normal while the world around us was pausing. However, I can say without a doubt that if by some chance the abnormal social functions remain or return, there would be no effort to allow this freeze to go beyond the current year.

I want to note that I did not initiate the action to freeze Board positions and pause elections for one year. The suggestion to do so came from the Executive Committee and was supported by the Executive Director. When asked if I would be willing to continue to serve, I said I would. The Executive Committee discussed the advantages and disadvantages to the organization and deliberated at length about whether or not the action was necessary. Read More…

The 2020 BEA Book Award has been awarded to Philip M. Napoli, Duke University, for his latest book Social Media and the Public Interest: Media Regulation in the Disinformation Age (Columbia University Press, 2019). Philip M. Napoli (Ph.D., Northwestern University) is the James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and a Faculty Affiliate with the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy. Professor Napoli’s research focuses on media institutions and policy. He is the author of over 50 journal articles and several books including: Foundations of Communications Policy: Principles and Process in the Regulation of Electronic Media (Hampton Press, 2001); Audience Economics: Media Institutions and the Audience Marketplace (Columbia University Press, 2003); Audience Evolution: New Technologies and the Transformation of Media Audiences (Columbia University Press, 2011). Read More…

Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media will publish a special issue on “Chinese Electronic Media:  Social Evolution and Social Change in the Digital Information Age.” The idea has been in the works for a few years as a result of annual academic exchanges between BEA and its Chinese counterpart, the Broadcast & New Media Research Association of China (BNMR), and in recognition of the special characteristics of broadcasting and electronic media in China. We welcome submissions on all topics focusing on Chinese electronic media, broadly defined to include greater China. Submissions are open to papers outside the two associations. Read More…

According to Vic Costello, BEA’s Vice President for Academic Relations and chair of the 2020 DESA selection committee, Augie Grant spent much of his 35 year career as a broadcast educator creating opportunities for others in the academy—”encouraging media scholars to collaborate on research and creative works and to come together to share and learn from one another.” As editor of more than 20 books on journalism and technology, he created publishing opportunities for more than 100 faculty authors.  Read Full Release…  

Matthew D. Bunker, Reese Phifer Professor of Journalism Emeritus, the University of Alabama, has been awarded the 2020 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship Award. 

Matthew D. Bunker’s research interests include First Amendment theory and doctrine, defamation, and intellectual property law.  He is the author of three books, including the award-winning “Critiquing Free Speech:  First Amendment Theory and the Challenge of Interdisciplinarity.” He has published numerous academic articles in such journals as the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, Communication Law and Policy, Duke Law and Technology Review, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and the UCLA Entertainment Law Review.   Read Full Release…