The Johnston Press Chair in Digital Journalism, Professor Jane Singer, has won an award for an article she wrote on the role of journalists’ in new media.

The Clifford G. Christians Ethics Research Award 2007 will be awarded to Jane at the annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in Washington, DC.

Janeís article, The Socially Responsible Existentialist: A Normative Emphasis for Journalists in a New Media Environment , was published last year in Journalism Studies. It considers how a networked media environment emphasises the need for individual journalists to freely choose to act in a way that serves the public, blending together two competing philosophical approaches – existentialism and social responsibility.

Clifford Christians is renowned for his research into media ethics. He is a prolific and widely cited author and was awarded the 2006 Missouri Honour Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Honoured

Jane said: ìI am very honoured to accept this award, which is named after someone who is so well respected in the field of media ethics.î

Jane will also participate in two panels and will present a paper at the AEJMC convention that looks at the use of blogs as a teaching tool.

She commented: ìI will discuss the use of blogs in pedagogy and the idea of blended learning. Technological learning works best when combined with face-to-face classroom interactions.î

Jane will receive further accolade from Kappu Tau Alpha, a US journalism honour society that recognises college academic excellence, to mark ten years spent as a campus chapter advisor, both at the University of Iowa and Colorado State University. She currently serves as national vice president of the society.

More info
Department of Journalism research
More information on the Clifford G. Christians Ethics Research Award

Related news
Chair in digital journalism arrives in department