Journalists perform the critical role of being society’s interpreters for translating complex information into easily digestible news. But today’s media landscape keeps throwing more challenges. From declining readership of traditional media to rising disinformation, understanding the media today can be daunting.

The work of academics can help journalists extract information to make sense of this dynamic field. Dr. Alexis von Mirbach of LMU Munich says, “academia remains a space for reflection, solutions and to connect humanity.” He adds that “journalists should always keep an eye on academia - without losing the capacity to also criticise academia.”

Here is a list of prominent journals and organisations that can help us understand the journalistic landscape better.

Prominent literature databases

Many organisations and universities have compiled a list of resources that can be a great starting point for understanding the big media themes. Reuters Institute’s “A selection of readings on journalism - for journalists” is a curated list that points out key texts and papers for a variety of topics. This includes topics like business and media, innovation in media, local journalism and more.

More specialised databases are hosted by different universities. University of Sheffield’s Centre for Freedom of the Media hosts a Press Freedom and Journalist Safety database where key texts on press freedom, digital safety and journalist safety issues can be found.

European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) has a searchable database titled Scientific Publications Repository where one can find key texts on the topic of disinformation and fake news. LSE also curates a list of resources valuable to understanding the field of AI and Journalism.

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How to follow the latest research

In the databases mentioned above, you might come across research that might have been published a few years back. To stay updated on the latest research, you can sign up for various newsletters.

RQ1 is one such newsletter that would provide you updates in the field of news and journalism monthly. Operated by former journalists and current academics Mark Coddington and Seth Lewis, this newsletter can be an easy way to follow academic updates.

One can also receive email alerts from prominent research journals for free. Taylor & Francis and Sage Journals offer the option to send email alerts of their various journals on a daily/ weekly or monthly basis. Here are some prominent journals one can follow from these two publishers.

Taylor and Francis:

Sage Journals:

Other journals:

International Journal of Communication
The Journal of Media Innovations

Organisations to follow

Multiple organisations are at the forefront of publishing research. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford is well-known for its yearly publication of Digital News Report. This report presents a global overview of the trends present in digital news consumption, dissemination and more.

Reuters Institute also performs research on their two other lesser-known projects namely – Trust in News Project and Changing Newsrooms. Their annual Journalism Fellowship programme also produces research in many critical and geographically diverse journalism topics.

Worlds of Journalism Study is another collaboration that studies journalism in multiple countries. Their research focuses on journalists’ role conception, editorial freedom, impact of technology and more in over 60 countries.

In recent years, press freedom and the safety of journalists have become an important focus of academia. RSF’s World Press Freedom Index annually ranks 180 countries based on the country’s press freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists also monitors the safety of journalists and provides resources for journalist safety. ECPMF’s Mapping Media Freedom documents media and press freedom violations in EU Member states and Candidate countries.

The BBC Academy and College of Journalism is a platform to get updates on training and building up industry essential skills. Columbia Journalism School’s Tow Centre for Digital Journalism researches technology’s impact on journalism.

Source of the cover photo: https://unsplash.com

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Academic resources to understand media and journalism better

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