Director's Note

Happy Spring!

Tomorrow is One Day for Iowa, the University of Iowa’s 24-hour online giving day. One Day for Iowa is a great time to get involved and show your support for SJMC and UI by donating, posting on social media, and sharing your SJMC story.

SJMC would not be what it is today without the support we receive from our community. We pride ourselves on the educational and professional experience that we provide inside and outside the classroom. Providing scholarships and support for internships and study abroad, funding memberships and trips to conferences, bringing professionals to campus, covering the cost for professional trips, supporting research, and making new technology accessible and available to all are just a few of the ways that donors support SJMC students and faculty.

We would love for you to be a part of our story. Consider donating and sharing your SJMC story.

We have three featured stories this month.

First, we have a recap of your Washington, DC spring break trip. Visiting associate professor, Brett Johnson, and 11 students visited Washington, DC for a media law trip. During the trip, they met with several SJMC alum, visited the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, toured the White House, learned from NBC and NPR reporters about what it’s like to cover the courts and visited the sites in DC. The trip was supported by a generous gift from SJMC alum John Kamp.

Media Law trip to Washington, DC in March 2024

Second, we are continuing work on More than a Moment, the Iowa Women’s Basketball book. The book features photography of this season and beyond from Daily Iowan photographers and essays from Billie Jean King, Jackie Stiles, Gov. Kim Reynolds, and more. The book is available for preorder and will be published in late April/early May.

Finally, our 100^th anniversary dinner is fast approaching. The event on April 13 will feature remarks from SJMC alum and keynote speaker, Maudlyne Ihejirika on the future of journalism and storytelling. Join us to learn about on-going initiatives in SJMC and see the exciting work happening on campus and in our community. Registration is required by April 3.

If you have a story to share, please send it to sjmc@uiowa.edu.

Melissa Tully, Director

State of Visual Evidence Symposium April 8, 2024

Assistant professors Sang Jung Kim, Alex Scott, and Bingbing Zhang invite those interested in the field of visual communication to discuss current challenges and opportunities that synthetic media pose for the contemporary media environment, and how we can utilize visuals as data to answer social scientific questions. Check out the full schedule to learn more about the event speakers. This virtual event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

SJMC 100^th Anniversary Events April 10-13, 2024

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication will celebrate its 100th anniversary with several events from April 10-13, 2024. Hear from NPR’s Global Democracy Correspondent Frank Langfitt in a free public lecture on April 10. Explore SJMC student work and celebrate scholarship and award winners at our exhibition and reception on April 11. Get the “Inside Scoop” at Investigate Midwest’s storytelling event on April 12. Celebrate 100 years of SJMC at our Anniversary Dinner. For more information about these and other events, visit our events page.

Faculty News

Professor David Dowling published a new book Podcast Journalism: The Promise and Perils of Audio Reporting. The book examines how podcasting and its evolving conventions are transforming reporting—and even reshaping journalism’s core functions and identity.

Joanna Krajewski, director of the Master of Arts in Strategic Communication program, published “Let us take care of the medicine”: A qualitative analysis of physician communication when caring for febrile infants in the journal Academic Pediatrics.

Associate professor Rachel Young spoke with KCRG about her research into how parents monitor children's social media use.

Graduate Student News

Ugochukwu Madu received an Easton award to support his project, “Misinformation in Alt Medicine: Newsroom as a Solution to the Ọgbanje Myth in Nigeria.” He also won a 2024 Stanley Award for International Research.

Javie Ssozi received an Easton award to support his project, “Cultural Lenses and Frames: How Sociocultural Factors Shape the Narratives and Practices of Local and Foreign Photojournalists in Uganda.”

Frankline Matanji received the “Face of ISAB” award for his hard work, dedication, and outstanding contributions to the International Student Advisory Board.

Undergraduate News

President Barb Wilson and James McCurtis III

James McCurtis was selected to represent the University of Iowa for the Institute for Responsible Citizenship's prestigious Washington Program. McCurtis is the first student to be selected from the University of Iowa for this program.

Grace Smith and Emily Nyberg won Hearst Picture Story/Series Competition Awards! Smith placed first and Nyberg placed fourth. The University of Iowa placed first in the Intercollegiate Photojournalism Competition with the highest accumulated student points from the two photo competitions.

SJMC students Kenna Roering, Colin Votzmeyer, and Cooper Worth were guests on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. They discussed what it's like to cover Caitlin Clark as a student journalist.

SJMC students visit Baltimore for the 2024 NICAR conference

Students in the Iowa Online News Association chapter traveled to Baltimore for the 2024 NICAR conference. The group learned new skills in investigative reporting and data journalism and networked with professionals.

The University of Iowa PRSSA chapter is collaborating with the Johnson County Clean Energy District and the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association on public relations projects to support their organizational missions.

SJMC Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary in 2024

As an alum, student, faculty, staff, and friend of SJMC, you’ve experienced what it means to be part of this school, and we hope you’ll consider supporting us as we start our next 100 years. To do so, I’d like to invite you to contribute to the 100th anniversary fund and attend the anniversary dinner on April 13, 2024 in Iowa City. Contributions to SJMC support student experiences, including trips to professional conferences and media companies, networking events, workshops, study abroad, internships and research.