Celebrating Faculty Excellence
As part of our strategic plan, faculty at the School of Journalism and Media are invested in producing high-impact, interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative work that creates a more just, prosperous, and sustainable future. This faculty showcase exemplifies the excellence and hard work our faculty invest into achieving this goal.
Featured faculty research
Please note that some articles, books, and other published works may require a subscription. Students and UT employees interested in reading a published piece can seek access through the UT Libraries website, lib.utk.edu.
Assistant Professor Shiyu Yang
Using data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults, this study published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly explores how trust in key actors to responsibly manage artificial intelligence (AI) develops among members of the US population and how trust, along with other key factors, shapes public attitudes toward AI.
Assistant Professor Martin Riedl
The use of geolocation data by political campaigns is often the subject of media concern. In this Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies article, researchers conducted interviews with 14 leading industry professionals in the United States to examine the common scenarios and associated concerns of using geolocation data to target voters.
Assistant Professor Mustafa Oz
This Social Media + Society study aimed to explore the perceptions, concerns, and strategies of LGBTQ social media activists in Turkey. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 LGBTQ social media activists, we investigated how they navigate cultural and political challenges and utilize social media for activism purposes.
Assistant Professor Shiyu Yang
This study examined the effectiveness of using comics to communicate scientific information on COVID-19 vaccine safety to Black Americans. The findings highlight the potential of comics in science communication, but their design and target audience should be carefully considered.
More faculty research
“Perceived Social Sanctions and Deindividuation: Understanding the Silencing Process on Social Media Platforms” – in the International Journal of Communication by Associate Professor Mustafa Oz
“Political Influencers on Social Media: An Introduction” – in Social Media + Society, by “Using Facebook Messenger versus Groups for News Engagement” – in Digital Journalism by Assistant Professor Martin Riedl
“Using Facebook Messenger versus Groups for News Engagement” – in Digital Journalism by Assistant Professor Martin Riedl
“How Disinformation on WhatsApp Went From Campaign Weapon to Governmental Propaganda in Brazil” – in Social Media + Society by Assistant Professor Martin Riedl
“Implementing effective digital privacy policy: the road ahead in post-pandemic times” – a chapter in the book Pandemic Surveillance, by Professor Stuart Brotman
“‘I Don’t Know How You Get Past That’: Racism and Stereotyping in College Football Recruiting Media” in Sociology of Sport Journal by Associate Professor Guy Harrison
“Intolerant versus uncivil: Examining types, directions and deliberative attributes of incivility on Facebook versus Twitter” in First Monday by Associate Professor Mustafa Oz
J&M faculty articles in The Conversation
Professor Catherine Luther
“Russia’s Invasion United Different Parts of Ukraine Against a Common Enemy – 3 Years on, that Unanimity Still Holds”– co-authored with Ben Horne and R. Alexander Bentley
Creative Work
Eyes on LaFollette
by Professor Rob Heller
Eyes on LaFollette is an annual photography project by Professor Robert Heller featuring three decades of work done by students in the advanced photojournalism class at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Every year, Heller takes students to the same East Tennessee city to document their everyday lives.
JobPop Series
by Professor Nicholas Geidner
Land Grant Films has partnered with East Tennessee PBS to provide educational programming designed to reach a younger audience. The series introduces children to jobs they may find interesting and explains what each profession does.