Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Political Communication online


The 3rd issue of Political Communication is online: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/upcp20/current

Call for Papers

Special Issue of Journalism Studies on the Mediatization of Politics

Mediatization is in the process of becoming a key concept in research on the media’s influence in different spheres of social and political life. However, it is only recently that scholars have moved beyond using mediatization as a catchall concept. Although there is still not one authoritative definition, most observers agree that ultimately, mediatization of politics refers to media-induced changes in the public representation of politics and the adaptive behaviors of political actors and institutions.

In this process, the role of the news media is central. Theoretically, the process of mediatization of politics gains pace when the news media increase their independence from politics and when news journalism increasingly is shaped by the news media’s own logic and standards of newsworthiness. Since the news media have become the most important communicative link in political circles and to the public, the incentives to adapt to the operating logic of media become stronger, to the extent that media logic may eventually subsume political logic. Hence, on a theoretical level of analysis the news media and news journalism both shape and are shaped by processes of mediatization.

This Special Issue of Journalism Studies on the Mediatization of Politics will thus focus on the role of the news media and of news journalism in the processes of the mediatization of politics. We invite theoretical as well as empirical articles that focus on different aspects on the role of the news media and news journalism in the processes of the mediatization of the politics, including:

– the production of news and the relationship between news media and political actors;
– the content of news journalism and the extent to which it is shaped by different logics;
– the news media as an institution;
– the extent to which as well as how political actors adapt to the news media;
– the implications of the rise of digital media for the mediatization of politics.

Prospective authors should email an abstract of approximately 500 words to Jesper Strömbäck (jesper.stromback@miun.se) and Frank Esser (f.esser@ipmz.uzh.ch). The editors will review all submissions, and successful authors will be invited to submit a full manuscript. Selected papers will be subjected to peer review.

• Deadline for abstracts: December 15, 2012.

• Deadline for submission of full articles: June 2013

Call for Special Issue

The United States Presidential Election 2012
Perspectives from Election Studies, Political and Communication Sciences

Edited by Christoph Bieber & Klaus Kamps

With Barack Obama and Mitt Romney engaged in a tight race for the White House, the 2012 US Presidential Election will offer a broad range of starting-points for academic scrutiny. Especially, the use of media (old and new) will be crucial for the candidates, as well as for the public perception of the political system as a whole. The role of the US in international politics, an enduring global economic crisis, a struggling European Union, and the emergence of a set of new players on the global political stage provide the context for various analyses from different perspectives in the Social Sciences. In the US, the polarized party system with some new undercurrents (Tea Party Patriots, Occupy Movement), the advent of the SuperPACs, and the rise of social media have significantly changed the foundations for political campaigning.
The book will examine the complex aspects of the US presidential election, reflecting it as a multi-faceted communication process in the context of current societal conditions. Within the German-speaking social sciences, some monographs are concerned with e.g. the electoral system or electoral demographics in the US, but there is no integrated approach combining the resources and methods from different disciplines. This collection promises a comprehensive approach and provides additional perspectives for further (e.g. comparative) research.
The book will be published by Springer VS in the summer of 2013, editors are Christoph Bieber (University of Duisburg-Essen / Germany) & Klaus Kamps (University of Erfurt / Germany); papers may be written (and will be published) in English or German.
To give a few examples of what individual chapters might include:

Basics, for example:

- Recent Trends in Presidential Elections
- Recent Trends in US-political Culture
- Role and Function of Midterm Elections
- Lobbying and Campaign Financing
- Reform of Campaign Finance: “Citizens United” and the Rise of SuperPACs
- Third parties? Tea Party, Organizing for America, #Occupy
- Early Voting, Electronic Voting and Other Ways of Modernizing the Electoral Process

Election studies, for example:
- Election Outcome and Electoral Behavior
- Sociology of Electoral Behavior from a Historical Perspective
- Dynamics of Electoral Agendas

Studies on the protagonists and communicative strategies, for example
- Campaign Strategies, Dynamics of Campaign Communication
- Campaign Events (e.g. Conventions, Debates)
- Perception of Campaigns
- Innovations in Campaigning
- Elections and Transparency (e.g. OpenSecrets, Sunlight Foundation)
- Campaign Coverage

Governmental studies, for example:
- Transition: From Election Day to Inauguration
- The Rhetoric Presidency / The Presidential Party

Contributions may address one or more of these aspects and may be delivered in German as well as in English (APA6 style).
Subject to funding, a symposium of authors will be held in Duisburg in February 2013, where authors will be invited to discuss their chapters.

Deadlines:
Deadline for EXTENDED ABSTRACTS (max. 1,500 words) is October 15th, 2012.
Deadline for contributions to the symposium of authors (about 5,000 words) is January 31st, 2013.
Deadline for the first version of the FINAL MANUSCRIPT is April 15th, 2013.
Deadline for the last version of the FINAL MANUSCRIPT is May 15th, 2013.

Please send your proposals to:
christoph.bieber@uni-due.de
klaus.kamps@uni-erfurt.de

Virtual Panel on Mobilization, Activism, and Communication Technologies

Mobilization, Activism, and Communication Technologies , a co-sponsored panel of Division 40, Information Technology and Politics, and Division 38, Political Communications has scheduled a virtual panel for October 2, 2012 at 10:00 .a.m. CST.

The URL for the virtual panel is http://www.anymeeting.com/conferencepdyuz1 . The forum that our panel is using is anymeeting. Our virtual conference room has the ability to accommodate 25 presenters and attendees. There will be approximately 15 openings for attendees.


For additional information about this panel please contact Charles Mitchell at mitchellc@gram.edu.


Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Postdoctoral Scholar in Community-Based Campaign Communications

The University of Kentucky is pleased to announce a postdoctoral scholar
position in Community-Based Campaign Communications in the Department of
Community and Leadership Development. The position seeks a candidate to
work with Dr. Seungahn Nah and Dr. Kang Namkoong through the University
of Kentucky’s Community Communication Research Group (UK-CCRG). This
is a one-year, 12-month position with a possibility of a single year
renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of
funding. The position includes a competitive stipend plus benefits and
is available July 1 with a negotiable starting date no later than August
24, 2012.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a research program
with the research team focusing on the community-based campaign
communications (e.g., health, science, environmental, risk communication
and/or civic, political, and nonprofit communication).

Qualifications:
• An earned doctorate in communication, journalism, media studies,
sociology, anthropology, public health, information studies, computer
science or related discipline (the Ph.D. must be completed prior to
appointment).
• Demonstrated research productivity.
• Ability to compete for external funding.
• Interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a variety of
audiences and stakeholders.

Review of applicants will begin on May 21 and continue until a suitable
candidate is found. Interested candidates should send a letter of
interest, a curriculum vita, a representative writing sample, and
contact information of three references to: Dr. Seungahn Nah, Associate
Professor of Community Communication, Department of Community and
Leadership Development, 500 Garrigus Bldg., University of Kentucky,
Lexington, KY 40546-0215 (phone: 859-257-1509; e-mail:
seungahn.nah@uky.edu [7]). The University of Kentucky is an Equal
Opportunity Employer. Applications from minorities and females are
encouraged.

Book Review Editor

The editor of Political Communication and the Joint Publications
Committee of APSA and ICA invite applications for the position of Book
Review Editor, effective January 1, 2013.

If you are interested or know someone who is interested in this
position:

The Book Review Editor is responsible for working with book publishers,
reviewers, the journal editor, and a production manager to produce
review essays for each quarterly issue. The duties include identifying
appropriate reviewers, distributing books for review, and editing review
essays submitted electronically. The Book Review editor works with the
journal editor to meet the publication cycle for quarterly publication.

Interested applicants should forward, by 15 June 2012, a letter of
application as well as a CV indicating relevant experience. The term of
appointment is three years, beginning January 1, 2013, though the
editor-elect would work during the transition period (September through
December 2012) with the current editor. The Book Review editor receives
a small annual stipend from Taylor & Francis.

Please direct all queries and expressions of interest to the chair of
the Joint Publications Committee, Patricia Moy (pmoy@uw.edu).

Call for Papers: Communication Methods and Measures

Journal of the Communication Theory and Methodology Division of the AEJMC

Special Issue on Empirical Approaches to the Study of Selective Exposure

Deadline: September 1, 2012

Changes over the last few decades in the media landscape and the
technology by which information is delivered have made it possible for
people to custom tailor their exposure to media content in ways no one
could have foreseen a generation ago. As a result, scholars from
communication, political science, psychology, and other disciplines have
speculated about and empirically examined selective tailoring and
exposure. A variety of factors causing selective exposure have been
studied, including partisanship, utility considerations, moods, and
personality characteristics, for example. Moreover, various outcomes of
interest have been investigated, including political participation,
learning, accessibility of attitudes about the self and others, and
consumer behavior, among others. Yet there has been little to no
systematic treatment of the various approaches available to researchers
on how to empirically measure such selective exposure and the relative
strengths and weaknesses of those approaches.

COMMUNICATION METHODS AND MEASURES, published by Routledge, Taylor &
Francis, is issuing a call for a special issue on empirical approaches
to the study of selective exposure. Manuscripts that focus on survey and
experimental approaches to the study of selective exposure are
especially sought, although all research traditions and methods are
welcomed. Submissions should focus on the methodology of selective
exposure research rather than empirically documenting the existence of
selective exposure effects. Manuscripts can be data driven or not, but
must emphasize methodology so as to guide future researchers interested
in studying selective exposure.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SPECIAL ISSUE CAN BE DIRECTED TO ANDREW F. HAYES,
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The deadline for submission for consideration is SEPTEMBER 1, 2012.
Submitters should include a statement in the cover letter that the
manuscript is being submitted for the special issue on selective
exposure research. Articles will be peer reviewed and a decision
rendered within 90 days, with a target publication date of summer 2013.
Instructions for authors and a description of the online submission
process can be found on the journal’s home page at
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/HCMS

The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication

Announcing the SAGE Handbook of Political Communication, edited by Holli A Semetko and Margaret Scammell.

This authoritative and comprehensive survey of political communication draws together a team of the world's leading scholars to provide a state-of-the-art review that sets the agenda for future study. It is divided into five sections:

Part One: explores the macro-level influences on political communication such as the media industry, new media, technology, and political systems

Part Two: takes a grassroots perspective of the influences of social networks - real and online - on political communication

Part Three: discusses methodological advances in political communication research

Part Four: focuses on power and how it is conceptualized in political communication

Part Five: provides an international, regional, and comparative understanding of political communication in its various contexts

The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication is an essential benchmark publication for advanced students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of politics, media and communication, sociology and research methods.

Please visit the SAGE website at http://www.uk.sagepub.com/books/Book232880 for more information.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

ICA Political Communication Division Business Meeting Agenda 2012

Below you will find the Agenda for the 2012 Political Division Business Meeting for ICA in Phoenix, AZ


* WELCOME (Yariv Tsfati)
* Approval of the 2011 Business Meeting minutes

* Report from ICA Board of Directors meeting (Yariv Tsfati)
ACTION ITEMS
INFORMATION ITEMS
DISCUSSION ITEMS

* Report about the activities of the division (Yariv Tsfati)
Graduate student preconference update, co-sponsor of three conferences, the Kaid-Sanders fund established.

* Secretary/Treasurer report on division membership (Yariv for Susan Holmberg)

*Budget taskforce report and approval of the budget for FY 2012-2013(Yariv Tsfati)

*Ideas for new divisional award(s) (Yariv Tsfati and Claes de Vreese)

* Journal report: Political Communication (Patricia Moy for Shanto Iyengar)

* Joint Publications Committee report (Patricia Moy)

* Newsletter and website report: (Talia Stroud and blogger Maegan Stephens)

* Program Planner's report, travel grant and paper award winners (Claes de Vreese)

* 2011 Sanders-Kaid Political Communication Article of the Year Award (Keren Tenenboim Weinblatt for Scott Althaus)

* David Swanson Award (Steeve Reese)

* New business and announcements from the floor (if any)

* Passing of the gavel

* Off-site reception: directions and details

* ADJOURN

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

ICA Joint Happy Hour

The Journalism Studies and Political Communication divisions of the International Communication Association invite you to our annual reception.

Please join us for our joint happy hour event on Sunday, May 27, immediately following our business meetings (approximately 6 pm).

Location: The First Amendment Forum at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University. 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004

Walking to Walter Cronkite School from the conference hotel will take 5 to 10 minutes. Here's a link to a locator map, showing the Sheraton Hotel and the Cronkite School:

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=340+n+3r+st+phoenix&daddr=33.4534665,-112.070813+to:33.45347,-112.07126+to:555+N.+Central+Avenue+phoenix&hl=en&ll=33.45385,-112.073679&spn=0.004547,0.00809&sll=33.4536,-112.07155&sspn=0.004807,0.00809&geocode=FZVy_gEdH_JR-SkRpVhgGBIrhzGEoaJSJGi_7g%3BFZp1_gEdY-9R-SkLhtxtGBIrhzF_7074wYP6wQ%3BFZ51_gEdpO1R-SkLhtxtGBIrhzF_7074wYP6wQ%3BFfZ2_gEd6eVR-Snp51zGIhIrhzGrVmK3ytbcdA&t=m&dirflg=w&mra=dvme&mrsp=1&sz=17&via=1,2&z=17


Please copy the link, paste it in your internet browser and you will see the directions. It's a good idea to bring a PRINTED COPY with you to Phoenix. If you can't access the map, Google maps offers these walking directions:

From the hotel, head north. Turn left onto E Taylor St. The Walter Cronkite School is three blocks away, on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and E Taylor Street.


The event is sponsored by Tailor & Francis.

See you there!

Yariv Tsfati, Claes de Vreese (Political Communication)

Frank Esser, Stephanie Craft (Journalism Studies)

ICA Political Communication Division 2011 Business Meeting Minutes (Boston, MA)

* WELCOME (Yariv Tsfati)

Conference called to order at 16.30

* Approval of the 2010 Business Meeting minutes

Minutes approved


* Report from ICA Board of Directors meeting (Yariv Tsfati)

  • Record high submissions, attendance despite low paper acceptance rate
  • Suggested visiting virtual conference – more comments there than in “3D” sessions!
  • Limit number of submissions to 5 per submitter. Executive committee – both interest in and fear about going to China – decision to go to Fukoka, Japan in 2016, and first try a regional conference in China.
  • Policy for political engagement was accepted – procedure for timely political engagement approved
  • Update on upcoming Regional conferences


*From the annual report of the division (Yariv Tsfati): the first graduate student preconference was held at BU. 24 students presented their work; Special thanks to preconference committee (Kevin Barnhurst, Patricia Moy, Jim Shanahan, Claes de Vreese, Geoffrey Baym). Special thanks to BU and Jim Shanahan for sponsoring the event.


*From the annual report of the division – Transnational Connections Symposium, Segovia, Spain – many thanks to Patricia Moy–Magdalena Wojcieszak - hopes this will become a bi-annual event); Conference in Warsaw, September, mentioned by Agnieszka Stepinska


*Upcoming division elections (Yariv Tsfati). Nominations committee: Hernando Rojas, U of Madison, Wisconsin (Chair), Erik Albæk, U of Southern Denmark, Lilach Nir, Hebrew U, ISRAEL and Marko Skoric, Nanyang Technical U. The deadline for nominations is June 8.


*Proposal for a Kaid- Sanders Award (Jesper Strömbäck) explained that Linda Kaid had passed away this year and proposed to establish an Award in her name and in the name of her mentor and division founder Keith Sander.

- Yariv notes that Linda’s husband Cliff Jones has generously offered to match up to USD 12,000 to create an award fund whose fruits will be used to give a cash prize for the award winner. Members were asked to contribute through the ICA wesite.

- A motion proposed to name the division’s best paper award as the Kaid-Sanders award –(Motion passed)


* Secretary/Treasurer report on division membership and finances (Susan Holmberg)

Our budget for the current year is USD 8,520: USD 2,250 will go to T&F for free online access to the journal, 2,000 (approximately) will be spent on the reception. Approximately 500 for travel grants and plaque. The preconference may cost an additional 500. So I think it is safe to say we should have at least 3,000 USd left.

Membership is 756 a slight increase from last year (705).


* Journal report: Political Communication (Shanto Iyengar)

Current acceptance rate 13-14 % (up somewhat from last year)

Backlog is currently 4 issues

Temporarily disbanded special issues


* Joint Publications Committee report (Patricia Moy)

Motion proposed to cancel online subscription at 3.00/head at the end of the period – as there does not seem to be extensive use of this option. Motion carried.

Patria Moy then presented the displeasure of the joint publication committee with the contract with the publisher. On the other hand, T&F owns the title so we can’t break off and negotiate with another publisher – something else that would include AEJMC IAMCR, etc. another option is to remain with better conditions and to get Taylor and Francis to increase compensation and royalties. Question from the floor: Can we have our own e-journal with the exact same name?

1. Motion that division empowers elected officers and publication committee to express its displeasure with T&F about the current terms of the contract (motion passed)

2. Contingent on response the joint publications committee is to seriously consider an appropriate response (motion passed)


* Newsletter and website report: (Talia Stroud and blogger Maegan Stephens): Invited members to visit website and blog and share announcements with membership using these outlets.


* Program Planner's report, travel grant and paper award winners (Claes de Vreese)

-Most papers reviewed by 3 reviewers - 646 reviewer transaction. All reviewers had a Phd. (33% US, 45% Europe, 22% elsewhere).

-260 papers (up from 182 last year and 232 in Chicago)

-132 papers were accepted, for a 51 % acceptance rate

-There were 22 panel proposals submitted (all reviewed by three reviewers); up from 9 last year.

-5 were accepted (23 % acceptance rate).

-Gave preference to full papers given competitiveness.


*Top student papers:

-Augmenting or Ameliorating the Knowledge Gap? A Panel Analysis of the Effects of Political TV Exposure on Campaign Learning, Susanna Dilliplane, U of Pennsylvania

-Brandishing Broomsticks and Dumping Dow: Rhetoric of Alternative Media Texts Related to Bhopal Gas Tragedy Activism, Rahul Mukherjee, Film and Media Studies, UCSB

-Effects of the Obama Presidential Campaign on White Racial Prejudice, Seth Goldman, Annenberg, U Penn


*Top faculty paper - The Online Flow of Environmental Advocacy Clips From The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, Geoffrey Baym, U North Carolina – Greensboro

Chirag Shah, Rutgers University


*Travel grants - to Jenna Mae Atun (Manila) and Rico Neumann (Costa Rica)


*2010 Political Communication Article of the Year Award (Maria Jose Canel for Chip Eveland; committee members: María José Canel, Clarissa David, William Eveland (chair), Jesper Strömbäck, David Weaver). The winner is:

Rojas, H. (2010). “Corrective” actions in the public sphere: How perceptions of media and media effects shape political behavior. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 22, 343-363.

Honorable mentions:

-Nisbet, E. C., & Myers, T. A. (2010). Challenging the state: Transnational TV and political identity in the Middle East. Political Communication, 27, 347-366.

-Strömbäck, J., & Shehata, A. (2010). Media malaise or a virtuous circle? Exploring the causal relationship between news media exposure, political news attention and political interest. European Journal of Political Research, 49, 575-597.


* New business and announcements from the floor (if any)

No new business


* Off-site reception: directions and details


* ADJOURN

Meeting adjourned at 17.44 pm

ICA 2011 Budget Proposal

FY Last year: 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013
Reveues
membership (carryover money included) 8,770.00 8,542.00 8,600.00
Royelties-T&F 5,496.00 5,580.00 12,000.00
Honorarium - T&F 3,750.00 3,750.00
Total revenues 14,266.00 17,872.00 24,350.00
Expenses
Reception -1,700.00 -2,400.00 -3,500.00
Top student paper awards (3 * 500) -1,500.00 -1,500.00
Student Travel (ICA adds a matching fund of 300) -700.00 -4,600.00 -4,600.00
Top student paper from B-C country -1,000.00
Misc. (plaques etc) -200.00 -300.00 -300.00
Transfer to Sander-Kaid Fund -7,496.00
Awards -500.00 -1,000.00
Website/newsletter support -350.00 0.00 -500.00
Grad student preconference -4,000.00 -8,000.00
Total -10,446.00 -13,300.00 -20,400.00
Ending balance 3,820.00 4,572.00 3,950.00

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Call for Chapter: International Political Communication edited volume

The impact and significance of global political communication has become unavoidable over the last decade as the war on terrorism played out on the international mass media. Much of the research in this area has been driven by data derived from western and developed countries. It is quite plausible that as the political, economic, and cultural milieu of a nation changes, the form of political communication that is possible there also changes. Considering the growing impact of new communication technology and globalization of media, it is very important for the field to begin looking at the ways in which political communication is divergent as well as comparable in different countries. This edited book will examine the interaction of media and politics in diverse countries by drawing on global scholarship in political communication.

We are soliciting chapters from scholars studying specific regions and countries. The chapters will be designed as case studies that detail the way politics is communicated and talked about through the media in these territories. Authors are asked to focus particularly on theoretical analysis as well as an assessment of the impact of communication technology advances and their impact on traditional modes of communication. One clear example of the change wrought by new technologies has occurred throughout the Middle East. In the case of the Arab Spring, the traditional models of top down communication were largely superseded by the mass use of the internet and cell phones. Furthermore, the effect was heightened by a strong element of cross-fertilization of ideas across the region which was facilitated both through the internet as well as Arabic language mass media. The influence of regional, common-language mass media in these protests was also an indication of the increasing influence of regional content providers as opposed to the traditional impact of English language transnational media.

The juxtaposition of these case studies sets the stage for learning from the way culture, history and media interact to create the particular manifestations of political communication in countries around the world. In addition, the volume is designed to examine the application and validity of popular media theories across different cultural and media contexts. In this case, the emphasis placed on theoretical analysis in the case studies will illuminate the way in which a theory that was created in a Western context can be applied and/or extended through its use in understanding an Asian or African location. In addition, readers would be introduced to theory being constructed in other regions of the world.

If interested, please submit an abstract (500 words) and CV by June 30, 2012. Completed chapters of 4000 – 5000 words will need to be submitted by September 30, 2012.

Please send all abstracts and inquiries to Saman Talib at samantalib1@hotmail.com