Call for Papers: A special issue of Global Media and China (A Sage journal)
Theme: “Citizen Journalism in Asian Countries”
Guest Editors: Xin Zeng, Stuart Allan, Savyasaachi Jain and An Nguyen
Target issue: Winter 2018 (December)
Deadline: Submission of Extended Abstracts: March 30, 2018 (500 words)
OVERVIEW
In the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami of 26 December 2004, the term ‘citizen journalism’ quickly gained currency with news organisations finding themselves in the difficult position of being largely dependent on
‘amateur content’ to tell the story of what was transpiring on the ground in the most severely affected areas. Despite its ambiguities, the term was widely perceived to capture the countervailing ethos of the ordinary person’s capacity to contribute to professional
news coverage, thereby providing commentators with a useful label to characterise an ostensibly new genre of reportage. Over the years since, it has become increasingly apparent that for varied reasons, priorities and motivations, so-called ‘accidental journalists’
– be they survivors, bystanders, first-responders, law enforcement, combatants, activists or the like – feel compelled to bear witness, often at considerable personal risk. The implications for news organisations have been profound.
This special issue focuses on citizen journalism in Asian countries in order to identify and explore a range of important questions regarding its significance for the changing nature of journalism and society. Possible
topics to be examined may include:
• the perceived impact of citizen journalism on established Asian news organisations
• how Asian journalists re-evaluate their professional identities, duties and ethics in response to citizen journalism
• the role of citizen journalism in crisis situations
• “fake news” masquerading as citizen journalism spreading through social media
• Asian citizen journalists’ use of global online social networks – such as Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat – and the creation of sustainable alternatives (such as Weibo and WeChat in China)
• citizen journalism as a form of empowerment, such as in the advancement of human rights
• viewers, listeners or readers perceptions of citizen journalism in Asian countries
• innovation and experimentation in citizen journalism
Other topics are welcome, of course; the above list is suggestive of possibilities.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND REVIEW PROCESS:
The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 30, 2018. Abstracts should be 500 words in length, detailing the purpose, methods, and main points of research. The abstracts should be submitted to Dr Xin Zeng by email
at [log in to unmask].
Following peer-review, a selection of authors will be invited to submit a full paper in accordance with the journal’s ‘Instructions for authors.’ Please note acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication,
given that all papers will be put through the journal’s peer review process.
GUEST EDITORS
Stuart Allan is Professor and Head of the School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC) at Cardiff University, UK. Stuart’s publications include the authored book Citizen Witnessing: Revisioning Journalism in Times
of Crisis (2013), as well as the edited collections Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives (co-edited with Einar Thorsen, Vol. 1, 2009; Vol. 2, 2014) and Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism: Co-operation, Collaboration and Connectivity (2017). Much of
his current research focuses on the evolving ecology of citizen media in a digital age, particularly in war, conflict and crisis situations.
Xin Zeng is Assistant Professor in the Institute of Journalism and Communication Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Science. She holds a PhD from Bournemouth University, UK, and was a visiting scholar in National Chengchi
University, Taiwan in 2017. Her research interests include citizen journalism, media literacy, youth culture in the cyberspace, young people and their political engagement on multimedia platforms. Her publications include: Young people’s consumption of news
on social media and demands on news literacy education in the digital age; Young people’s online culture and the Internet literacy education in the digital age.
Savyasaachi Jain is Senior Lecturer at the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies (JOMEC) in Cardiff University, UK. He specialises in journalism and documentary, drawing upon more than two decades as a print
and television journalist and documentary filmmaker. He also has extensive experience of initiating and leading media development projects on behalf of international organisations, supervising documentary co-productions and conducting workshops for journalists
and programme makers. His research interests encompass journalism, its practices and standards, and international media systems.
An Nguyen is Associate Professor of Journalism at Bournemouth University, UK. A former Vietnamese science journalist and an Australian-educated journalism scholar, he has published three books and about 40 papers in the
areas of online journalism, digital news consumption, citizen journalism, science journalism, data and statistics in the news, and global media coverage of development issues. His most recent work, News, Numbers and Public Opinion in a Data-Driven World (Bloomsbury,
2018), is an edited volume on how data and statistics are used by journalists and received by news audiences.
ABOUT THE JOURNAL
Global Media and China is a peer reviewed, open access, scholarly journal that provides a dedicated, interdisciplinary forum for international research on communication and media with a focus on China. It covers both
Chinese communication and media from a global perspective, and global communication and media from a Chinese perspective. The journal actively encourages both quantitative and qualitative approaches to media, communications and social studies while seeking
to advance the field by publishing innovative and thought-provoking papers, reviews and discussions that open up new directions or shed new light on significant issues.
Stuart Allan
Professor and Head of School
School of Journalism, Media and Culture
Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue
Cardiff University
Cardiff, CF10 3NB
UK
tel: +44(0)29 208 75420
Ysgol Newyddiaduraeth, y Cyfryngau a Diwylliant
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Rhodfa'r Brenin Edward VII
Caerdydd
CF10 3NB
Ffôn : +44 (0)29 208 75420
