Latest Issue of Journal of Public Interest Communications Now Available

The latest issue of the Journal of Public Interest Communications (JPIC) is now available. The open access journal connects practitioners to the academic research in an effort to strengthen and grow the field of public interest communications.

Volume 3, No 2 covers the following:

Corporate Social Advocacy as Public Interest Communications: Exploring Perceptions of Corporate Involvement in Controversial Social-Political Issues

Authors: Lucinda Austin, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and Barbara Gaither and T. Kenn Gaither, Elon University

This article examines attitudes toward the role of corporations in social advocacy and as agents for social change. Findings from the authors’ nationally representative survey of U.S. citizens suggest that overall respondents believe corporations should engage in social issues.

Bridging Borders in the Public Interest: La Peña Cultural Center’s Promotion of Intercultural Understanding and Social Justice

 Author: Janis Teruggi Page, University of Illinois, Chicago

This case study explores the societal importance, engagement strategies, and public impact of La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, Calif. The internationally known nonprofit organization was founded in 1975 on the premise that cultural activism can help achieve social justice.

African Story Time: An Exploratory Study of Narrative as a Reporting Technique in U.S. News Coverage Of Nigeria’s Missing Girls

Author: Yewande O. Addie, University of Florida

This article examines how despite the fact the U.S. media typically report less on missing women of color and also report more on negative news from Africa, the story of nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls in April 2014 found resonance among U.S. readers. It explores the use of narrative storytelling by U.S. news outlets as a way to create commonality, engage audiences in public interest communications and encourage the story’s resonance among U.S. readerships.

More than Tweed Jackets and Beards: An Analysis of the Hashtag Campaign #ILookLikeAProfessor

Authors: Sarah K. Maben, Liza P. Benedict, Tracey M. Holley, and Karley A. Goen, Tarleton State University

This study identified themes that emerged during the August 2015 #ILookLikeAProfessor Twitter campaign that was launched to challenge the stereotypical image of a professor as a middle-aged White man with a beard, glasses, and tweed jacket.

Dr. Brigitta Bruner, Public Relations professor at the Auburn University School of Communication and Journalism, is JPIC editor. Dr. Linda Hon, University of Florida (UF) Public Relations professor is the journal supervisor, and Joseph Radice, also of UF, is the journal manager.