Photo (l to r): Top faculty paper award recipients: Joon Kim, Ali Zain and Jungmi Jun. Top graduate student paper recipients: Dante Mozie, Yu Chen and Carrie Jingyi Xiao.
School of Journalism and Mass Communications faculty and graduate students were honored
for excellence in research and teaching at the 2025 Association for Education in Journalism
and Mass Communication held Aug. 8-10 in San Francisco.
"Our commitment to leadership in journalism and mass communication education and research is unwavering," says Damion Waymer, Ph.D., director of the J-school. "I am pleased that our faculty and graduate students got to share the great work that they have done this year with the AEJMC community."
AEJMC is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals whose mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to cultivate the widest possible range of communication research, to encourage the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice and a better informed public.
Top Paper Awards
First Place Graduate Student Research Paper Award
Minorities and Communication Division
Mozie, Dante; Chen, Yu; and Xiao, Carrie Jingyi. Responsibility Framing, Minorities, and Alzheimer's Disease: A Quantitative Content Analysis of U.S. News Media
First Place Faculty Research Paper Award
Minorities and Communication Division
Jun, Jungmi; Kim, Joon (Ph.D. 2020); and Zain, Ali (Ph.D. 2024). Unpacking the Impact of Media Racism Exposure on Multidimensional
Resistance Among Asian Americans
First Place Faculty Paper Award
Religion and Media Interest Group
Kim, Joon (Ph.D. 2020); Jun, Jungmi; Overton, Holly; and Chris Noland (Ph.D. 2021). Exploring Spiritual Health Locus of
Control and Its Influence on Vaccine Intentions and Information Seeking, Religion
and Media Interest Group
First Place Open Competition Paper Award
Sports Communications Interest Group
Emmons, Betsy; Petrotta, Brian; and Hull, Kevin. “The Employment Landscape Has Shifted Massively, and We Must Shift with IT:” Sports
PR Curricula
Third Place Top Research Paper Award
Open/Faculty Category of LGBTQ Interest Group
Bell, T. & Yang, F. (2025). A network analysis of frame alignment and the political activation of #shero
Riley Gaines. * Paper presented at the 2025 annual conference of the Association for Education in
Journalism and Mass Communication, San Francisco, CA.
Second Place Student Paper Award
Advertising Division
Xiao, Carrie Jingyi. Beyond Surveys: A Systematic Literature Review of Biometric Tools in Advertising
Effectiveness Research
Teaching Awards
First Place - Teaching Best Practices Competition - sponsored by the AEJMC Elected
Standing Committee on Teaching
Theme: AI in Action: Best Practices for Enhancing Learning, Engagement, and Ethical Inquiry
Porter, Jason. Your AI Podcast Study Buddy [A mobile-friendly AI-generated study tool that improves
student comprehension and retention.] Teaching Panel Session, Teaching Best Practices:
AI in Action: Best Practices for Enhancing Learning, Engagement, and Ethical Inquiry.
View AEJMC's digital publication containing Porter's first-place entry »
Porter, Jason. Sandy Utt Excellence in Teaching Award (non-tenured) - Visual Communications Division
Porter, Jason. Innovations in Teaching Award, Visual Communications Division for two entries
- Reverse Engineering AI to Create Better Images
- Directing AI to Create Consistent Visual Campaigns
2025 – Refereed Conference Papers
Ağaoğlu, Ertan and Ajmi, Abdullah Al. Exploring Generational Digital Inequalities in The Age of Algorithmic Era - Communication Technology Division.
Akalonu, Chinwendu. Artificial Intelligence Adoption among Future Journalism and Mass Communications Professionals: A TAM-Based Approach to Students’ Generative AI - Internships and Careers Interest Group.
Alharbi, Khalid (PhD alum) and Wen, Taylor Jing . Influencer Marketing, Owned Media, and User-Generated Content: An Eye Tracking Analysis of Message Source and Comment Valence on Brand Perceptions and Buying Behaviors - Advertising Division
Capizzo, Luke; Chen, Yu; Xiao, Anli; Zhang, Bingbing; and Cropp, Fritz. Conceptualizing Transnational Social Issues Management (TSIM) - Advertising Division
Choi, Minhee (SJMC PhD alum) and Hull, Kevin. Media Advocacy: Talking about mental health from athletes' perspectives - Newspaper and Online News and Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division
Edrington, Candice and Waymer, Damion. Exploring the lived experiences of Black Public Relations Professors - Public Relations Division
Goli, Maryam Digital Echoes of a Movement: Analyzing the Evolution of the Woman Life Freedom Movement through Hashtag Analysis - Communication Theory and Methodology, Communication Technology, and Cultural and Critical Studies Divisions
Lee, Wansoo and Kim, Sei-Hill. Collectivism in News Reporting on a Disaster: An Analysis of Conservative and Liberal Newspapers in South Korea - Communication Technology and Mass Communication and Society Divisions
Long, Jacob; Akalonu, Chinwendu; Xiao, Carrie Jingyi; Ağaoğlu Ertan; and McCray, Shamira. Perceptions of AI-Generated News: An Experiment on Disclosure Type and Timing - Communication Technology Division
Long, Jacob; McCray, Shamira; Ağaoğlu Ertan; Akalonu, Chinwendu; and Xiao, Carrie Jingyi. Exploring the News Judgment of Large Language Models - Newspaper and Online News and Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Divisions
Long, Jacob; Oyewole, Tabitha; Goli, Maryam; Keisler, Jacqueline; Alyaqout, Saud; Rodgers, Michael; and N'Diaye, Arielle. The Disclosure Dilemma: How AI Attribution Affects Reactions to Public Health Messages - Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Divisions
Louvins Pierre; Jiayi Wang; Zambrano Rodriguez, Viviana. AI in Advertising: Emotional Appeals, Trust, and the New Creative Frontier, The Influence of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ as a Persuasive Hook and Persuasion Knowledge on Consumer Evaluations, Communication Theory and Methodology, Communication Technology, and Cultural and Critical Studies Divisions
Porter, Jason. Prompt to Production: Teaching the AI Creative Pipeline, in the AI in Advertising: Collaboration, Creativity, and Consumer Perception - Advertising Division
Wen, Taylor Jing; Zain, Ali (Ph.D. 2024); and Xiao, Carrie Jingyi. Comparing Automated Facial Expression Analysis, Electromyography, and Self-Reports for Emotion in Communication Research, Communication Theory and Methodology Division
Xiao, Carrie Jingyi. Influencer Dynamics: Mediating Effects of Trustworthiness and Product Congruence on the Relationship Between Influencer Type and Brand Attitudes - Advertising Division
Xiao, Carrie Jingyi and Hatfield, Haley R. Friends or Fakes? Identity Cues, Psychological Distance, and Parasocial Relationships with Virtual Influencers - Advertising Division
Yang, Fan; Applequist, Janelle; Noland, Chris (SJMC PhD alum); Ramirez, Artemio. How Health Campaign Videos Persuade: Extending Media Richness Theory with a Message-Face-Voice Persuasion (MFVP) Model, Communication Theory and Methodology, Communication Technology, and Cultural and Critical Studies Divisions
Panels and Other Participation
Habib, Sabrina. Panelist, Embracing AI tools for Academic Research, The Entrepreneurial Professor: Innovating with Technology for Maximum Impact - ASJMC Business Meeting/Special Technology Session. The Entrepreneurial Professor: Innovating with Technology for Maximum Impact
Habib, Sabrina. One of the organizers and keynote speaker at the Advertising Division preconference session, "Advertising Creativity in the Age of AI." Panelists included Jason Porter, and two SJMC alumni: Cameron Higgingbotham (B.A. 2018), now a copywriter at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and Sarah Johnson (M.A. 2004).
Mortensen, Tara. Artificial Imagery, Real Consequences: How AI Disclosure Shapes News Credibility - Visual Communication and Magazine Division
Porter, Jason. Keynote - Threading the Future: A flexible framework for teaching GenAI workflows, in Visual Reality Under Emerging Technologies: AI, VR, and Beyond - Visual Communication and Magazine Division
Porter, Jason. Workshop - Prompt to Production: Strategies for Teaching AI Creative Authorship and Strategic Control - Advertising Pre-Conference
Porter, Jason. Panelist - Teaching Innovations Under AI Environment, in Visual Reality Under Emerging Technologies: AI, VR, and Beyond - Visual Communication and Magazine Division
Porter, Jason. Panelist - Teaching Best Practices: AI in Action: Best Practices for Enhancing Learning, Engagement, and Ethical Inquiry - AEJMC Elected Standing Committee on Teaching
Robinson, Eric . Discussant, Digital Platforms, Privacy, and Media Governance, Refereed Research Paper Session - Law and Policy Division
Smith, Laura K. Discussant, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication - Elected Standing Committee on Teaching G.I.F.T. Competition
Smith, Laura K. Panelist, Teaching Panel Session, Helping Podcasting and Broadcasting Students Become Confident Communicators
Waymer, Damion. Panelist, Finding the Calm (in Yourself) at the Center of the Storm (in the World) – Part II, Research Panel Session - AEJMC Council of Divisions
Waymer, Damion. Moderator, Teaching Panel Session, From Momentous Change to Leadership: Preparing Our Students for Communication Careers, Internships and Careers and Small Programs Interest Groups
Wu, Linwan . Panelist, Unlocking Opportunities: Networking and Mentorship for Graduate Students and Early Career Scholars for Your Academic Journey, PFR Panel Session - Advertising Division