The IJPC Journal, an online academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review, has just published its first volume for Fall 2009.
"When I started the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Project (IJPC) in 2000, I never th
The 150-page first issue was produced by co-founding editors Saltzman, Matthew C. Ehrlich of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Sammye Johnson of Trinity University. In their “Welcome from the Editors,” they wrote: “Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Journal, or The IJPC Journal. The journal is an outgrowth of the Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture Project, whose stated mission is to investigate and analyze, through research and publication, the conflicting images of the journalist in film, television, radio, fiction (novels, short stories, plays, poetry), commercials, cartoons, comic books, video games, music, art, and other aspects of popular culture.”
Included in the first volume of the online IJPC Journal are four peer-reviewed articles: “Carrying the Banner: The Portrayal of the American Newsboy Myth in the Disney Musical Newsies” by Stephen Siff of Miami University; “On the Front Line: Portrayals of War Correspondents in Marvel Comics’ Civil War: Front Line” by J. Richard Stevens of the University of Colorado at Boulder; “Moral Dilemmas of an Immoral Nation: Gender, Sexuality, and Journalism in Page 3” by Radhika Parameswaran of Indiana University; and “Looking to the Margins: The ‘Outsider Within’ Journalistic Fiction” by Amanda Rossie (M.A. Online Journalism '09), a doctoral student in the Department of Women’s Studies at Ohio State University who wrote the article under directed research at USC Annenberg.
Feature articles include “Comic Book Journalists Beyond Clark Kent” by Bill Knight of Western Illinois University and “Studying the Journalist in Popular Culture” by Ehrlich. In his introductory essay, Ehrlich sums up why it is important to study this subject: “Studying the journalist in popular culture is doubly rewarding. First, of course, it’s fun. What could be more enjoyable than immersing oneself in movies, TV shows, novels, comics, or video games, and seeing journalists doing thrilling, appalling, extraordinary things? Still, those new to the subject should be cautioned that it isn’t all fun. One cannot simply pick and choose what one would normally like, as is ordinarily the case with popular culture. Along with the good stuff, one must accept occasional exposure to material that may come across as silly or offensive or just plain dull – popular culture has produced no small share of junk.
"Nevertheless, the casual spectator’s junk can be the serious scholar’s artifact, worthy of careful analysis with an eye toward developing a fuller and more nuanced grasp of the field. And careful, critical analysis as opposed to casual spectatorship is always the scholar’s main responsibility, requiring the investment of time and hard work. That investment pays off with the second and more important reward that comes from investigating journalism’s popular image: it deepens our understanding of not only journalism but also ourselves."
The next volume of The IJPC Journal, scheduled for publication in 2010, will feature a special section on “The Image of the Gay Journalist in Popular Culture.” Manuscripts on this topic and other IJPC subjects, including the image of the public relations practitioner, are welcome.
