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Latest Issue of Journal of Public Interest Communications Now Available

The latest issue of the Journal of Public Interest Communications (JPIC) is now available online. 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 1 covers the following:

Changing the Story: Implications of Narrative on Teacher Identity
Authors: Geah Pressgrove, Melissa Janoske, Stephanie Madden

Through 15 interviews and five focus groups with high-achieving teachers and administrators, researchers explored the narratives these educators share to understand and improve the story of the teaching profession.

Thee Framing of Adoption: A Content Analysis of Print News Coverage 2014-2016
Authors: Cynthia Morton, Summer Shelton

An exploration of the frames associated with child adoption news coverage found that news stories tend to emphasize regulatory and policy frames and frames about the child welfare industry rather than the humanity of adoption.

Twitter and the Struggle to Transform the Object: A Study of Clean Coal in the 2017 Australian Energy Policy Public Debate
Author: Kristin Demetrious

To better understand the reach, influence, and limitations of Twitter-based public debate, this study examined factors that contributed to unusually high spikes in Twitter engagement in Australia in February 2017 in connection with a global public relations campaign promoting “clean” coal.

Electronic Cigarette Companies’ Twitter Messages: Public Interest (Mis)communication
Authors: Joon Kyoung Kim, Carol J. Pardun, Holly Overton

This study examines how e-cigarette companies engage with potential customers on Twitter.

Raining on SeaWorld’s Parade: PETA’s Direct Action and Public Interest Communication
Author: Ashli Stokes

This article explores how direct-action strategies used by the animal rights group PETA complement its text-based advocacy.

“We Really Have to Hit Them Where It Hurts”: Analyzing Activists’ Corporate Campaigns
Author: Chelsea Woods

This article examine the process activist organizations use to pressure target corporations into altering practices and policies that they perceive to be problematic. 

Mediated Vicarious Contact with Transgender People: How Narrative Perspective and Interaction Depiction Influence Intergroup Attitudes, Transportation, and Elevation
Author: Minjie Li

This study investigates how narrative perspective (Ingroup Perspective vs. Outgroup Perspective) interacts with intergroup interaction depiction (Positive vs. Negative) in transgender-related media content to redirect people’s attitudes toward transgender people, transportation, and elevation responses.


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 Dr. Kelly Chernin, also of UF, is the journal manager.

Posted: May 6, 2019
Category: Uncategorized