AEJMC Resolution Four 2023
Recommitment to College/University Diversity Programs and Minority Faculty Hiring Resolution
News Release:
October 31, 2023
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding. For more information about AEJMC, please visit www.AEJMC.org.
Resolution Four:
Whereas, since its creation of the Ad-Hoc Coordinating Committee on Minority Education in 1968, AEJMC has had recruiting a diverse faculty and student body in media education as one of its priorities; and
Whereas, in 1989 the AEJMC membership passed a resolution calling on the association and on the schools and departments of journalism and mass communications to make every effort to achieve 50 percent minority and/or female faculty and administrators by the year 2000; and
Whereas, in 2023, such parity in faculty and administrators in mass communication units has remained unfulfilled; and
Whereas, multiple state legislatures in 2023 either considered or successfully passed bills banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at higher education institutions; and
Whereas, in May 2023, a bill signed into law in the state of Florida restricts how race and gender can be taught in Florida’s public higher education institutions and bans them from using state or federal funding for diversity programs; and
Whereas, a new Texas law mandates that starting in January 2024, Texas campuses must eliminate DEI offices, mandatory DEI statements, and training; and
Whereas, multiple colleges and universities eliminated their diversity, equity, and inclusion divisions or units; and
Whereas, in 2023, for the second time in two years, hiring decisions involving faculty from racial minority groups were influenced by outside forces resistant to the faculty members’ points of view on diversity; and
Whereas, critics of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs argue such initiatives stand for discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that AEJMC officially go on record as supporting college and university offices, programs, and initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and
Be it further resolved that AEJMC through its Professional Freedom & Responsibility mission continue to challenge journalism and mass communication units to remain steadfast in their efforts to recruit and retain faculty from groups minoritized along the lines of gender identity, race, color, religion, age, ethnicity/national origin, disability/differently abled, sexuality or sexual orientation, marital status, family/parental status; and
Finally, be it resolved that AEJMC leaders work to create spaces for training and development for association members that offer support for their research and teaching on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
AEJMC Resolution Three 2023
Learn From History Resolution
News Release:
August 30, 2023
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding. For more information about AEJMC, please visit www.AEJMC.org.
Resolution Three:
Whereas, history plays a key role in helping students of all ages avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, succeed in diversity workplaces and create a better society; and
Whereas, a multicultural journalism history, in particular, is a requirement for journalism and mass communication programs to remain in compliance with the Curriculum standards for the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications; and
Whereas, as educators, the members of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) believe wholeheartedly that it is essential to provide students with a fact-based history education while teaching them to reject racism and respect the equal value of every person; and
Whereas, it is a fact that racism played a significant role in our past, and sadly continues to be widespread and harmful to us all; and
Whereas, the members of AEJMC in 2022 passed a resolution opposing education gag orders or legislation restricting topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion; and
Whereas, the members of AEJMC in 2022 also passed a resolution supporting educators responding to any legislation that bans or limits discussions of so-called “divisive concepts” and topics such as Critical Race Theory in the classroom; and
Whereas, with organizations such as the American Historical Association, The National Association for Media Literacy Education, and the Organization of American Historians among its members, the Learn from History coalition seeks to combat deliberate misinformation about the current state of history education and the ways that historians write about and teach the centrality of racism in the evolution of American institutions; and
Whereas, removing parts of a society’s history amounts to censorship; and
Whereas, the AEJMC has been a longstanding advocate for The First Amendment and free expression; and
Now, therefore, be it resolved that AEJMC as an organization joins the nearly 30 organizations that are part of the Learn from History Coalition, which exists solely to facilitate broad-based effective communication about the vital importance of students learning thorough, accurate and fact-based history while demonstrating the harm of restricting what is taught in the classroom;
Be it further resolved that working through its Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility and units such as the History Division and Commission on the Status of Minorities, AEJMC designates a “Learn From History liaison” to participate in Learn from History meetings and serve as a point of contact for education initiatives that warrant future action by AEJMC and its members.
AEJMC Resolution Two 2023
Inclusive History Resolution
News Release:
August 30, 2023
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding. For more information about AEJMC, please visit www.AEJMC.org.
Resolution Two:
Whereas, the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) in May 2023 issued a ruling banning educators from providing classroom instruction to students in grades 4-12 on sexual orientation or gender identity unless such instruction is expressly required by state academic standards; and
Whereas, such a ruling flattens the story of America’s long Civil Rights Movement that includes examining cultures, religions and societies that have embraced traditions of gender fluidity and homosexuality as meaningful categories of social identity and organization; and
Whereas, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an independent, nonprofit think tank, at least nine other states have passed laws censoring discussion of LGBTQ people or issues in school; and
Whereas, removing parts of a society’s history amounts to censorship; and
Whereas, the AEJMC has been a longstanding advocate for The First Amendment and free expression; and
Whereas, for more than twenty years, much of the AEJMC’s advocacy for sexual minorities has been led through the work of its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Queer (LGBTQ+) Interest Group along with organizations such as NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists; and
Whereas, diversity is one of the five core areas of the Professional Freedom & Responsibility (PF&R) mission of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC); and
Whereas, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) has established “Diversity and Inclusiveness” as one of the eight standards by which all 119 accredited units have programs that empower those traditionally disenfranchised in the areas that include sexual orientation; and
Now, therefore, be it resolved that AEJMC joins the coalition of at least 49 organizations lead by the American History Association that call for the Florida Department of Education to reconsider its vague and destructive policy of censorship;
Be it further resolved that AEJMC supports in any way possible its members and journalism and mass communication units in any state where efforts are being made to censor discussions of LGBTQ people or issues in school; and
Be it further resolved that AEJMC encourages the teaching of accurate and inclusive histories of the U.S. and the world not only in the state of Florida at the K-12 schools, but in the entirety of the U.S. and at colleges and universities around the world.
AEJMC Resolution One 2023
The Dylan Lyons Resolution
News Release:
August 30, 2023
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding. For more information about AEJMC, please visit www.AEJMC.org.
Resolution One:
Whereas, Dylan Lyons and Jesse Walden were both shot while reporting on a homicide in Central Florida on February 22, 2023; and
Whereas, Lyons, who had just joined Spectrum News 13 in July 2022, died from injuries sustained when the suspect in the case returned to the crime scene in Pine Hills community, just outside of Orlando, and fired fatal shots at the reporting team; and
Whereas, Lyons was a proud graduate of the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at University of Central Florida where he anchored the UCF Knightly News, a student-run news program; and
Whereas, part of the Professional Freedom & Responsibility mission of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is to promote the practice of the First Amendment by reporters like Lyons while preparing students for the dangers of a profession made even worse by a recent spike in mass shootings; and
Whereas, the Committee to Protect Journalists noted that Lyons’ death came nearly six months after another reporter, Jeff German, an investigative reporter at Las Vegas Review Journal, was stabbed to death on September 2, 2022; and
Whereas, Lyons’ death brings to 14 the number of the journalists killed while working in the U.S. since 1992, the year Committee to Protect Journalists began keeping records;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that AEJMC joins the faculty at the Nicholson School in celebrating the short life and award-winning journalism of Dylan Lyons while keeping in mind AEJMC members and colleagues whose lives were touched or changed by incidents of violence such as a mass shooting; and
Be it further resolved that AEJMC divisions and interest groups sponsor research and teaching panels and programming that educate attendees about how to facilitate learning in various courses on covering mass shootings and their aftermath including lessons that help prepare students to handle and confront vicarious trauma; and
Finally, as evidence of fulfillment of public service, one of the five core areas of AEJMC’s professional freedom and responsibility, be it resolved that copies of this resolution be presented to the family of Dylan Lyons and the faculty, staff and students of the Nicholson School of Communication and Media in Orlando, Florida.
AEJMC 2023 Resoultions
AEJMC members approved resolutions during the 2023 year.
August 30, 2023
The AEJMC Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility (PF&R) has endorsed the three proposed resolutions which were developed by the PF&R subcommittee on resolutions and members of the AEJMC Council of Divisions (CoD).
AEJMC plays a key role of representing the interests of its more than 2000 members on topics such as freedom of information, diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as academic freedom.
In accordance with the recently amended bylaws, three separate online discussion forums were opened in the AEJMC Community for members to discuss the three proposed resolutions.
- Resolution One: The Dylan Lyons Resolution
- Resolution Two: Inclusive History Resolution
- Resolution Three: Learn From History Resolution
- Resolution Four: Recommitment to College/University Diversity Programs and Minority Faculty Hiring Resolution
AEJMC Resolution Two 2022
New Voices Laws
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president
Resolution Two:
Whereas, in its mission the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC), as part of its “Professional Freedom and Responsibility” goals, works to promote freedom of speech and the press as embodied in the First Amendment; and
Whereas, the association encourages its members to promote and defend those rights vigorously; and
Whereas, in 2022, Hawaii became the 16th state to adopt a New Voices law, which restores and protects the freedom of Hawaii’s student media; and
Whereas, Hawaii’s HB 1848 ensures that student journalists alone determine the content of school-sponsored media, including but not limited to video, audio, print and digital outlets, and are protected from censorship except in narrow, well-defined circumstances while protecting student media advisers from retaliation for refusing to illegally censor their students’ work; and
Whereas, similar laws have been or are currently being considered by a number of state legislatures, including New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia; and
Whereas, First Amendment rights of student journalists are now protected by state law in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the state of Washington.
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that AEJMC take an active role in supporting the passage of New Voices laws through its Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility and the AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Division, one of the association’s original divisions; and
Be it further resolved that through units such as the AEJMC Law and Policy Division, AEJMC strongly encourages research and teaching about New Voices laws and student press freedom in courses in the law of mass communication required in programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, as well as in other courses as appropriate.
AEJMC Resolution Four 2022
Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president
Resolution Four:
Whereas, as part of its mission the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC) promotes the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum; and
Whereas, the association works to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve a better-informed public; and
Whereas, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an intellectual and social movement begun in legal studies in the late 1980s based on the idea that racism is inherent in law and legal institutions insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between white and non-whites; and
Whereas, mass communication educators are charged with preparing students who can produce news and strategic communication content related to CRT; and
Whereas, courses that focus on mass communication theories and research should include CRT as one potential approach to producing scholarship; and
Whereas, state legislatures recently have considered legislation that bans or limits Critical Race Theory from being discussed in classroom settings, including those at universities; and
Whereas, Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) accrediting standards mandate continuing education for faculty in diversity, equity, and inclusion;
Whereas, to achieve compliance with those accrediting standards, units are expected to demonstrate the impact of faculty professional development aimed at enhancing their ability to teach courses related to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
BE it resolved that AEJMC divisions and interest groups be encouraged to continue sponsoring research and teaching panels and programming that educates members about what Critical Race Theory is and its application to education and research in mass communication; and continue to educate faculty members about ways to respond to legislation that serves to restrict viewpoint diversity in the classroom;
AND AEJMC members or mass communication units should provide faculty training on educating students about issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion which may include CRT.
AEJMC Resolution Three 2022
The 40th Anniversary of the Death of Vincent Chin and Anti-AAPI Violence
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president
Resolution Three:
Whereas, as part of its mission, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) promotes the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum; and
Whereas, as part of its “Professional Freedom and Responsibility” mission works to address issues of marginalization, systemic racism and unequal treatment of underrepresented groups; and
Whereas, the association held its 2022 Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan, the same city where 40 years ago on June 19, 1982, 27-year-old Vincent Chin, a Chinese American, was brutally attacked with a baseball bat by two White men seeking to incite racist hatred of anyone who appeared Japanese, because of the rise of Japanese car companies that they believed put U.S. autoworkers out of jobs; and
Whereas, after four days in a coma, Chin, the only child of Chinese immigrants Lily and Bing Hing “David” Chin, died; and
Whereas, Chin’s killers, Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, pleaded guilty to state charges of manslaughter and only received a $3,000 fine each and three years’ probation; and
Whereas, the brutal murder and the lenient sentence, and Lily Chin’s courageous pursuit for justice and visibility in their aftermath, galvanized the Asian American civil rights movement, which continues today with an added degree of importance because of the recent rise in Anti-Asian violence; and
Whereas, between March and August 2020, more than 2,500 Asian Americans reported being attacked by people blaming them for the COVID-19 pandemic because of its origination in Wuhan, China; and
Whereas, more Americans should be aware of Vincent Chin’s death and its role in the Asian American movement;
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that AEJMC as an organization take an active role in standing with organizations such as the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), Asian American Advertising Federation (3AF), and the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) in working to cover stories about and combat the rise of Asian Americans being singled out in incidents of violence and ongoing systemic racism facing those in the larger Asian American Pacific Islander community. And;
Be it further resolved that AEJMC commends 2022 media efforts to address the underrepresentation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, such as the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment’s (CAPE) My Life: Growing Up Asian in America; Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang’s RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now; and ABC News’s “Soul of a Nation” Together As One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage. And:
Be it further resolved that AEJMC, through its divisions and interest groups, offer programming and resources at both regional and national conferences that empower journalism and mass communication faculty to include Vincent Chin and the stories of other Asian Americans overlooked and under-addressed in their teaching and curricula.
AEJMC Resolution One 2022
Educational Gag Order Legislation and Academic Freedom
News Release:
December 8, 2022
CONTACT:
Samantha Higgins, AEJMC Communications Director, 803-798-0271
Deb Aikat, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, AEJMC president
Gabriel B. Tait, Ph.D., Ball State University, AEJMC PF&R Committee chair
MASS COMMUNICATION EDUCATORS URGE LAWMAKERS TO OPPOSE GAG ORDERS
COLUMBIA, S.C.– As state legislatures gear up for their 2023 legislative sessions, members of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), with support from leaders of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC), overwhelmingly oppose any legislation restricting topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
“The academic freedom of a teacher to speak and associate freely as exemplars of open-mindedness and free inquiry is of utmost importance,” said Gabriel Tait, a Ball State University professor who leads the committee that oversees First Amendment issues for AEJMC. “We believe our collective voice can send a strong message to those who would create a chill on the great work that media educators do in making our society more inclusive and diverse,” Dr. Tait adds.
In recent years, more than 50 so-called educational gag order (EGO) bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the U.S. This month, AEJMC members overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing educational gag order legislation that restricts training on “prohibited” or “divisive” concepts, and imposes government dictates on teaching and learning.
“For more than 110 years, AEJMC has thrived as a resolutely non-partisan, interdisciplinary organization fostering excellence in education, research, and professional freedom,” said AEJMC President Deb Aikat, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We, as educators, foster academic freedom and cherish its impact in our classroom and beyond.”
AEJMC, among the nation’s largest organizations of journalism and mass communication educators, students, and media professionals, vigorously defends the right of free expression, in alignment with its Professional Freedom and Responsibility mission. In fact, one of the standards of academic work environments is an individual faculty member’s freedom to educate in a manner most appropriate for the curriculum designed for the discipline or craft.
AEJMC and ASJMC are primed to assist in continuing to advocate for academic freedom and free expression in the classroom.
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit scholarly organization with more than 2,000 members in about 40 countries who teach and research journalism, public relations, advertising, digital media, film, and media literacy. Founded in 1912, AEJMC is the oldest and largest alliance of communication educators and administrators at the college level. AEJMC’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to encourage the broadest possible range of communication research, to promote the implementation of a multicultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice, a better-informed public, and wider human understanding. For more information about AEJMC, please visit www.AEJMC.org.
Resolution One:
Whereas, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) vigorously defends the right of free expression as one of its core areas of professional freedom and responsibility; and
Whereas, the association, through its Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility (PF&R), focuses on the standards and work environments of teaching and research; and
Whereas, one of the standards of academic work environments is an individual faculty member’s freedom to educate in a manner they determine is most appropriate with the curriculum designed for their profession and understanding of the discipline or craft; and
Whereas, the academic freedom of a teacher to speak and associate freely as exemplars of open-mindedness and free inquiry is of utmost importance; and
Whereas, according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), more than 50 so-called educational gag order (EGO) bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the U.S., including the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee; and
Whereas, educational gag orders restricting training on “prohibited” or “divisive” concepts chill academic and educational discussions and impose government dictates on teaching and learning;
Be it resolved:
- That AEJMC go on record opposing such legislation that creates a chilling effect on academic freedom and freedom of communication;
- That the AEJMC president, working with the Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility, make a public statement about the issue of Educational Gag Order Legislation and the importance of academic freedom;
- That AEJMC, through its Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility, work with organizations such as the AAUP in remaining vigilant on efforts to restrict free speech in the classroom; and
- That AEJMC work with the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC) to develop best practices and guidance for deans, directors and chairs to support faculty in responding to legislation that may impact classroom
AEJMC 2022 Resolutions
AEJMC members approved resolutions during the 2022 year.
December 8, 2022
Four resolutions recently put forth by the AEJMC Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility (PF&R) and voted on by AEJMC members have all overwhelmingly passed. The vote for all of the 4 resolutions closed Nov. 17.
AEJMC has developed a strategic, multi-pronged approach on releasing the four resolutions in conjunction with action items for each resolution.
The first resolution regarding educational gag order legislation and academic freedom involves a news release distribution to AEJMC members and appropriate media organizations; collaborations between AEJMC and other organizations such as the AAUP to remain vigilant on efforts to restrict free speech in the classroom; and a partnership with ASJMC to develop best practices and guidance for deans, directors and chairs to support faculty in responding to legislation that may impact the classroom.
Information regarding the other three resolutions will follow as they are released during the next month.
- Resolution One: Educational Gag Order Legislation and Academic Freedom
- Resolution Two: New Voices Laws
- Resolution Three: The 40th Anniversary of the Death of Vincent Chin and Anti-AAPI Violence
- Resolution Four: Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws
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