University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication

09/08/2026

This week on About the Abstract, host Disha Patel talks to Assistant Professor Alex Scott about the western male gaze in photojournalism and its implications. The two discuss the importance of racial and gender diversity in the newsroom and how that can affect stylistic diversity.

Tap below if you'd like to listen to this fascinating episode!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2JXckbYrmJCRjchw50f82E?si=Kn6g7dfkTMGp2FBSGnj44w

09/02/2026

Have you read the most recent issue of New Moon Magazine? Stop by the Student Center Wednesday, September 9 from 3:30-4:30 to hear students read select pieces from the newest publication.

Refreshments will be provided! We hope to see you there!

09/01/2026

On this week’s episode of the SJMC Podcast, Jake Mayer sat down with Jered Kerr. Jered received a grant through the Office of Community Engagement to work on a project with PAW Fort Madison over the summer.

Tap below to listen!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MyfvTsTngQ8SYAAmXhfQu?si=YhPEYE70Qb-M7VVgw0lmIQ

08/31/2026

We’ll stick around the 515 for this internship spotlight. Ellie Albert interned with the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce. She can tell you more about the different responsibilities she had!

“This summer, I was a Special Events Intern with the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce! In June, I helped with the Spring Fling Golf Event, an opportunity to network with business professionals in Ankeny. In July, I assisted with Ankeny Chamber SummerFest, a three-day-long music and food festival for the community. My fellow interns and I were in charge of the Lip-Sync Contest, marketing the event from the ground up. We made flyers and used social media outreach the weeks leading up to it, leading to a successful event that I got to host onstage. Throughout this summer, I have also made articles for the Ankeny Business Journal, written a press release, coordinated signage for SummerFest, and created graphics for the chamber's social media platforms.”

Ellie really does it all! 👏

08/30/2026

The first week of the fall 2026 semester is done, but we’re not done highlighting internships students had over the summer! Rhya Cowden worked for the Des Moines Community Playhouse. We’ll let her tell you about her experience!

Over the summer, I'm worked as the marketing and philanthropy intern at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. The Playhouse is a non-profit theatre; I find it so interesting to see how it runs differently than a for-profit company might. I consistently worked in the office writing press releases, making pre-show talks, writing and editing playbills (and sometimes newsletters, my favorite), and using InDesign to make posters and other house ads. Additionally, I followed along to publicity photos and got BTS video and photos. I also curated social media posts for different shows and made a season recap video that played at the Iowa State Fair! I attended staff and marketing-specific meetings, and I really value all the information I was able to soak up as both a participant and observer. I worked with a multitude of people and have loved gaining different perspectives from them all.

Rhya put on a stellar performance!

08/29/2026

All good things must come to an end! Join us in celebrating our final scholarship recipients!

Addy Brody: First Generation Scholarship
Collin Carrithers: A.W. Lee Scholarship/Broadcast

Congratulations to these awesome students!

08/28/2026

Adler is what dreams are made of!

08/27/2026

As social media platforms increasingly adopt AI-based fact-checking tools, it is essential to understand how fact-checking strategies function in the age of AI. Assistant Professor Bingbing Zhang examines this and more in her article, “When Narrative Correction is Delivered by AI: Testing the Effects of Narrative Correction and AI Fact-Checking on Debunking Health Misinformation,” published in the Journal of Health Communication.

Tap below if you would like to read the full piece.

Narrative-based fact-checking has been proposed as a promising strategy to improve the effectiveness of corrective messages, as narratives can lower reactance. However, less is known about whether ...

08/26/2026

Today is national dog day, and to celebrate we’d like to highlight work an ambitious SJMC student did over the summer! Jered Kerr used a grant he received from the Office of Community Engagement to help his local animal shelter.

Tap below to read about how Jered supported PAW Fort Madison!
https://journalism.uiowa.edu/news/2026/08/university-iowa-student-uses-grant-support-hometown-animal-shelter

08/25/2026

This week on About the Abstract, host Jake Mayer talks to PhD candidate Sabena Abdul Raheem about the surge in AI visuals that occurred during the 2025 California Wildfires. The two discuss the awareness that the visuals raised and the complications that followed.
Tap the link below to give it a listen!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ysLoAu8wyOBzAhDJMm1oA?si=nVxt_JzERz63bdd-ViGRHw