[Air-L] Post-doc: Media, Journalism and Community Power at the MIC Center

[Todd Wolfson]

The MIC Center’s Media Ecosystem project is recruiting a Post-Doctoral Researcher


*Philadelphia’s Media Ecosystem: Journalism, Community Organizing, and the Narratives and Power Structures that Shape our City*

This project will explore the way that community groups across the region harness media and journalism and other tools to build community power. The research associate will focus on understanding the interrelationship between community-oriented media, organizing, and social change. This research will include a network analysis of both community media institutions and local community groups to understand their interconnections, as well as a qualitative examination of the ways media and other tools are harnessed to build within and across communities in the region.

Skills and qualifications:

·PhD or equivalent combination of education and experience.

·Experience carrying out qualitative and ethnographic research with limited direction.

·Report writing ability, including experience writing for non-academic audiences.

·Ability to cultivate relationships quickly and excellent networking skills.

·Familiarity with and existing relationships with Philadelphia-area community groups a plus.

·Ability to perform Social Network Analysis/Organizational Network Analysis and the requisite quantitative skills to display and present data in compelling and accessible ways a plus.

This post is full-time and for up to 24 months (part-time applications will also be considered).

The Post-Doctoral fellow will be provided a stipend of $55,000, health insurance, a workspace, computer, and library access. It is expected that the fellow be working on-site in Philadelphia.

*About MIC and the project: *

The Media, Inequality & Change Center (MIC) is a collaboration between University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for communication and Rutgers University's School of Communication and Information. MIC occupies the intersection of technology, policy, and social justice. It is committed to studying the political economy of social problems, media, and democracy, while engaging local activist projects, and drawing connections with national and international social movements. Over the three-year grant, MIC will lead two integrated research projects focused on Philadelphia’s local media ecosystem. Mapping media institutions will be a multi-year, multi-phase study employing mixed methods and resulting in an in-depth, structural analysis of the region’s news media. MIC’s community network analysis will employ a political economic framework that assesses the ownership and control of local media as well as how communities harness media to make positive social change.Drawing on our 
deep national and international networks, MIC will cross-fertilize best practices, amplify findings, and facilitate dialogue across the city and beyond. As part of this project, MIC also will provide regular opportunities for project partners and community organizations to meet, share data, and collaborate with researchers, practitioners, and organizations engaged in similar work in other locations domestically and internationally. The project as a whole will contribute to new knowledge about the interrelationships between media, organizing, and social change. It will also shed light on the ways in which our local media ecosystem upholds systems of power. Ultimately, our aim is to outline a vision for remaking media in ways that reflect communities’ information needs, especially around vitally important social issues such as inequality and criminal justice.


For more information:

https://www.miccenter.org/?page_id=243&fbclid=IwAR1QGiJl-QU0pEyut-yjzUnQAMh3nbvAhBBnP8kC4UlMBpIBBY-16vw_Avg

-- 
Todd Wolfson, Associate Professor
Department of Journalism and Media Studies
Rutgers University

President, Rutgers AAUP-AFT <http://rutgersaaup.org>

Co-director, MIC Center <https://www.miccenter.org>

Co-founder and Board President, Media Mobilizing Project <http://www.mediamobilizing.org>