Journal article
Geographic tokenism on editorial boards: a content analysis of highly ranked communication journals
Online Media & Global Communication, Vol.4(1), pp.35-59
02/25/2025
DOI: 10.1515/omgc-2024-0036
Abstract
Purpose
Research posits that the overrepresentation of certain countries from the Global North contributes to the geographical disparity in knowledge production within communication, media and journalism. Our study sets out to understand geographic tokenism in academia by analyzing the editorial boards of 30 highly ranked journals in communication, media, and journalism studies. We sought to explore if certain institutions and academics from underrepresented regions were overrepresented on journal editorial boards.
Methodology
We content analyzed the members of the editorial boards of 30 highly ranked communication, media and journalism studies journals. From our coded data we were able to identify the individual’s name, role on the editorial board, institutional affiliation, and country of institutional affiliation. Chi square, Pearson’s correlation, and Hierarchical linear modeling were used in analyzing our data.
Findings
Our study found that institutions and academics affiliated to institutions in the Global South are woefully underrepresented on journal editorial boards. On the other hand, we report an overrepresentation of a small number of institutions and scholars from the Global South across the sampled journals in instances where there is representation from the underrepresented regions on journal editorial boards.
Practical implications
Our results show that a journal with more diversity on editorial boards and editorial roles is associated with higher journal ranking.
Social implications
The social implications of our findings rests in the fact that tokenism can impede the diversity of thought that is necessary to move beyond the thorny idea of Western-centered scholarship being considered normative.
Originality
Whereas previous studies have analyzed editorial boards, our study is unique because it includes institutional and individual level analyses of journal editorial board members in our analysis of geographical disparities in knowledge production.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Geographic tokenism on editorial boards: a content analysis of highly ranked communication journals
- Creators
- Manfred Asuman - Western UniversityAbubakar Ibrahim - University of IowaMeghan Sobel Cohen - Regis UniversityBrian Ekdale - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Online Media & Global Communication, Vol.4(1), pp.35-59
- DOI
- 10.1515/omgc-2024-0036
- ISSN
- 2749-9049
- eISSN
- 2749-9049
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 12/02/2024
- Date published
- 02/25/2025
- Academic Unit
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984770783902771
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