Former editor earns research award down under

Earning a bachelor’s degree in communication at Chadron State College was a formative step for 2013 graduate T.J. Thomson, and a stepping stone to an academic career that has recently been recognized with an international award for research on communication and journalism.

“It was (at CSC) where I gained an appreciation for tight writing, where I received countless opportunities to hone my photography and design skills while working on The Eagle, and where thoughtful, patient, and generous professors inspired, motivated, and shaped me into the person I am today,” Thomson said.

The Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) and the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) named Thomson in early July as the recipient of the 2019 Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year Award.

“The support and advocacy I received at CSC placed me on a fantastic trajectory where I now work alongside academics at the best School of Communication in the country and the top 16th worldwide,” said Thomson, now a teacher and researcher at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia.

Thomson is the sixth recipient of the award, which was established in 2014 to honor the memory of respected Australian broadcaster, journalist, and media scholar Anne Dunn. It recognizes excellence in academic research on communication and journalism and carries a $3,000 AUD ($2,033 USD) prize.

After completing his bachelor’s degree at Chadron State, Thomson, a Golden, Colorado, native, completed his M.A. and Ph.D at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia. He worked as a freelance visual journalist and designer before accepting his position at QUT.

While here, though, he left a big footprint at Chadron State, particularly at The Eagle.

From spring 2011 to spring 2019, The Eagle has been judged Best in Overall Excellence eight consecutive times in the Nebraska Collegiate Media Association’s annual Golden Leaf Awards. The association revamped its contest in 2018 and did not conduct a competition that year. 

Thomson, who served as The Eagle’s editor from January 2010, the middle of his sophomore year, to May 2013 when he graduated, earned countless individual Golden Leaf Awards for his reporting, newspaper design and photojournalism, and led The Eagle to its first three Best in Overall Excellence awards, 2011-13.

“That’s great news, but I am not surprised,” The Eagle Adviser Michael D. Kennedy said about Thomson earning the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year Award. “T.J. has more talent, intelligence and tenacity in his little finger than most people can even dream about, including me. 

“He always held himself to high journalistic standards when he was editor, and the student staff jumped on board. He was like the Pied Piper of journalistic quality. 

“He set high standards when he was here, and over the years the student editors who followed after him have consistently maintained them. That’s his legacy at The Eagle,” Kennedy said. “Earning the Dunn award underscores the exceptional work he produced then, and clearly is producing now.” 

While at CSC Thomson also was active in CSC’s student government and was a member of Blue Key honorary society. 

Furthermore, he was named the Great Plains Student Photographer of the Year in 2013. The award is among the Great Plains Journalism Awards, presented annually by the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Press Club and Benevolent Association. The eight-state competition includes Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. 

Thomson began working as a lecturer in visual media at the QUT School of Communication and Digital Media Research Centre in June 2018. His research examines how visual media are produced, organized, represented, and interpreted in journalistic and digital arenas. He has published articles on how people behave in front of news cameras, how visual journalists manage the emotional side of their profession, and how visual and verbal journalistic stories compare. He was co-author of a study focused on the types of news images that draw engagement on Instagram that generated media attention from news outlets around the world.

Thomson also is the author of a soon-to-be-released book about how visual journalism is produced, with a focus on the impact of environments where images are made, the interaction between photographer and subject and their reaction to the representations that are created. The book, from publisher Rowman & Littlefield, headquartered in Lanham, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., is titled: “To See and Be Seen. The Environments, Interactions and Identities Behind News Images.”

Thomson said his time at Chadron State was valuable for his personal and academic development.

“Being involved in student government, numerous clubs, participating on committees and task forces complemented wonderfully the training and instruction I received in the classroom, and ensured I was able to maximize my opportunities following graduation,” he said.