U.S. Student Media Associations’ Mission Statements Provide Discursive Leadership in Support of Civic Culture

Journalism Education

Journalism education provides unique opportunities for students. First and foremost, it provides hands-on, project-based learning (Dailey, 2016; Squires & Schriner, 2009). Through this, students learn writing skills (Kohnen, 2013; Zhang et al., 2019), along with leadership, critical thinking, and media literacy skills (Fabrizi & Ford, 2014; Horn & Veermans, 2019; Phelps, 2018). While producing various media products (Bobkowski et al., 2012; Goodman et al., 2011), the students get to practice their skills, which guided the first research question:

Furthermore, research shows students participating in journalism programs engage more both civically and with the news than those who do not participate in student media (Bobkowski et al., 2012; Bobkowski & Miller, 2016; Clark & Monserrate, 2011). Cybart-Persenaire and Literat (2018) found, doing journalism provides students a way to participate in an aspect of society they may not have access to otherwise. In addition, journalism education teaches students about their rights, specifically their First Amendment rights because journalism programs give students hands-on experience with the law (Nicolini & Filak, 2022; Trager & Dickerson, 1980). Also, high school journalism programs teach civics with a focus on the process of civic engagement (Clark & Monserrate, 2008). To that end, Kennamer (1987) suggested journalism programs provide a phase of education in which political activity is initiated, which led to the second research question:

Mission Statements

Mission statements are “symbolic artifacts” used to signal philosophical values and goals (Morphew & Hartley, 2006, p. 466). They express the philosophy of a corporation or business to both internal and external stakeholders (Swales & Rogers, 1995). Commonly, mission statements accomplish this by describing the organization’s purpose and vision for the future (Fairhurst et al., 1997). As such, research concerning mission statements has in some cases been associated with the business realm (e.g., David et al., 2014; Peyrefitte & David, 2006).

Of course, mission statements are used in a variety of settings. They can be a key component of demonstrating how an entity aligns with societal norms (Anderson & Jamison, 2015) as they represent organizational identity. In addition, the mission statement also serves as a strategic tool used to formulate and evaluate business activities (Cady et al., 2011; Kemp & Dwyer, 2003).

Alegre et al. (2018) suggested certain components needed to be included for a mission statement to be successful, which aligned with Pearce and Fred (1987) who that found that the most financially successful Fortune 500 companies created mission statements covering ideas of corporate philosophy, how the company viewed itself, how the company wished to be viewed by the public, who the target customers and market were, what the primary products and services being offered were, the geographic area being covered by the company, the technologies supporting the operation, and how the company intended to survive and thrive into the future. Interestingly, though, Desmidt et al. (2011) suggested simply including such elements does not mean the mission statement will be effective, and, even if it is, research suggests no clear answer to which component is most important.

Also, the mission statements create and manage the meaning of an organization (Fairhurst et al., 1997). For example, colleges and universities have mission statements that “typically embody components related to teaching, service, and scholarship to fulfill expectancies associated with the institutions” (Opt, 2016, p. 67). Mission statements also play a role in journalism education programs by articulating emphasis areas such as professional connections and citizen preparation (Christ & Hynes, 1997). Importantly, they also can provide an argument for media programs to exist (Salkin, 2022). Therefore, the mission statements of SMAs can provide leadership through the discourse used.

Discursive Leadership

Discursive leadership frames leadership as socially constructed and considers its social, cultural, and linguistic attributes (Fairhurst, 2007). Fairhurst (2008) developed the concept of discursive leadership as a communication-focused alternative to viewing leadership, which was previously viewed as a cognitive activity. This means the language used as part of social interactions is the focus of discursive leadership (Fairhurst & Connaughton, 2014). Consequently, the language used within the discourse develops shared meaning and constructs the social reality (Fairhurst & Connaughton, 2014; Fairhurst & Uhl-Bien, 2012; Ospina, 2016). Social interactions, and thus discourse, exist when multiple participants bring information, opinions, thoughts, and beliefs to a discussion (Akama et al., 2010). As such, discourse becomes a key component of leadership because communication serves as the avenue for action and the transmission of knowledge to occur (Fairhurst & Connaughton, 2014). Thus, the third research question posited:

Supporting Journalism Education

As the results of the study pointed out, the most prevalent theme was Supporting Journalism Education, which is unsurprising. Indeed, if an entity exists with the assumed rationale to support a given individual or activity, it only makes sense for the mission statement to proclaim such support. A prime example of this comes from the JEA, which boasts one of the largest memberships (Klein, 2022) of student media associations within this data set. Its mission statement explained that it “supports free and responsible scholastic journalism by providing resources and educational opportunities, by promoting professionalism, by encouraging and rewarding student excellence and teacher achievement, and by fostering an atmosphere which encompasses diversity yet builds unity.”

In this example, “support” and “scholastic journalism” are explicitly highlighted, along with “educational opportunities” and “rewarding” students and teachers. Similarly, the NCTE Assembly for Advisers of School Publications/JEA mission statement articulated that the organizations “is devoted to improving the teaching and learning,” which speaks to a focus on education from both the educator and student perspectives. Although those examples come from national associations, regional associations follow a similar pattern, but some lacked discussion of events, training opportunities, or awards and recognition.

From a state association perspective, the theme was also prevalent. One example comes from the Journalism Education Association of Northern California mission statement. It highlighted that the organization “is committed to serving scholastic journalism educators and their students.” In addition, the Washington Journalism Education Association (WJEA) mission statement explained the organization assists members and argues “that student publications are an important, vital part of the school curriculum; that is essential to the survival of this country”; and offers trainings for advisers and students. Within this, several components of the theme can be found, such as the importance of student media in terms of democracy.

Building Democratic Citizenship

With journalism playing a foundational role in democracy, most of the mission statements had this connection and upheld the idea of facilitating citizenship development as an important consideration in the work they do. For example, the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) Youth Journalism Initiative’s mission statement highlighted its goal of “helping students learn why news matters and acquire the skills needed to succeed as 21st-century citizens” and supporting “journalism and democracy by providing resources and training in youth journalism; news, information and media literacy; and the First Amendment and civic education.”

Furthermore, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators (TAJE) mentioned democracy specifically, and other expressions about citizenship and being citizens in a democracy also existed. The Colorado Student Media Association (CSMA) addressed this by pointing out the need for “students to use the mass media in their role as media consumers and citizens.” Closely related was the statement from the Iowa High School Press Association, which urged journalism education to help each student to understand how “to use the mass media in understanding his/her role as a citizen.” To that end, civic knowledge can be increased because civics concerns understanding the attributes of democracy and citizenship as important aspects of societal participation (Zuckerman, 2014).

Instilling Civic Knowledge

When examining this theme, however, only two associations explicitly illuminated the importance of such duties and responsibilities. These included the ASNE Youth Journalism Initiative and the Center for Scholastic Journalism. These associations used “civic education” to draw attention to the concept. A few organizations discussed the concept more generally. For example, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) listed individual rights as “the most essential qualities of liberty” in its mission statement.

The intentional use of literacy discourse also showed up. Literacy, specifically media literacy, appeared within the discourse as an avenue for civic knowledge because literate news consumers can evaluate information more effectively and use that knowledge to make better-informed decisions within civic life (Friesem, 2019; Peifer & Meisinger, 2021; Russmann & Hess, 2020). Again, only two mission statements used the term “literacy” specifically, those being from the ASNE Youth Journalism Initiative and NCTE Assembly for Advisers of School Publications/JEA. However, several other statements promoted media literacy through the language used. For example, the Pennsylvania School Press Association mission statement mentioned “responsible citizenship and informed media consumption.” Also, the CSMA mission statement highlighted the role of media consumption within citizenship.

Affirming Student Rights and Responsibilities

A key component of citizenship is understanding one’s rights, and this theme concerning student rights and responsibility comes into consideration. Primarily, this theme advances journalism education and civic knowledge by calling attention to components of the law and the related notion of ethics. As would be expected due to the nature of the association itself, the mission statement of the Student Press Law Center epitomizes this. Most also included such discussions, but the emphasis on the law was balanced with the other concerns of the organization. Still, including verbiage about the First Amendment, the law, or ethics was frequent.

For example, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication mission statement argued a portion of its focus was “to defend and maintain freedom of communication,” and Youth Journalism International’s statement suggested the organization “promotes and defends a free youth press.” Likewise, the Florida Scholastic Press Association mission statement articulated the belief that “the responsible exercise of freedom of expression involves adherence to the highest standards of journalism” and an educational “obligation to learn and practice the legal and ethical responsibilities expected of journalists.” Using nearly identical language, the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association mission statement expressed the same sentiment with the addition of explicit support of “First Amendment rights of student journalists.” Similarly, the TAJE statement suggested its goal is to “emphasize and teach responsible and ethical journalism and to be a catalyst for lessons in freedom of expression and democracy.”

The inclusion of discourse surrounding the rights and responsibilities speaks to the organizations’ positions in which they “support a free press in a democratic society,” as the WJEA expressed, and the Kansas Collegiate Media statement drove the point home by stressing an emphasis on “supporting and promoting the First Amendment.” By incorporating such ideas of the First Amendment and free expression into their mission statements, these student media associations articulate awareness about student journalism and attributes of citizenship people need to know. This sets stage for the organizations to provide leadership.

Demonstrating Leadership

By using words like “empower,” “promote,” and “encourage,” the mission statements give members agency to exercise their rights, responsibilities, and skills in service of journalism and democratic citizenship. For example, the CSMA used “encourage” in seven of the nine sentences making up its mission statement, and “encourage” was the first word in all but three of those sentences. When it comes to promoting, using “promote” or some derivative of the word signals to the reader that the association backs the work being done by the members because if the organization was not supportive of the work, they would not spread awareness about it. In most cases, the use of “promote” was accompanied by “excellence” or discussions concerning “professional” practices and careers.

Beyond encouraging members to produce high-quality media, standing up for journalism programs through advocacy and representation also provide forms of leadership. For example, Oklahoma Scholastic Media claimed “to advocate for and provide education, training and assistance to scholastic media advisers and students across Oklahoma.” Also, the Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers suggested its role is “to act as an advocate for scholastic journalism.”

Key to being advocates is adequately representing the membership, which is why it is worth noting that several mission statements mentioned who can be members. The majority pointed to students and advisers of all media types. In addition, the state associations typically referenced the geographic area they covered, as did the regional and national associations. For instance, Youth Journalism International used “globe” to highlight its reach, and the Private School Journalism Association set itself apart by explaining it “is the only organization of its type exclusively dedicated to supporting student publications at the over 1,800 private and independent schools in the United States.”

Through all the discourse used, leadership emerges. The use of declarative statements and words such as “support,” “encourage,” “provide,” and more establish this. Only one organization—the Kansas Scholastic Press Association—explicitly referred to itself as a leader by suggesting that the entity “views its focus as one of providing journalism education leadership for Kansas teachers and students.”