B.A. in Journalism, University of Oklahoma
M.S. in Media Management, Oklahoma State University
Ph.D. in Journalism, University of Missouri

Joy Jenkins is an assistant professor of journalism. Her research uses a sociological approach to examine changing organizational identities and practices in newsrooms, particularly among local media. She also studies gender and media. Jenkins’ studies have focused on how local newsrooms are managing the transition to a digital media environment, the influence of market concerns on journalists’ public service roles, how perceptions of audience and local impact shape journalistic identity, and the ways news organizations use digital platforms to facilitate dialogue with audiences.

Jenkins’ work has been published in top journals in the field, including Journalism, Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice, and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. She has also received multiple top-paper awards from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the International Communication Association. Jenkins serves as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Magazine Media. She is also a research associate for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, U.K.

Jenkins teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in journalism. She was on faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for four years before coming to the Missouri School of Journalism. Before entering academia, Jenkins served as senior editor at TulsaPeople magazine in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and copy editor at the Oklahoma Gazette in Oklahoma City. 

Selected publications

Jenkins, J., & Powers, E. (2023). Listening, Reflecting, and Protecting: Empathy as a Priority for Local Journalists Covering Underserved Communities. Journalism Practice, 1-18.

Sarelska, D., & Jenkins, J. (2022). Truth on Demand: Influences on How Journalists in Italy, Spain, and Bulgaria Responded to Covid-19 Misinformation and Disinformation. Journalism Practice, 1-19.

Grant, R., Jenkins, J., & Cabas-Mijares, A. (2022). Selling Breonna: Twitter responses to Breonna Taylor on the covers of O, The Oprah Magazine and Vanity Fair. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 99(3), 784-801.

Jenkins, J., & Graves, L. (2022). Do more with less: Minimizing competitive tensions in collaborative local journalism. Digital Journalism, 1-20.

Jenkins, J., & Jerónimo, P. (2021). Changing the beat? Local online newsmaking in Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, and the UK. Journalism Practice, 15(9), 1222-1239.