The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project’s Journal of Civic Information welcomes two new associate editors to improve the reach and impact in scholarship toward a more informed world.

The positions are new to the peer-reviewed research journal, with an eye to increase submissions, readership, and depth. The journal was founded in August 2019 by former Brechner Director Frank LoMonte and founding editor David Cuillier, who now serves as Brechner’s director. The purpose of the open-access online journal is to encourage and highlight practical research that identifies problems and solutions in fostering a more informed electorate.

The associate editor selections, through a committee of editorial board members, followed an open search and interview process.

Dr. A. Jay Wagner

Dr. Wagner is an associate professor of journalism and media studies in Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication. His research focuses on access to government information, publishing in Government Information Quarterly, Administration & Society, Journalism, Journal of Civic Information, University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy, Quinnipiac Law Review. His scholarship has received awards from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, National Communication Association, and the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

He received his doctorate in mass communication from Indiana University in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and a master’s from DePaul University. He has served on the FOIA Advisory Committee under the National Archives and Records Administration, acted as an expert witness in federal FOIA cases, and been a panelist for a recent Government Accountability Office report on reducing FOIA backlogs. Dr. Wagner worked professionally as a journalist for several years before pursuing a doctorate and has also worked in media rights advocacy, including time at the International Press Institute and the McCormick Foundation.

Dr. Ahmed Alrawi

Dr. Alrawi completed his doctorate this spring at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University and is embarking on a post-doc position at the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Communications at Al-Mansour University in Baghdad, Iraq, with a major in computer communication engineering. Additionally, he earned another bachelor’s degree in telecommunications before attaining his master’s degree in media studies, both from Bellisario College.

Dr. Alrawi’s research interests span two main areas: (1) Surveillance, Privacy, & the Implications of ICTs, and (2) Broadband Platform Policy and Deployment. His research goal is to comprehensively understand the theoretical, methodological, and empirical aspects that shape the adoption, use, and impact of digital platforms and ICTs. Moreover, his research seeks to draw attention to contemporary issues within the communication and media sectors, advocating for appropriate regulations and policies to benefit the public. Dr. Alrawi’s work has been published in the Journal of information policy, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Mass Communication and Society, Surveillance & Society, and Touro Law Review.

Fluent in Arabic, Turkish, and English, Alrawi is also conversant in French. He has received numerous awards, includingthe Sidney and Helen Friedman Scholarship Endowed Award and the Graduate School Endowment Award, among others.

“I am thrilled to have Drs. Wagner and Alrawi join the journal team,” Brechner Director David Cuillier said. “They represent broad interdisciplinary expertise across various citation styles and publication types, which is essential for the expansive issues concerning civic information.”

Posted: July 2, 2024
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: editors, FOIA, Journal of Civic Information, journalist, research