QUT | Staff Profiles | T.J. Thomson

Name

Dr T.J. Thomson

Position(s)

Lecturer
Creative Industries Faculty,
School of Communication

Discipline *

Communication and Media Studies, Journalism and Professional Writing

Phone

+61 7 3138 5919

Email

tj.thomson@qut.edu.au

Location

View location details (QUT staff and student access only)

Identifiers and profiles

Qualifications

PhD, Journalism (University of Missouri), MA, Journalism (University of Missouri), Graduate Certificate, Qualitative Research (University of Missouri), BA, Communication Arts (Other)

Professional memberships and associations

Member – The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (USA)
Member – International Communication Association
Member – European Communication Research & Education Association
Member – Society for Phenomenology & Media
Member – Digital Media Research Centre

Keywords

visual communication, visual journalism, journalism, media production, self-representation, visual representation, visual depictions, image culture, visual literacy, visual sociology

* Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008

Dr. T.J. Thomson, FHEA, is an award-winning visual communication scholar and educator. His research focuses on visual production, organization, representation, and meaning—in journalistic and digital media contexts—and has been published in top peer-reviewed journals including Journalism, Journalism Practice, and Journalism Studies. He has taught and guest lectured on, among other topics, mobile multimedia, multimedia planning and design, visual editing, and context-specific photography. He has served as the associate editor of Visual Communication Quarterly since 2017 and is on the advisory board of the Society for Phenomenology and Media.

Professionally, Thomson has worked as the photo editor for an international wire service, produced visuals for The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Omaha World-Herald, The Huffington Post, and has provided design production and consulting for dozens of companies and clients, including a California startup that was acquired in 2015 by Facebook.

His supervisory interests include: journalistic practice, photography, visual culture, self-representation, and visual sociology.

This information has been contributed by Dr T.J. Thomson.

In the classroom, Dr. T.J. Thomson, FHEA, has helped students explore and deepen their understandings of multimedia reporting, multimedia planning and design, visual editing, photography, interviewing, and the principles of journalism.

This information has been contributed by Dr T.J. Thomson.

Dr. T.J. Thomson, FHEA, has experience with both journalistic and corporate communication. Before entering academia, he worked as a freelance visual journalist and designer for a number of news outlets and organizations, including The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and the Omaha World-Herald. Corporate clients include QuickFire Networks, which was acquired by Facebook in 2015; Colorado Academy; and HotelTonight.

This information has been contributed by Dr T.J. Thomson.

Thomson TJ, (2018) Mapping the emotional labor and work of visual journalism, Journalism p1-18
Thomson T, (2018) Freelance photojournalists and photo editors: Learning and adapting in a (mostly faceless) virtual world, Journalism Studies p803-823
Thomson T, Perreault G, Duffy M, (2017) Politicians, photographers, and a Pope: How state-controlled and independent media covered Francis's 2015 Cuba visit, Journalism Studies p1313-1330
Thomson TJ, Greenwood K, (2016) Beyond Framing: Influences of subject-photographer interactions on visual journalism, Journalism Practice p625-644
Thomson TJ, (2018) The evolution of story: How time and modality affect visual and verbal narratives, Visual Communication Quarterly p199-210
Thomson T, (2018) From the closet to the beach: A photographer's view of gay life on Fire Island from 1975 to 1983, Visual Communication Quarterly p3-15
Thomson T, Greenwood K, (2017) I 'like' that: Exploring the characteristics that promote social media engagement with news photographs, Visual Communication Quarterly p203-218
Thomson T, (2016) Black, white, and a whole lot of gray: How white photojournalists covered race during the 2015 protests at Mizzou, Visual Communication Quarterly p223-233
Thomson TJ, (2019) In front of the lens: The expectations, experiences, and reactions of visual journalism's subjects, Journalism and Communication Monographs p4-65
Koegler E, Thomson TJ, Speno AG, Teti M, (2018) Image-sharing via social media: Reflections from an ethnically- and age-diverse sample of people living with HIV in the Midwest, Journal of HIV - AIDS and Social Services p249-262

For more publications by this staff member, visit QUT ePrints, the University's research repository.

Dr T.J. Thomson

Personal details

Biography

Teaching

Experience

Publications

Awards

Awards and recognition