Dr T.J. Thomson
This person does not currently hold a position at QUT.
Personal details
Keywords
visual communication, visual journalism, journalism, media production, self-representation, visual representation, visual depictions, image culture, visual literacy, visual sociology
Research field
Communication and Media Studies, Journalism and Professional Writing
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
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, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- Fellow, Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences (Australia)
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy
- Associate Fellow (Indigenous), Higher Education Academy
- Life member, International Visual Literacy Association
- Life member and officer, Visual Communication Studies Division, International Communication Association
- Member and officer, Visual Communication Division, National Communication Association (USA)
- Member, Visual Communication Studies Division, The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (USA)
- Member and officer, Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (Australia)
Teaching
In the classroom, Dr. T.J. Thomson MAIATSIS AFHEA (Indigenous) MQA SFHEA has helped students explore and deepen their understandings of multimedia reporting, multimedia planning and design, visual editing, photography, interviewing, and the principles of journalism. He is the winner of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s 2021 Visual Communication Teaching Excellence award and the 2022 Linda Shockley Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Publications
- Thomson, T., (2019). To see and be seen: The environments, interactions and identities behind news images. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/133048
- Thomson, T. & Greenwood, K. (2020). Profile Pictures Across Platforms: How Identity Visually Manifests Itself Among Social Media Accounts. In S. Josephson, J. Kelly & K. Smith (Eds.), Handbook of Visual Communication: Theory, Methods, and Media (2nd Edition) (pp. 349–363). Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239874
- Greenwood, K. & Thomson, T. (2020). Framing the migration: A study of news photographs showing people fleeing war and persecution. International Communication Gazette, 82(2), 140–163. http://https:/https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239888
- Thomson, T., (2019). In front of the lens: The expectations, experiences, and reactions of visual journalism's subjects. Journalism and Communication Monographs, 21(1), 4–65. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239889
- Thomson, T., (2021). Mapping the emotional labor and work of visual journalism. Journalism, 22(4). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239886
- Thomson, T., (2018). Freelance photojournalists and photo editors: Learning and adapting in a (mostly faceless) virtual world. Journalism Studies, 19(6), 803–823. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239885
- Thomson, T. & Greenwood, K. (2016). Beyond Framing: Influences of subject-photographer interactions on visual journalism. Journalism Practice, 11(5), 625–644. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/119017
- 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, 19(9), 1313–1330. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/119023
- Thomson, T. & Greenwood, K. (2017). I 'like' that: Exploring the characteristics that promote social media engagement with news photographs. Visual Communication Quarterly, 24(4), 203–218. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/119022
- Koegler, E., Thomson, T., Speno, A. & 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, 17(4), 249–262. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/239887
QUT ePrints
For more publications by T.J., explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2019
- Details
- Recipient of the 2019 Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year Award, awarded by the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association and the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia. This internationally competitive award recognises critical research of high academic standard and excellence in research about the fields of communication and journalism and is accompanied by a $3,000 cash prize.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- The National Communication Association's Visual Communication Division recognised Dr T.J. Thomson, SFHEA, for his research monograph, 'To See and Be Seen: The Environments, Interactions, and Identities Behind News Images' (published in 2019 by Rowman & Littlefield International), and bestowed upon it the 2020 Diane S Hope Book of the Year Award. Thomson is the sixth winner of the annual award and the first from an institution beyond North America. The prize was established in 2015 to honour the memory of Dr Diane S Hope, professor emerita at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and to recognise excellence in visual communication research. NCA reviewers called the book 'a signature achievement in understanding the process of media production and the ethics of photojournalism' and commended Thomson's approach and the thoroughness of his research. The National Communication Association, headquartered in Washington, DC, USA, was founded in 1914 and stylizes itself as the preeminent schol
- Type
- Visiting Professorships/Fellowships
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- The School of International Communications at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China selected me in 2019 through a competitive application process as the inaugural recipient of its fully funded visiting scholar fellowship to spearhead a research project, 'Investigating How Visual Social Media Are Remediating News Images', with its academic staff.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- The Humanities Travelling Fellowship Scheme is one of the Academy's most popular programmes and attracts a large number of high-quality applications. Winners receive $4,000 and join the Academy¿s grants and awards alumni of over 500 humanities researchers who have gone on to forge significant careers.
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2021
- Details
- The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication announced in April 2021 that Dr TJ Thomson, SFHEA | AFHEA (Indigenous) had won its fourth-annual Visual Communication Teaching Excellence Award.
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- I was elected in 2019 by a body of my peers for a three-year term as the International Communication Association Visual Communication Division's International Liaison, a position charged with gathering opinions and feedback from members of the division, especially new members from less represented cultures; liaising across the divisions and interest groups on general issues that go beyond any given unit of ICA; assisting with the planning of ICA annual conferences; and taking initiative to suggest new ideas for improving ICA's overall internationalisation endeavours. ICA is the largest academic communication association of its kind with more than 4,500 members spread across 80 countries and I was one of 86 new individuals (and one of three living in Australia) elected to ICA leadership across its more than 30 divisions and interest groups.
- Type
- Editorial Role for an Academic Journal
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Named associate editor of Visual Communication Quarterly, an international, peer-reviewed journal of theory, research, practical criticism, and creative work in all areas of visual communication, in 2017.
- Type
- Keynote Speaker/Expert Panel Member/Invited Speaker for a Conference
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- I was invited in February 2020 as 'a leading researcher in the field' to participate in an industry panel during the 'Catchlight Visual Storytelling Summit' focussed on the importance of context in visual narratives. I was invited alongside several other panelists, such as Pamela Chen, former creative director of Instagram and JSK Fellow at Stanford.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Community
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- Nominated in March 2018 by Society for Phenomenology and Media founder Paul Majkut and confirmed the following month by the organisation's board of directors to serve as an advisor for the Society and provide insight on strategic priorities and operations.
Selected research projects
- Title
- Amplifying Voices from the Royal Commission into Aged Care
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP210100589
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.