Dr Aljosha Karim Schapals
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Biography
Dr Aljosha Karim Schapals (FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Political Communication in the School of Communication of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, as well as a Chief Investigator in the Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC).He also serves as Book Review Editor for Media International Australia, a Q1-ranked journal in the field of media and communication studies.
Previously, he worked as a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Journalism at City, University of London. Additionally, he has experience as a practising journalist working for the Financial Times as well as the German government organisation Federal Agency for Civic Education.
His research interests lie in the changes taking place in news production and consumption as a result of the internet, with a particular focus on social media and verification, algorithms and automation in contemporary news production, as well as political communication more broadly.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer (Journalism)
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Communication
Keywords
Journalism Studies, Political Communication
Research field
Communication and media studies, Creative and professional writing
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (City University, London)
Professional memberships and associations
- Member - Australia and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA)
- Member - Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
- Member - Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC)
- Member - European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
- Member - International Communication Association (ICA)
- Member - Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA)
Teaching
Semester 1, 2024:
Foundations of Journalism (CJB101)
This unit provides you with foundational knowledge of what ‘journalism’ means today as both a professional practice and cultural form. You will learn about the changing role of journalism in society, how journalism underpins (and undermines) democracy, and be introduced to journalism ethics and law. You will learn how the business activities of media companies shape news values, and how they employ contemporary practices of story selection and verification. Against this industrial context, you will begin to learn journalistic writing conventions and apply effective reporting techniques. In doing so, this unit equips you with the essential knowledge and tools for you to understand and thrive in a complex and dynamic communication industry.
Semester 2, 2024:
Newsdesk (CJB302)
This capstone unit models day-to-day operations of a fully-converged, multimedia newsroom (online/audio/video). It aids you in reporting, storytelling and professional training as part of a team publishing material for real audiences. Today’s journalism requires skills to operate in a converged media environment and to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and fragmented audience. Graduates need to deal with both the instantaneous demands of the 24-hour news and social media landscape, as well as being able to produce far more considered pieces that analyse, educate, inform and entertain. Choosing the right medium for the task, and working to deadlines, is essential. This authentic learning experience in an industry-standard newsroom demands practical, legal, ethical, creative and social issues to be addressed in real time.
Publications
- Schapals, A. & Pentzold, C. (2024). Media Compass: A Companion to International Media Landscapes. Wiley-Blackwell. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/252956
- Glazunova, S. & Schapals, A. (2024). Interlopers by choice, or interlopers by circumstance? Alexey Navalny and alternative journalistic projects in contemporary autocratic Russia. Journalism. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/252954
- Schapals, A., (2022). Peripheral Actors in Journalism: Deviating from the Norm? Routledge. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/227717
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Aljosha Karim, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2023
- Details
- Learning and Teaching Award from the School of Communication
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2023
- Details
- Appointed to the ESF (Emerging Scholars Forum)
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2022
- Details
- Top Reviewer Award from the Journalism Studies Division (JSD) of the International Communication Association (ICA) during the 72nd Annual Conference in Paris, France
- Type
- Appointment to Prestigious Positions
- Reference year
- 2020
- Details
- Awarded Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) status, a globally recognized body for professional practice in tertiary education (UK)
Selected research projects
- Title
- Understanding and Combatting 'Dark Political Communication'
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP240103362
- Start year
- 2024
- Keywords
- Title
- Valuing News: Aligning Individual, Institutional and Societal Perspectives
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP220100589
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
- Title
- Journalism Beyond the Crisis: Emerging Forms, Practices and Uses
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP160101211
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.