Dr Jingrong Tong

School of Journalism, Media and Communication

Senior Lecturer in Digital News Cultures

j.tong@sheffield.ac.uk

C641, The Wave

Full contact details

Dr Jingrong Tong
School of Journalism, Media and Communication
C641
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH

Profile: Jingrong Tong has been working in the area of journalism and news media for 20 years first as a journalist then as an academic. She joined the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Sheffield in September 2019 as Senior Lecturer in Digital News Cultures. Previously, she was Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture at Brunel University (2016-19) and Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Leicester (2009-16).

Research interests

Jingrong's current research interests include the impact of digital technology on journalism, social media analysis, and environmental communication. She has a particular interest in journalism and news media in the UK and China. In her research, she uses qualitative methods, such as interviews, framing analysis and critical discourse analysis, as well as data-driven computational analysis such as social network analysis and computer-assisted discourse analysis.

Her papers have appeared in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. She has received research funding from the British Academy and several universities. She is the author of two books: Investigative Journalism in China: Journalism, Power, and Society (2011 and 2012) and Investigative Journalism, Environmental Problems and Modernisation in China (2015); co-editor of Digital Technology and Journalism: An International Comparative Perspective (2017); and co-author of Tweeting the Environment #Brexit (2018).

Publications

Books

Tong J (2022) Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Tong J (2022) Data for Journalism Between Transparency and Accountability. Taylor & Francis.
Tong J (2022) Journalism in the Data Age. SAGE.
Tong J & Zuo L (2021) The Brexit Referendum on Twitter A mixed-method, computational analysis. Emerald Group Publishing.
Tong J & Zuo L (2018) Tweeting the Environment #Brexit. Emerald Group Publishing.
Tong J & Lo S-H (2017) Digital Technology and Journalism An International Comparative Perspective. Springer.
Tong J (2015) Investigative Journalism, Environmental Problems and Modernisation in China. Springer.
Tong J (2011) Investigative Journalism in China Journalism, Power, and Society. A&C Black.

Journal articles

Tong J (2024) Data journalism and audience engagement: Introduction to the special issue. Journalism, 25(7), 1449-1459.
Tong J (2022) "Rethinking the Expertise of Data Journalists: A Case Study". International Journal of Communication, 16.
Tong J (2022) Confronting COVID-19: constructing and contesting legitimacy through the media in Chinese contexts. Chinese Journal of Communication, 1-11.
Tong J & Zuo L (2021) Dialoguing with Data and Data Reduction: An Observational, Narrowing-Down Approach to Social Media Network Analysis. Journalism and Media, 2(1), 14-29.
Tong J & Zuo L (2021) The Inapplicability of Objectivity: Understanding the Work of Data Journalism. Journalism Practice, 15(2), 153-169.
Tong J (2020) Paradigm reinforcing: The assimilation of data journalism in the United Kingdom. Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies.
Tong J & Zuo L (2020) Mainstreaming populism through the Twitter practices of politicians and the news media: A case study of the 2016 Brexit referendum debates. Information Polity, 1-15.
Tong J & Zuo L (2019) Othering the European Union through constructing moral panics over ‘im/migrant(s)’ in the coverage of migration in three British newspapers, 2011–2016. International Communication Gazette, 81(5), 445-469.
Tong J (2019) The Taming of Critical Journalism in China. Journalism Studies, 20(1), 79-96.
Tong J (2018) Journalistic Legitimacy Revisited. Digital Journalism, 6(2: Trust, Credibility, Fake News), 256-273.
Tong J (2017) The Epistemology of Environmental Journalists. Journalism Studies, 18(6), 771-786.
Tong J (2017) Technology and journalism: ‘Dissolving’ social media content into disaster reporting on three Chinese disasters. International Communication Gazette, 79(4), 400-418.
Tong J (2017) Environmental communication in and about China: a review of the Chinese-language literature. Chinese Journal of Communication, 10(2), 192-208.
Tong J (2015) Being Objective With a Personal Perspective. Science Communication, 37(6), 747-768.
Tong J (2015) Chinese journalists' views of user-generated content producers and journalism: a case study of the boundary work of journalism. Asian Journal of Communication, 25(6), 600-616.
Tong J (2015) The formation of an agonistic public sphere: Emotions, the Internet and news media in China. China Information, 29(3), 333-351.
Tong J (2015) The defence of journalistic legitimacy in media discourse in China: An analysis of the case of Deng Yujiao. Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 16(3), 429-446.
Tong J (2014) Environmental Risks in Newspaper Coverage: A Framing Analysis of Investigative Reports on Environmental Problems in 10 Chinese Newspapers. Environmental Communication, 8(3), 345-367.
Tong J & Zuo L (2014) Weibo communication and government legitimacy in China: a computer-assisted analysis of Weibo messages on two ‘mass incidents’†. Information, Communication & Society, 17(1), 66-85.
Tong J (2013) THE IMPORTANCE OF PLACE. Journalism Practice, 7(1), 1-16.
Tong J & Mackay H (2011) Interactivity, the global conversation and World Service research: Digital China. Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Analysis.
Tong Jingrong (2010) The crisis of the centralized media control theory: how local power controls media in China. Media, Culture & Society, 32(6), 925-942.
Tong J (2009) Press self-censorship in China: a case study in the transformation of discourse. Discourse & Society, 20(5), 593-612.
Tong J & Sparks C (2009) INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN CHINA TODAY. Journalism Studies, 10(3), 337-352.
Tong J (2007) Guerrilla tactics of investigative journalists in China. Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, 8(5), 530-535.
Tong J () From content to context: A qualitative case study of factors influencing audience perception of the trustworthiness of COVID-19 data visualisations in UK newspaper coverage. Journalism.

Chapters

Tong J (2022) The Tabloidisation of Journalism as Digital Logic, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 61-74). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) The Rise of Partisan Journalism and the Crisis of Objective Journalism, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 93-107). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) The News Business in Trouble, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 5-28). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Tensions Between Journalism and Politicians, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 75-91). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Revisiting the Importance of Data Journalism, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 47-60). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Introduction, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 1-4). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Conclusion: The Transformation of Quality Journalism, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 109-110). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Algorithms, Cloud Computing and Journalism, Journalism, Economic Uncertainty and Political Irregularity in the Digital and Data Era (pp. 29-45). Emerald Publishing Limited
Tong J (2022) Artificial intelligence is not a panacea: policing content on social media platforms, three dilemmas and their ethical and legal implications In Taina Pihlajarinne & Anette Alén-Savikko (Ed.), Artificial Intelligence and the Media Reconsidering Rights and Responsibilities Edward Elgar Publishing
Tong J (2021) Local data journalism practice in the UK In Harte D & Matthews R (Ed.), Reappraising Local and Community News in the UK Media, Practice, and Policy Routledge
Tong J (2020) Investigative Journalism in China: Pushing the limits between the 1990s and 2013 In Latham K (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Chinese Culture and Society Routledge
Tong J (2020) The return of party journalism and ‘Janusian’ content in China: the case of Newspaper X In Gulyas A & Baines D (Ed.), New Routledge Companion to Local Media and Journalism
Tong J & Lo S-H (2017) New media reforms and journalism cultures in two newspapers in mainland China and Taiwan In Tong J & Lo S-H (Ed.), Digital Technology and Journalism An International Comparative Perspective Springer
Tong J (2017) Introduction In Lo S-H (Ed.), Digital Technology and Journalism An International Comparative Perspective Springer
Tong J & Zuo L (2017) A computational analysis of British journalists’ use of Twitter before the 2016 UK’s EU referendum In Tong J & Lo S-H (Ed.), Digital Technology and Journalism An International Comparative Perspective Springer
Tong J (2015) The Chinese Diaspora, Motherland, and “June Fourth”: A Discourse Analysis of the BBC Chinese “Have Your Say” Forum, 2009–13 In Sun W & Sinclair J (Ed.), Rethinking Chinese Diasporic Media: Soft Power in Global and Local Contexts
Tong J (2014) Discourse of Journalism and Legitimacy in post-reform China In Cao Q, Tian H & Chilton P (Ed.), Discourse, Politics and Media in Contemporary China John Benjamins Publishing Company
Tong J (2013) Local Investigative Journalism: Understanding the Background, Context and Trajectories of Investigative Journalism in Dahe Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily In Svensson M, Sæther E & Zhang Z (Ed.), Chinese Investigative Journalists' Dreams Autonomy, Agency, and Voice Lexington Books
Tong J & Mackey H (2012) Discussions on BBC Chinese Have Your Say Forums: National Identity and International Broadcasting in the Interactive Media Era In Gillespie M & Webb A (Ed.), Diasporas and Diplomacy Cosmopolitan Contact Zones at the BBC World Service (1932-2012) Routledge

Teaching activities: Jingrong is joint module convenor for dissertations in MA Global Journalism (JNL6133) and MA International Public and Political Communication (JNL6600). She also contributes to JNL116 Analysing News, JNL235 Data-Driven Storytelling, JNL6017 Advanced Broadcast Journalism and JNL6019 Broadcast Portfolio.

Professional activities and memberships: In the course of her research, Jingrong has worked with and advised International Media Support, Denmark. She has been invited to regularly review articles for academic journals, conferences and publishers. She is a member of the editorial board for Digital Journalism and Journalism Studies. She also serves as Associate Editor for Chinese Journal of Communication.

PhD supervision

Jingrong is particularly interested in hearing from research students focusing on the following areas:

Journalism, technology and society
Data and communication
Discourses, politics and/or the environment
Social media communication

PhD study in journalism, media and communication