Call for papers: Volume 2 (2026)
Special Issue: Local Media Ecosystems, Global Perspectives. In-depth, context-specific studies of media ecosystems at any scale, from national and regional to transnational and global: who owns and funds the media, how states and platforms shape them, how journalism is practised, and how people find and trust information. No fees to submit or to publish.
Key dates
- 12 October 2026: optional 300-word abstract for a fit check. We reply within 3 days.
- 30 October 2026: full manuscripts due.
- 11 December 2026: final acceptance for 2026 publication.
- Late December 2026: accepted articles published online in Volume 2.
Earlier submissions have the best chance of 2026 publication. Strong manuscripts that arrive later, or need more revision, are published in Volume 3 (2027). Every research manuscript still goes to at least two independent reviewers, and submission does not guarantee acceptance.
About the special issue
Each issue of JGPCM is international. Volume 1 focused on Nigeria. Volume 2 is a general call with a common thread: each article examines one clearly defined media ecosystem in depth. That ecosystem may be a nation, a region such as West Africa or the Gulf, a transnational space such as a diaspora or a language community, or a global system such as a platform's content governance. Read together, the articles show how differently, and how similarly, media and communication work across political, economic, and technological contexts.
We plan to publish five to eight articles, each on a different media ecosystem. Studies of contexts that are under-represented in the communication literature are especially welcome.
Topics
Any study centred on a clearly defined media ecosystem is in scope. Examples include:
- media ownership, financing, and market concentration;
- media law, regulation, censorship, and press freedom;
- journalism practice, professional norms, and the safety of journalists;
- political communication and partisan or state-aligned media;
- platforms, messaging apps, and digital infrastructure;
- misinformation, its correction, and trust in news;
- public service, community, diaspora, and local media;
- artificial intelligence in newsrooms and information environments.
A common ecosystem profile
To make the issue comparable across contexts, every research article and case study opens with a short ecosystem profile of 500 to 800 words describing its ecosystem on five dimensions:
- Market structure and ownership: the main outlets, who owns them, and how they are funded.
- The state: regulation, public service media, and press freedom.
- Journalism: professional norms, autonomy, and working conditions.
- Politics: how closely media align with parties, governments, or other power centres.
- Platforms and audiences: digital and social media use, messaging apps, and information disorder.
The first four dimensions adapt Hallin and Mancini's comparative framework (Comparing Media Systems, 2004; Comparing Media Systems Beyond the Western World, 2012). Authors may apply, adapt, or critique it, and authors studying regional or global ecosystems should describe each dimension at that scale. The profile sets the scene; the rest of the article reports the study itself.
What we review for
Reviewers judge whether the methods are rigorous, the analysis is appropriate, and the conclusions follow from the evidence. They are not asked to predict novelty or impact. We welcome sound context-specific studies that other journals declined as "too local", along with replications and null results. If your manuscript was reviewed and declined elsewhere, you may attach those reviews and a short memo on how you addressed them; this is optional and never a condition of review.
Article types for this issue
| Type | Length | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Research article | 6,000 to 8,000 words | Original empirical research on a defined media ecosystem, quantitative, qualitative, or mixed. |
| Case study | 4,000 to 7,000 words | An evidence-based analysis of a specific event, outlet, policy, or campaign within one media ecosystem. |
| Review article | Up to 8,000 words | A critical or systematic review of research on a defined media ecosystem. |
Word limits include references and the ecosystem profile, and exclude tables and figures.
How to submit
- Read the submission guidelines.
- Optional abstract: by 12 October, email a 300-word abstract naming the ecosystem you study to submissions@jgpcm.org with the subject line Abstract: Special Issue: [ecosystem]: [short title].
- Full manuscript: by 30 October, email three files to submissions@jgpcm.org with the subject line Submission: Special Issue: [ecosystem]: [short title]: an anonymized manuscript (.docx); a title page with author details, statements, and the corresponding author's ORCID iD; and a short cover letter. Add earlier reviews as a fourth file if you have them.
We send a desk decision, either sent to review or declined, within 7 days of receipt for this issue.
Why publish with JGPCM
- No submission fees, no article processing charges, and no paywall. Authors keep copyright under CC BY 4.0.
- Each article gets its own page with citation metadata read by Google Scholar and reference managers, a permanent PDF, and an archived copy in the Internet Archive.
- Double-anonymous peer review by at least two reviewers.
Identifiers and indexing
JGPCM is registered under ISSN 3065-548X (online). The journal intends to apply to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) once it meets DOAJ's eligibility requirements. Inclusion is decided by DOAJ and is not guaranteed; we list an index on this site only after the journal has been accepted into it.
Review for this issue
We are building a standing pool of reviewers, including regional and subject specialists, who agree to review two to four manuscripts a year. Doctoral candidates with publications and experienced practitioners are welcome alongside faculty. Join the reviewer pool.
Questions
Email the Editor-in-Chief, Ryan J. Gautreaux, at editor@jgpcm.org.