JRP Third Wave Fieldwork Officially Launched on January 12

After a full year of preparation, coordination, and collective effort, the Journalistic Role Performance (JRP) Project officially launched its third wave of fieldwork on January 12. This new phase marks a major milestone for the project, bringing together an unprecedented number of research teams worldwide to examine how journalism is performed across diverse political, cultural, and media environments.

The third wave reflects the continued expansion of the JRP network across regions. As Terje Skjerdal, Africa representative, highlights “I am excited... the number of African countries is higher than ever. We're now eight countries from Africa participating in the study, which is a great increase from the two countries that took part in the second wave.”

This growth is also evident in Asia. Misook Lee, Asia representative, notes that this expansion will enable a “more comprehensive cross-national understanding of journalistic role performance in Asia.”

For the project’s Principal Investigator, Claudia Mellado, the third wave is not only about scale, but about rethinking journalism at a moment of global transformation. “In times of profound political, technological, and epistemic transformation, we must systematically examine what journalism actually is and how it is performed in everyday news practices,” she said.

Importantly, the JRP Project continues to stand out not only for its scientific ambition, but also for its collaborative ethos. As Dan Jackson emphasizes “It’s a space where collaboration thrives, ideas are exchanged, and lasting friendships are formed. JRP is not just an academic endeavour. it’s a global community.”

The third wave also introduces new analytical dimensions that respond to ongoing changes in journalism. Mireya Márquez points out that the project now moves beyond traditional role conceptions “… measuring AI usage, solutions journalism, and fact-checking practices in newsrooms worldwide. Understanding how these roles adapt to new technologies and contexts is vital.”

This innovation is also reflected in how the project is approaching research methods. Nicole Blanchett, representing North America, highlights the importance of using emerging tools not only as objects of study, but also as research instruments. “We’re exploring how we might use AI to make this type of invaluable content capture and analysis more feasible for more researchers.”

The third wave also embodies the project’s long-standing commitment to inclusivity and mentorship. Lada Price, Eastern Europe representative, underscores how the initiative fosters both scientific excellence and academic development: “The findings will be groundbreaking... I am also delighted that I will be working alongside my PhD student who is leading the Indonesian team. It shows how inclusive the project is.”

With teams now underway in their data collection, thethird wave promises to generate the most comprehensive and globally diverse dataset on journalistic role performance to date.