Yidong Steven Wang, PhD, assistant professor in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication Department (HSSC) of the College of Arts and Sciences, has won the Gene Burd Award for Research in Urban Journalism Studies. The award is presented by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Urban Communication Foundation and honors Wang’s scholarship on the Midwestern urban queer press.
The award is named for Gene Burd, associate professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas, who endowed the Urban Communication Foundation. The $5,000 award recognizes high-quality urban reporting or critical analysis relevant to city problems, programs, policies, and public priorities in urban life and culture. The award is for a journalist with a distinguished record of work in urban journalism.
“This is a very competitive award with many applications every year,” said Paul Jaussen, PhD, HSSC chair, “and I could not be happier for him and for our department. This recognition speaks to the excellence of Dr. Wang’s strong research agenda and is another example of the high-value scholarship coming out of HSSC.”
In addition to his research, Wang contributes to LTU through his teaching and curriculum development. Wang joined HSSC in 2024 as an assistant professor, teaching courses such as Alternative Media and Counter Publics and Writing for Electronic and Print Media. He has also helped develop new courses in critical media studies at LTU.
Wang also emphasized the importance of diverse media voices. Wang said, “When we think about ‘media,’ we’re typically talking about commercial television and radio. But there are so many other niche media, like community radio, that are more aligned with how we think about our political identity.”
He added, “It’s about the story. Everyone has a story, and every story is worth telling.” His premise is that we are all part of a community, and there aren’t enough humanizing stories about the different histories of many communities.
About his award, Wang said, “Working with great colleagues here at LTU truly inspires me a lot.” His work continues to highlight the importance of diverse voices in media and urban storytelling.
By: Renée Ahee
