Samuel Arowosafe, a Nigerian doctoral student at the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications while receiving the recognition awards
University of Florida scholar earns the James W. Markham First Place Student Paper Award and the African Journalism Studies Best Paper Award at AEJMC 2026 and earns a nomination for the prestigious National Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award.
Samuel Arowosafe, a Nigerian doctoral student at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, has won two major awards at the 2026 annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and earned a nomination for a third, in a remarkable showing at one of the most competitive gatherings of journalism and media researchers in the world.
Samuel claimed the James W. Markham First Place Student Paper Award and the African Journalism Studies Best Paper Award, both presented by AEJMC’s International Communication Division (ICD). His Markham first-place finish also earned him a nomination for the National Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, a prestigious national honour that recognises the best research paper accepted across all divisions of the AEJMC conference.
All three recognitions are tied to his paper titled “Algorithmic Gatekeeping in African Journalism: Platform Dependency, Material Consequences, and Adaptive Strategies in Nigeria and Kenya.” The study, which was co-authored with Ibs Sackey Rockson and Teddy Mutoni, examines how global digital platforms, including Meta, Google, and X, function as powerful algorithmic gatekeepers that shape the flow of news across African media environments. Focusing on Nigeria and Kenya, the research documents the tangible consequences of platform dependency for journalists and newsrooms on the continent, while identifying the practical strategies African media practitioners are developing in response.
The findings carry significant implications for press freedom, media policy, and the sustainability of independent journalism in Africa, questions of pressing relevance to Nigeria, where digital platforms have become central to how news is produced, distributed, and monetised.
“I came into this research asking what platforms cost African journalism. The deeper I went, the more I realized the question was really about power, who holds it, who is shaped by it, and who is quietly pushing back. Winning this award was a surprise. I was not chasing recognition; I was chasing an answer. But there is something validating about the work being seen,” Samuel said.
The James W. Markham Student Paper Award, named after the distinguished journalism educator and scholar James W. Markham, is presented by the ICD to the best student-authored research paper accepted for presentation at the conference. It is among the most competitive student paper recognitions at AEJMC, drawing submissions from scholars across the globe.
The African Journalism Studies Best Paper Award, also presented by the ICD, honours the outstanding paper on African journalism submitted to the conference each year. Samuel was formally presented with both awards, along with a book certificate, at the ICD’s in-person members’ meeting during the AEJMC conference in August 2026, held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award nomination adds further distinction to Samuel’s record. Kappa Tau Alpha is the national college honour society for journalism and mass communication, founded in 1910, and its annual research award is among the highest scholarly recognitions in the field in the United States. Nominations are extended to first-place paper winners from across AEJMC’s many divisions and interest groups.
Now in his second year of doctoral study, Samuel’s research sits at the intersection of digital journalism, platform studies, and African media systems.
About the Author
