T.J. Thomson is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and a chief investigator at its Digital Media Research Centre, where he leads its News, Media, and Journalism Research Group.
[4] He has been an officer in several national and international societies[5][6] and has served as the associate editor of Visual Communication Quarterly since 2017.
[9] His work explores the human side of media production, such as the emotional toll of documenting trauma,[10] as well as how freelancers learn and develop with lessened or absent institutional support.
[11] In 2019, the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association and Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia jointly announced that Thomson was the recipient of the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year Award, an international honour that recognises excellence in the fields of journalism and communication.
[16][17] NCA reviewers called the book 'a signature achievement in understanding the process of media production and the ethics of photojournalism'.
[19][20] He has also received international recognition for his teaching, including by winning the 2021 Visual Communication Teacher of the Year Award from the US-based Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the 2022 Linda Shockley Award for Excellence in Teaching.
[21][22] In 2022, the Australian Research Council awarded him a three-year DECRA Fellowship to study local visual news in regional Australia.
[23] Thomson was awarded the 2023 Max Crawford Medal for "his exemplary career in which he helps to build media literacy and addresses misinformation and disinformation".
[24] Thomson obtained a BA in communication from Chadron State College[14] and a graduate certificate, MA, and PhD from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
[25] In 2022, his first alma mater, Chadron State, announced Thomson was the recipient of its Distinguished Young Alumnus Award for "exemplary achievement and success in one's chosen career.
[27][28][29] Corporate clients included QuickFire Networks, which was acquired by Facebook in 2015; Colorado Academy; and HotelTonight, among others.
One of Thomson's recent research studies, I "Like" That: Exploring the Characteristics That Promote Social Media Engagement With News Photographs[30] on visual social media reached more than 40.6 million people and appeared in more than 94 news outlets, according to data provided by Cision[citation needed].
The study's findings were highlighted in IANS LIVE,[31] India's largest independent newswire service, Xinhua News Agency,[32] China's biggest and most influential media organisation, The New Indian Express,[33] Science Daily,[34] and Futurity,[35] among others.
Visibility and invisibility in the aged care sector: Visual representation in Australian news from 2018-2021.
Indigenous Knowledges and Perspectives in University Journalism Education: Exploring experiences, challenges, and opportunities.
Journalism employability in the modern newsroom: Insights from applicant resumes and cover letters.
Exploring the life cycle of smartphone images from camera rolls to social media platforms.
Visual mis/disinformation in journalism and public communications: Current verification practices, challenges, and future opportunities.
In Handbook of Visual Communication: Theory, Methods, and Media by Josephson, S., Kelly, J., and Smith, K. (eds).
Framing the Migration: A study of news photographs showing people fleeing war and persecution.
Politicians, Photographers, and a Pope: How state-controlled and independent media covered Francis's 2015 Cuba visit.