Ryan Neville-Shepard, associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the incoming editor of the national journal, Communication and Democracy. He starts as editor-elect this spring, processing submissions for issues for the 2026-2028 volumes.

Communication and Democracy is one of 12 peer-reviewed journals of the National Communication Association. The journal features research concerning the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, political institutions and elections, social justice activism, and democratic practices across the world. The outlet publishes research from a variety of methodological approaches, including rhetorical, qualitative and quantitative methods.

Currently edited by Billie Murray of Villanova University, Communication and Democracy was recently rebranded from a previous title, First Amendment Studies, which ran from 2013-2021. Previously, the journal was known as the Free Speech Yearbook. The rebranding has led to immense growth, with submissions increasing 200 percent in 2022 and 143 percent in 2023.

Neville-Shepard brings an established research agenda in political communication, argumentation and rhetorical criticism to his new role as editor. Specializing in the communication of political outsiders, his work has been published in top journals such as Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Argumentation and Advocacy, and Western Journal of Communication. In addition to being named the recipient of the Fulbright College Outstanding Researcher Award in 2024, he has received the Central States Communication Association's Judith S. Trent Award for Early Career Excellence in Political Communication.

Matthew Spialek, who serves as the current chair of the Department of Communication, said, "We are proud to have Dr. Neville-Shepard serve as editor for one of our discipline's flagship journals. Dr. Neville-Shepard's appointment to this prestigious journal reflects the Department of Communication's commitment to research excellence and to be leading voices within our discipline."

Summarizing the significance of the work, Spialek added, "Under his editorship, we are confident that Dr. Neville-Shepard will provide a platform where communication scholars can address our discipline's unique role in the preservation of democracy and our First Amendment freedoms."

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About the National Communication Association: The National Communication Association advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. The association serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the National Communication Association promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. For more information, visit natcom.org.