Nigerian Doctoral Student Clinches Two U.S. Journalism Awards
Nigerian doctoral student Samuel Arowosafe, a PhD 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) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Arowosafe received the James W. Markham First Place Student Paper Award from AEJMC’s International Communication Division and the African Journalism Studies Best Paper Award. He was also nominated for the prestigious National Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, which recognizes outstanding research presented at the conference.
The awards were given for a research paper titled “Algorithmic Gatekeeping in African Journalism: Platform Dependency, Material Consequences, and Adaptive Strategies in Nigeria and Kenya.” The study was co-authored by Arowosafe, Ibs Sackey Rockson, and Teddy Mutoni.
The researchers examined how major technology platforms, including Meta, Google, and X, influence news production and distribution in Africa. Focusing on Nigeria and Kenya, the study explored the growing dependence of African news organizations and journalists on global digital platforms, the consequences of that dependence, and the strategies journalists are using to adapt to the changing media landscape.
Arowosafe said the research began with an interest in understanding the cost of digital platforms to African journalism but developed into a broader investigation of power, influence, and how journalists respond to these challenges.
He said he was surprised by the recognition, noting that his primary goal was to use research to answer important questions rather than pursue awards.
Now in his second year of doctoral studies, Arowosafe specializes in digital journalism, platform studies, and African media systems. His success at the AEJMC conference highlights the growing contributions of African scholars to global research and conversations about technology, journalism, and the future of the media.
Nigerian Doctoral Student Clinches Two U.S. Journalism Awards
Nigerian Doctoral Student Clinches Two U.S. Journalism Awards
Nigerian Doctoral Student Clinches Two U.S. Journalism Awards