Dr. A. Jay Wagner // Diederich College of Communication // Marquette University

Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies

Journalism and Media Studies

Education

Ph.D., Indiana University, 2016
M.A., DePaul University, 2010
B.S., University of Dayton, 2006

Courses Taught

COMM 3800 Media Law
JOUR 4150 Investigative Reporting
JOUR 4600 Journalism History
COMM 4750 Media, Technology and Culture
JOUR 4932 Opinion Writing
JOUR 4997 Capstone in Journalism
COMM 6250 Communication as Ethical Practice
COMM 6825 Government Information
COMM 6924 The 21st Century First Amendment

Research Interests

Media law and policy
Access to government information
Freedom of Information Act
Political economy of information

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor, Bradley University, 2016-2018

Various roles for the Bloomington Herald Times, Bloom Magazine, Sun-Times Media Group and The Chicago Reporter, 2009-2015

Summer Associate, International Press Institute, 2012

Publications

Owning the Police: Crime Data, Copyright, and Public Information, Journal of Civic Information (2023)

To Fee or Not to Fee: Requester Attitudes Toward Freedom of Information Charges, Government Information Quarterly (2023).

Whose Public Virtue? Exploring Freedom of Information Efficacy and Support,
Administration & Society (2022).

Popular Information: An Analysis of FOI Use and Behavior, Government Information Quarterly (2022).

Inherent Frictions and Deliberate Frustrations: Examining the Legal Variables of State FOI Law Administration, Journal of Civic Information (2021).

Piercing the Veil: Examining the Demographic and Political Variables of State FOI Law Administration, Government Information Quarterly (2021).

Pandering, Priority or Political Weapon: Presidencies, Political Parties and the Freedom of Information Act, Communication Law and Policy (2021).

A Structural Imperative: Freedom of Information, the First Amendment and the Accountability Function of Expression, Quinnipiac Law Review (2020).

"Longstanding, Systemic Weaknesses": Hillary Clinton's Emails, FOIA's Defects & Affirmative Disclosure, University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy (2019).

A Secret Police: The Lasting Impact of the 1986 FOIA Amendments, Communication Law and Policy (2018).

Essential or Extravagant: Considering FOIA Budgets, Costs and Fees, Government Information Quarterly (2017).

Controlling Discourse, Foreclosing Recourse: The Creep of the Glomar Response, Communication Law and Policy (2016).

Reprinted in The U.S. Freedom of Information Act at 50 (W. Wat Hopkins ed., 2018).

Honors and Awards

Second Place, National Freedom of Information Coalition Research Competition, 2023
Federal FOIA Advisory Committee, 2020-2022
Scholar of the Year, Diederich College of Communication, 2022
Third Place, National Freedom of Information Coalition Research Competition, 2021 & 2022
First Place, National Freedom of Information Coalition Research Competition, 2020
Robert M. O’Neil Top Paper Award, NCA, Freedom of Expression Division, 2017
Top Debut Faculty Paper, AEJMC, Law & Policy Division, 2017
Top Paper, NCA, Communication & Law Division, 2016
DePaul University Excellence in Journalism Scholarship, 2010

Why Marquette

Marquette’s university-wide focus on social justice aligns with my aims in teaching and practicing journalism.

The curricular emphasis on community journalism and investigative reporting both prepares students for success and represents the social value of the field.

The storied journalism program, faculty and facilities make this a remarkable home for a teacher and scholar of journalism.