Background

Established in 2009, the responsibilities were last revised in November 2020.

Charge

To inform the public about the role of language and linguistics in society, placing particular emphasis on efforts to inform members of the news media, academia, and scientists.

Responsibilities

The work of the Committee includes, but is not limited to:

  • Maintaining a "News Room" on the LSA website, to include a roster of LSA members available for press interviews on different topics. Encourage these members to write op-eds and other articles intended for a "lay" audience. Consult with the Executive Director (ED) on placing these articles in "mainstream" publications.
  • Collaborating with the Editors of LSA publications and the Chairs of the Program Committee to spotlight significant research of interest to those outside the linguistics community, as published/presented in the current issues and/or meetings. This should include garnering press coverage for the Annual Meeting.
  • Consulting with the ED in preparing LSA news releases as appropriate.
  • Managing the Five Minute Linguist event at the Annual Meeting.
  • Consulting on the “Linguistics/Language in the News” feature of the LSA’s social media accounts.
  • Managing the Linguistics Journalism Award and the Linguistics, Language and the Public (LLP) Award (as of 2023) nominations and selection process.
  • Coordinating outreach efforts with LSA liaisons and delegates to external organizations representing the academic and scientific communities.
  • Monitoring websites and other publications for items relating to linguistics and language.
  • Consulting with the ED in seeking grants to support these activities, as appropriate.

Membership (open)

Ideally, the committee should include:

  • Editors of LSA Publications
  • Member of Program Committee
  • Members with experience as journalists
  • Members who write/speak for a popular audience
  • Members who are quoted frequently by the news media

Committee Chair, 2023

  • Georgia Zellou, University of California, Davis, Chair

Executive Committee Liaison: Michel DeGraff

Staff Liaison: Margaret Vitullo