Dr Dalia Elsheikh
- 01202 965467
- delsheikh at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9540-6948
- Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- Weymouth House W334, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB
Biography
Dr Dalia Elsheikh (PhD, SFHEA) is Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Bournemouth University and a practicing journalist, bringing professional experience into both her research and teaching.
Research
Dr Elsheikh's research spans political communication, journalism studies, digital journalism, artificial intelligence and digital activism, with a particular focus on non-Western and Global South contexts.
1- Political Communication, Election Campaigns and Democratic Transition
Political communication is a central focus of Dr Elsheikh's scholarship. Her work examines election campaigning, political messaging, and democratic transition, particularly in the Arab world.
In Campaign Professionalism during Egypt's 2012 Presidential Election (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), she analysed the first competitive presidential election following Egypt's 2011 revolution and examined the applicability of the campaign professionalism index within a transitional political environment. Her research showed how professional campaign techniques can strengthen electoral competition while also contributing to political polarization in emerging democratic systems. By applying theories largely developed in Western democracies to a post-revolutionary Arab context, her work expanded understanding of political communication beyond established democratic settings.
Her work has also explored political communication during periods of crisis, including government communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research examined how political narratives, emotional appeals, and collective identities are constructed and communicated during moments of national uncertainty.
2- Journalism in Transitional Societies
Dr Elsheikh's research examines journalism in transitional societies... Her work challenges assumptions drawn mainly from Western journalism theories by showing how journalistic practice is shaped not only by governments and political institutions, but also by social actors, citizens, and public expectations.
Her research contributes to understanding how social hostility, declining trust, and political polarization can shape self-censorship, professional insecurity, and media pluralism. By examining journalism in transitional contexts, she has helped broaden debates about media systems, press freedom, and professional practice beyond Western democratic frameworks.
3- Digital Journalism and AI Governance
Dr Elsheikh also examines how digital technologies are reshaping journalism. Her work explores the influence of audience metrics, analytics, and platformisation on editorial decision-making, newsroom culture, and professional practice.
Her research on artificial intelligence and media governance in the Global South examines how news organisations adopt AI technologies while addressing issues of editorial autonomy, technological dependence, and ethical accountability. Her work develops the concept of "defensive AI governance" to explain how news organisations seek to balance technological innovation with editorial oversight and institutional control.
4- Digital Activism and Civic Engagement
Dr Elsheikh's research on digital activism and public engagement explores how marginalized groups use digital platforms to create alternative spaces for participation and collective action. Her work on Egyptian feminist networks contributes to understanding how civic engagement and social change can be sustained under restrictive political conditions.
---- Research Collaboration and Doctoral Supervision---
Dr Elsheikh welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers, research collaborators, and institutions seeking expertise in political communication, journalism studies, digital media, AI governance, and journalism practice.
moreFavourites
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., 2026. Platformisation, Power, and AI Governance in the Newsroom: Insights from the Global South. Media and Communication, 14.
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2025. Journalism in Transitional Context: Societal Hostility, Self-Censorship and the Expansion of “One Voice Journalism”. Journalism Practice, 19 (9), 1921-1939.
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2024. Revisiting the Hierarchy of Influences on Journalism in a Transitional Context: When the Social System Level Prevails. International Journal of Communication, 18, 3347-3365.
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2024. The Power of Numbers: Four Ways Metrics are Transforming the News. Digital Journalism, 12 (8), 1165-1183.
- Elsheikh, D., Lilleker, D.G., 2019. Egypt's feminist counterpublic: The re-invigoration of the post-revolution public sphere. NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Campaign Professionalism during Egypt’s 2012 Presidential Election. Springer.
- Lilleker, D., 2017. Evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee 'Fake news' inquiry presented by the Faculty for Media & Communication, Bournemouth University.. Bournemouth University.
Journal Articles
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., 2026. Platformisation, Power, and AI Governance in the Newsroom: Insights from the Global South. Media and Communication, 14.
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2025. Journalism in Transitional Context: Societal Hostility, Self-Censorship and the Expansion of “One Voice Journalism”. Journalism Practice, 19 (9), 1921-1939.
- Elsheikh, D., Jebril, N., Jackson, D., 2024. Assessing media roles in Egypt: A journalistic perspective on liberal media functions. JOURNAL OF APPLIED JOURNALISM & MEDIA STUDIES.
- Elsheikh, D., Lilleker, D., 2024. Egyptian political conversations on Clubhouse: Proto-public sphere at the age of the pandemic. Interactions (Journal) Studies in Communication & Culture, 13 (1).
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2024. The Power of Numbers: Four Ways Metrics are Transforming the News. Digital Journalism, 12 (8), 1165-1183.
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2024. Revisiting the Hierarchy of Influences on Journalism in a Transitional Context: When the Social System Level Prevails. International Journal of Communication, 18, 3347-3365.
- Elsheikh, D., Lilleker, D.G., 2019. Egypt's feminist counterpublic: The re-invigoration of the post-revolution public sphere. NEW MEDIA & SOCIETY.
Books
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Campaign Professionalism during Egypt’s 2012 Presidential Election. Springer.
Chapters
- Elsheikh, D., 2024. Egypt: From empathetic rhetoric to pragmatism - addressing healthcare inequities in the COVID-19 response. Risk Communication and Covid 19 Governmental Communication and Management of Pandemic. 147-158.
- Elsheikh, D., Jebril, N., Jackson, D., 2023. Democratising the Media: Media Reform and the Future of Journalism in Egypt. Media and Democracy in the Middle East. 130-146.
- Coman, I.A., Elsheikh, D., Gregor, M., Lilleker, D., Novelli, E., 2021. Introduction: Political communication, governance and rhetoric in times of crisis. 1-15.
- Coman, I.A., Elsheikh, D., Gregor, M., Lilleker, D., Novelli, E., 2021. Introduction: Political communication, governance and rhetoric in times of crisis. 1-15.
- Elsheikh, D., 2021. Egypt: Emotional Speech and Complicated Reality. In: Lilleker, D., Coman, I.A., Gregor, M., Novelli, E., eds. Political Communication and COVID-19 Governance and Rhetoric in Times of Crisis Edited By Darren Lilleker, Ioana A. Coman, Miloš Gregor, Edoardo Novelli. Routledge.
- Elsheikh, D., 2021. Egypt: Emotive speech masks a complicated reality. Political Communication and Covid 19 Governance and Rhetoric in Times of Crisis. 177-187.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Introduction to Studying 2012 Egyptian Election. Political Campaigning and Communication. 1-38.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. The 2012 Presidential Election in Egypt. Political Campaigning and Communication. 39-62.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Campaigns’ Structures and Strategies. Political Campaigning and Communication. 63-155.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Analysing the Campaigns in Light of Their Professionalisation. Political Campaigning and Communication. 157-228.
- Elsheikh, D., 2018. Conclusion: The Impact of Campaigns’ Professionalism on the Democratisation Process in Egypt. Political Campaigning and Communication. 229-277.
Conferences
- Elsheikh, D., Jackson, D., Jebril, N., 2024. The Power of Numbers: Four Ways Metrics are Changing the News. In: ECREA Journalism Studies Section Annual Conference 11/04/2024 Sheffield.
Reports
- Lilleker, D., 2017. Evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee 'Fake news' inquiry presented by the Faculty for Media & Communication, Bournemouth University.. Bournemouth University.
Theses
- Elsheikh, 2017. Campaign professionalism and the ‘birth’ of democracy. Analyzing the 2012 first multi-candidate presidential election in post-revolutionary Egypt. Bournemouth University, Faculty of Media and Communication.
PhD Students
- Ibrahim Awawdeh, 2026. Examining Narrative Theory in Translation Studies: The Case of English and Arabic News about the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict (The War of October 2023), (In progress)
- Ameerh Alsulami, 2027. The Use of X in Journalism in Saudi Arabia: Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities, (In progress)
- Abdullah Omer Halim, 2029. Artificial Intelligence in Saudi Arabian Newsrooms: Adoption, Practices, and Challenges, (In progress)
- Yasser Abuali, 2023. Exploring Journalistic Role Performance in Arab Journalism: The Case of Kuwait, (Completed)
Social Media Links
- LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/delsheikh-phd/
- Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/daliaelshiekh