Dr Karen Fowler-Watt - Bournemouth University Staff Profile Pages

Biography

Publications Professional activities Grants

Overview

Dr Karen Fowler-Watt is Associate Professor of Journalism and Global Narratives. Formerly Head of the School of Journalism, English and Communication (2007-2018), she is research theme lead for journalism education in the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice (CEMP). As a BBC journalist, she worked in Radio 4 News and Current Affairs as an output editor on The World at One and PM and The World this Weekend, Karen made documentaries for File on 4 and she was a field producer in the Middle East, covering the Gulf Crisis and War in 1990/1 and producing news output from Moscow, Europe, Northern Ireland and the United States, with a stint as Washington bureau producer.

Karen has a BA and an MA in History from the University of Cambridge. After graduating from Cambridge, she was awarded a Harkness Fellowship to study political theory in the School of Government and Politics at Harvard University, where she also taught UG students history and literature and worked for Reuters and Newsweek... Her doctorate entitled, The Storytellers tell Their Stories: The Journalist as Educator was awarded by the University of Southampton in 2013. She is co-editor (with Professor Stephen Jukes) of 'New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy' (Routledge, 2020). Karen retains close links with industry, organising a number of conferences at BU on reporting conflict, news values and hosting the NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference. She speaks on panels nationally and internationally debating journalism ethics, trauma and journalism education. - in Leipzig at ECPMF, Beirut at MD Lab and at the annual Media Education Summit, hosted by CEMP. Karen is a Fellow of the Salzburg Academy for Media and Global Change and works with Dutch non-profit Global Voices on a journalism pedagogy project. Recent grants have supported research in Colombia, working with former child soldiers and a media literacy project on trust and fake news. Her research interests focus on reimagining journalism education, reporting conflict, autobiographical journalism, trauma, ethics, storytelling and marginalised voices.

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Research

Re-imagining journalism and journalism education: Fowler-Watt, K., and Jukes, S., (2020) New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. London: Routledge. Upcoming publication: Palgrave Handbook of Media Misinformation (co-edited with McDougall, J). Publications and conference papers on marginalised voices, trauma, autobiographical journalism and reporting conflict. Collaborative projects with Charles, M., on story listening and immersive approaches to storytelling, working with former child soldiers in Colombia.

Favourites

Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2022. The Tree of Love: Life Writing and ‘Seasons of Self’ by Former Child Soldiers in Colombia. Life Writing, 19 (3), 373-393.
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Jukes, S., Fowler-Watt, K. and Rees, G., 2022. Reporting the Covid-19 Pandemic: Trauma on Our Own Doorstep. Digital Journalism, 10 (6), 997-1014.
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Fowler-Watt, K., Majin, G., Sunderland, M., Phillips, M., Brine, D., Bissell, A. and Murphy, J., 2020. Reflections on the Shifting Shape of Journalism Education in the Covid-19 pandemic. Digital Culture and Education.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Global voices in journalism education. In: Jebril, N., Jukes, S., Takas, M. and Iordanidou', S., eds. Journalism, Society and Politics in the Digital Media Era. Intellect Books.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Charles, M., 2020. Seasons of Hope: intergenerational ‘storylistening’ among demobilised guerrilla in Colombia. Auto/Biography.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. The Auto/Biographical Journalist and Stories of Lived Experience. Life Writing, 17 (1), 59-74.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and McDougall, J., 2019. Media literacy versus fake news: fact checking and verification in the era of fake news and post-truth. Journalism Education, 8 (1), 60-69.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: World Journalism Education Congress 9-11 July 2019 Paris.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: Jukes, S., ed. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., 2019. New journalisms, new challenges. In: Fowler- Watt, K., ed. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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McDougall, J. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. Media Literacy versus Fake News: Critical Thinking, Resilience and Civic Engagement. In: World Journalism Education Congress 9-11 July 2019 Paris.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2018. Women War Correspondents: From the Frontline with Empathy. BSA Auto/Biography Yearbook.
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Journal Articles

Charles, M.H. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2023. ‘Storylistening’ as a methodology for peacebuilding among young survivors of conflict and their communities in Colombia. Methodological Innovations, 16 (1), 15-26.
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Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2022. The Tree of Love: Life Writing and ‘Seasons of Self’ by Former Child Soldiers in Colombia. Life Writing, 19 (3), 373-393.
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- view in BU repository
Jukes, S., Fowler-Watt, K. and Rees, G., 2022. Reporting the Covid-19 Pandemic: Trauma on Our Own Doorstep. Digital Journalism, 10 (6), 997-1014.
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McDougall, J., Fowler-Watt, K. and Edwards, L., 2021. Media Literacy in the Time of Covid. Sociologia della Comunicazione.
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Jukes, S., Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Rethinking journalism practice through innovative approaches to post conflict reporting. Journalism Practice.
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Fowler-Watt, K., Majin, G., Sunderland, M., Phillips, M., Brine, D., Bissell, A. and Murphy, J., 2020. Reflections on the Shifting Shape of Journalism Education in the Covid-19 pandemic. Digital Culture and Education.
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- view in BU repository
Fowler-Watt, K. and Charles, M., 2020. Seasons of Hope: intergenerational ‘storylistening’ among demobilised guerrilla in Colombia. Auto/Biography.
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- view in BU repository
Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. The Auto/Biographical Journalist and Stories of Lived Experience. Life Writing, 17 (1), 59-74.
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- view in BU repository
Fowler-Watt, K. and McDougall, J., 2019. Media literacy versus fake news: fact checking and verification in the era of fake news and post-truth. Journalism Education, 8 (1), 60-69.
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McDougall, J., 2019. MEDIA LITERACY VERSUS FAKE NEWS: CRITICAL THINKING, RESILIENCE AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. MEDIJSKE STUDIJE-MEDIA STUDIES, 10 (19), 29-45.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2018. Women War Correspondents: From the Frontline with Empathy. BSA Auto/Biography Yearbook.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2017. The Storytellers Tell Their Stories: using stories of lived experience in journalism education. Media Education Research Journal.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2016. Journalism New Challenges: a shop window for practitioner research. Media Education Research Journal.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2015. Professional Perspectives: placing lived experience at the heart of journalism education. Journalism Education.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2014. Epiphanies and the Autobiographical Journalist. BSA Auto/Biography Yearbook.
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Books

Fowler-Watt, K., 2023. Challenges and New Directions in Journalism Education. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and McDougall, J., 2022. The Palgrave Handbook of Media Misinformation. Palgrave Macmillan.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., 2019. New Journalisms: rethinking practice theory and pedagogy. Routledge.
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Journalism: New Challenges. Poole, England: CJCR: Centre for Journalism & Communication Research, Bournemouth University.
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Journalism: New Challenges. Centre for Journalism & Communication Research.
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Chapters

Fowler-Watt, K., McDougall, J. and Murphy, J., 2023. The hidden threat: Journalism and resilience in the age of ‘information disorder. In: Bradley, L. and Heywood, E., eds. Journalism as the fourth emergency service: Building trauma and resilience training into journalism education. Peter Lang.
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Moeller, S. and Jukes, S., 2022. Images, fakery and verification. In: Fowler-Watt, K. and McDougall, J., eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Media Misinformation. Palgrave Macmillan.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2021. Immersive storytelling. Transformative Media Pedagogies. 100-108.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. The auto/biographical journalist and stories of lived experience. In: Dix, H., ed. Career Construction Theory and Life Writing: Narrative and Autobiographical Thinking Across the Professions. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Global voices in journalism education. In: Jebril, N., Jukes, S., Takas, M. and Iordanidou', S., eds. Journalism, Society and Politics in the Digital Media Era. Intellect Books.
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Jukes, S., 2019. Journalists in Search of Identity. In: Fowler-Watt, K., ed. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. London: Routledge.. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: Jukes, S., ed. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., 2019. New journalisms, new challenges. In: Fowler- Watt, K., ed. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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Mihailidis, P. and Gerodimos, R., 2019. Civic Intentionality and the Transformative Potential of Journalism Pedagogies. In: Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. London: Routledge.
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Nguyen, A., 2013. Online news audiences: the challenges of web metrics. In: Allan, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., eds. Journalism: New Challenges. Poole, England: CJCR: Centre for Journalism & Communication Research, Bournemouth University, 146-161.
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Luce, A., 2013. Moral Panics: Reconsidering Journalism's Responsibilities. In: Fowler-Watt, K. and Allan, S., eds. Journalism: New Challenges. Poole, England: CJCR: Centre for Journalism & Communication Research, Bournemouth University, 393-409.
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Thompson, S., 2013. The Future of Newspapers in a Digital Age. In: Fowler-Watt, K. and Allan, S., eds. Journalism: New Challenges. Poole, England: Centre for Journalism and Communications Research, Bournemouth University, 19-34.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Wilson, A., 2013. Editorial Leadership in the Newsroom. Journalism:New Challenges. CJCR.
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Conferences

Fowler-Watt, K., Jukes, S. and Rees, G., 2021. Reporting the Pandemic: Trauma on our own Doorstep. In: FMC Humanities and Social Science Research seminar series 24 February 2021 Bournemouth University.
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Jukes, S., Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2021. Rethinking Journalism Practice Through Innovative Approaches to Post Conflict Reporting. Journalism Practice, 15 (6), 767-784.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Collective Reflections on the shifting shape of journalism education in the Covid-19 pandemic. In: Association of Journalism Education virtual summer conference 19 June 2020 Online.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: World Journalism Education Congress 9-11 July 2019 Paris.
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McDougall, J. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. Media Literacy versus Fake News: Critical Thinking, Resilience and Civic Engagement. In: World Journalism Education Congress 9-11 July 2019 Paris.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. Global voices in journalism education. , 28-44.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., 2017. Cross cultural student journalism exchange - Covering the 2016 U.S. conventions and election. In: Media Education Summit 2017 15-17 June 2017 Segovia, Spain.
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Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2017. The Need for Trauma Awareness in Journalism Education. In: Media Education Summit 4-5 November 2016 Rome.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2017. Telling the Stories of Others. In: Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change: Voices Against Extremism 16 July-5 August 2017 Salzburg, Austria.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2017. Reporting marginalised voices as a route to self –reflection in journalism education. In: Media Education Summit 4-5 November 2016 Rome.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2016. The Storytellers Tell Their Stories: using stories of lived experience in journalism education. In: Media Education Summit 20-21 November 2015 Boston, MA. Media Education Research Journal.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2014. Epiphanies and the Autobiographical Journalist. In: BSA Christmas Conference December 2013 British Library, London.
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Reports

McDougall, J., Feigenbaum, A., Fowler-Watt, K., Gerodimos, R., Buckingham, D., Bulger, M. and Mihailidis, P., 2019. Media Literacy v Fake News. CEMP.
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Scholarly Editions

Fowler-Watt, 2016. Journalism Education. Association of Journalism Education.
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Theses

Fowler-Watt, K., 2014. The Storytellers Tell Their Stories:The Journalist as Educator. PhD Thesis. University of Southampton.
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Others

Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Fergal Keane: hopes that BBC reporter’s courage will help remove stigma of PTSD in journalists. The Conversation. Published online.
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Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Fergal Keane: hopes that BBC reporter’s courage will help remove stigma of PTSD in journalists. The Conversation. Published online.
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PhD Students

Jo Royle. Journalism entrepreneurship and higher education
Andrew Bissell. The Experience of Becoming: A Hermeneutic Study of Journalism Education
Nicole Blanchett - Neheli, 2019. News by numbers: How analytics are changing journalism
Emanuele Bussa. Role of stringers in reporting the Syrian conflict
Suzanne Dixon. University Education and Enterprise: A project to Develop Curricula to Suit the Chinese context
Melania Fodritto. Effective Pedagogy in the Computer Animation and Visual Effects discipline in HE in United Kingdom
Lynda Smith. You don't know what you don't know: an account of the lived experience of Black Journalism undergraduates in Higher Education in England
Louise Cottrell. The value of making: A study exploring students’ experiences of producing video work
Isabel Forrest. In what ways does the role of the placement prepare students on media production courses for their professional lives
Rebecca Pride. Intimate scenography: exploring the drama of the costume fitting as a micro-performance
Jason Hallett, (In progress)
Rebecca Hindley, (In progress)

Profile of Teaching PG

MA Multimedia Journalism - Documentary Journalism
Doctor of Education in Creative Media Practice

Profile of Teaching UG

Professional Perspectives and Global Voices
Dissertations
Journalism Ethics and News Theory
Multimedia Major Projects

Invited Lectures

Virtual, 13 Oct 2022 more

Invited talk for SHDC and CEMP research centres for MAMC students: Imagining alternative futures: 'storylistening' in participatory arts as a route to peacebuilding.
Imagining alternative futures:, Salzburg, Austria, 26 Jul 2022 more

Imagining alternative futures: The Tree of Love and 'storylistening' in participatory arts: Invited plenary talk and workshop at Salzburg Academy for Media and Global change 2022
The Evolution of Journalism Education, Carleton University, Ottawa, 23 Oct 2020 more

Invited panel speaker for virtual conference: Journalism in the Time of Crisis: at the intersection of Journalism and the Pandemic hosted by Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication, Ottawa
STAYING STRONG AND KEEPING SAFE AS A JOURNALIST, Harlow, Essex, 29 Nov 2018 more

NCTJ Journalism Skills conference
Trauma awareness and Journalism Educaton, Leipzig, Germany, 05 Oct 2017 more

European Centre for the Protection of Media freedom (ECPMF 17)
Reimagining journalism education: restoring conne, Beirut, 14 Aug 2017 more

MDLAB17 at Lebanese American University, Beirut
Telling the Stories of Others, Salzburg Austria, 26 Jul 2017 more

Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change
Journalists and the stories of others, Salzburg, Austria, 19 Jul 2016 more

Salzburg Media Academy for Global Change

Grants

Grants

Evaluating Media Literacy with a Theory of Change (DCMS, 01 Nov 2022). Awarded
Mi Camino (My Path): Strengthening resilience among teenagers at risk of recruitment by armed groups in Colombia (Global Challenges Research Fund, 16 May 2022). Completed
Post-Contributor Lived Experience (Independent Television Service, 12 Apr 2021). Awarded
Media Literacy versus Fake News: Critical Thinking, Resilience and Civic Engagement (US Embassy, 01 Jan 2019). Completed
Children of the Revolution:: Animating their lives to promote reconciliation (HEFCE: Global Challenges Research Fund, 01 Jul 2018). Awarded
E-Voices: Redressing Marginality (Arts and Humanities Research Council, 01 Jan 2018). Awarded
Hostile environment training for journalists: a mobile learning platform for the international news agency Reuters (HEIF, 01 Jan 2014). Awarded

External Responsibilities

University Centre Peterborough, External Examiner BA (Hons) Journalism (2022-2026)
York St John University, External Examiner (2021-2025)
Goldsmith's University, London, External Examiner (2020-)
Cardiff University, External Examiner (2019-2023)
Ofcom, Member, Ofcom Media Literacy Network (2019-)
Media for Change, Member, Board of Advisors (2019-)
Press Gazette British Journalism Awards, Judge (2018-)
Royal Television Society Awards, Judge (2017)
University of Essex, External Examiner (2016-2020)
University of Central Lancashire, External Examiner (2015-)
Broadcast Journalism Training Council, Board member (2007-), http://www.bjtc.org/
Broadcast Journalism Training Council, Council Member
One World Media, Member
Ofcom, Member, Media Literacy Network

Internal Responsibilities

Academic Advisor BAMMJ L 6, Communication and Journalism
Lead IPPM - one of 2 appointed by Vice Chancellor, IPPM

Journal Reviewing/Refereeing

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 07 Dec 2020
Media Practice and Education, 02 Jan 2019
Journalism Practice, 01 Jan 2017
Journal of Media Practice, 01 Jan 2015
Media Education Research Journal, 01 Jan 2013

Public Engagement & Outreach Activities

External Examiner (21 Jan 2020)
External Examiner (01 Jan 2020)
Editorial Board member (01 Oct 2019)
HE Careers Forum
Education project
Member, Board of Advisors Media4Change
Judge

Conference Presentations

MDLAB17, Reimagining journalism education: restoring connectivity and rebuilding trust, 07 Aug 2017, Beirut
Media Education Summit 2017, Cross cultural student journalism exchange (covering the U.S. election), 15 Jun 2017, Segovia, Spain

Consultancy Activities

MA International Journalism and Hostile Environment Training, external reviewer. University of Ulster
Ofcom Panel of Experts: The State of Public Service Broadcasting, Presentation. Ofcom

Attended Training

Supervisory Development Training for Established Supervisors., 01 Jun 2019
Strategic Academic Leadership, 01 Jan 2016

Qualifications
Memberships

Qualifications

Doctor of Education in Journalism Education (University of Southampton, 2013)
MA in History (University of Cambridge, 1988)

Memberships

British Sociological Association Auto/Biography Study Group, Member (2013-),
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), Member,
Association of Journalism Education (AJE), Member,
BERA, Member,
Broadcast Journalism Training Council, Board Member,
Higher Education Academy (Advance HE), Senior Fellow,
MeCCSA, Member,
National Council for Training of Journalists, Member,
Salzburg Academy for Media and Global Change, Fellow,