Dr Karen Fowler-Watt - Bournemouth University Staff Profile Pages

Biography

Publications Professional activities Grants

Overview

Dr Karen Fowler-Watt is a Senior Principal Academic and 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 Stuart Allan) of Journalism: New Challenges, which brings together contributions from BU colleagues and industry practitioners. In 2019, 'New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy' (co-edited with Stephen Jukes) will be published by Routledge. Karen retains close links with industry, organising a number of conferences at BU on reporting conflict, news values and the NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference (2013). She speaks on panels nationally and internationally debating journalism ethics, trauma and journalism education. most recently in Leipzig at ECPMF and the Salzburg Media Academy. Engaged in a pedagogic project with Global Voices, her research interests cover reporting conflict, autobiographical journalism, trauma, ethics, storytelling and marginalised voices.

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Research

Research papers for conferences based on recent doctoral thesis: The Storytellers tell Their Stories: The Journalist as Educator -- autobiographical journalism and the theory/practice blend in journalism education. Editorial leadership (book chapter) and edited collection Journalism:New Challenges.

Favourites

Fowler-Watt, K. and Charles, M., 2020. Seasons of Hope: Voices of reconciliation and resistance among Colombia’s demobilised guerrilla. 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., 2018. Women War Correspondents: From the Frontline with Empathy. BSA Auto/Biography Yearbook.
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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., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., eds. 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. and Jukes, S., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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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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Journal Articles

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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Fowler-Watt, K. and Charles, M., 2020. Seasons of Hope: Voices of reconciliation and resistance among Colombia’s demobilised guerrilla. 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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Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. The Tree of Love: Life Writing and ‘Seasons of Self’ by Former Child Soldiers in Colombia. Life Writing.
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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., 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. 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., 2021. Immersive Storytelling. In: Mihailidis, P., Fromm, M. and Shresthova, S., eds. Transformative Pedagogies. Routledge.
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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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Fowler-Watt, K., 2019. New journalisms, new pedagogies. In: Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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Jukes, S., 2019. Journalists in Search of Identity. In: Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. London: Routledge.. Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K. and Jukes, S., 2019. New journalisms, new challenges. In: Fowler- Watt, K. and Jukes, S., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. Routledge.
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Mihailidis, P. and Gerodimos, R., 2019. Reimagining engagement for an era of distrust. In: Jukes, S. and Fowler-Watt, K., eds. New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy. London: Routledge.
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Fowler-Watt, K., 2013. Editorial Leadership in the Newsroom. Journalism:New Challenges. CJCR.
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Conferences

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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Jukes, S., Charles, M. and Fowler-Watt, K., 2020. Rethinking Journalism Practice Through Innovative Approaches to Post Conflict Reporting.
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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.
- more information
- view in BU repository
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., 2017. Global Voices in Journalism Education. In: AJE Winter Conference 20 January 2017 University of Westminster, London.
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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.
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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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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 Royale. 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 at Level 5 prepare students on the BAMP course at the University of Bournemouth, for their professional lives

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

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
The Journalist as Creative Storyteller, Elevebakken Oslo January 2013

Grants

Grants

Media Literacy versus Fake News: Critical Thinking, Resilience and Civic Engagement (US Embassy, 01 Jan 2019). Awarded
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

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

Internal Responsibilities

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

Public Engagement & Outreach Activities

MA Television Journalism Goldsmith's University of London
External Examiner MA International Journalism Cardiff University
Journal of Media Practice and Education
Journalism, Media and Publishing at University
Integration of Global Voices into journalism curricula
Careers and HE advice in local schools; judge in local journalism competition;charity work
Advisor on social justice and civic media projects for international network

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

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,