Biography
Professor Scott Wright is Deputy Dean (Research) and Professor of Political Communication and Journalism. He was previously Professor of Political Communication and Journalism in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University, where he directed the Research Unit in Political Communication and Journalism, and an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne. Prior to moving to Australia in 2014, Wright worked at the Universities of Leicester, De Montfort, and East Anglia. He has held many visiting professorships, including at Stanford (Symbolic Systems), Leeds, and LMU Munich. In 2012, he was a Mid-Career Fellow of the British Academy.
As Deputy Dean, Wright has focused on increasing research and knowledge exchange income by developing the research culture and environment. Within 2 years, the faculty broke its income generation record and continues to increase these with multiple AHRC, British Academy and EU successes. Bidding activity has increased significantly across the faculty, with success rates of around 40%... This builds on our successful performance in REF 2021, including number one for research power in UoA 34. Wright leads REF preparations across the faculty and sits on the university REF steering committee.
He is joint academic lead on the university’s Improving Research Policy and Practice workstream, which covers all aspects of bid development and grant management. In particular, he worked with stakeholders to design a new bid development process; a new bid quality review process; and implemented a new bid EOI process and created a Grants College for mentoring.
Wright is Chair of the University Research Degrees Committee, responsible for the strategic direction of research degrees at BU. Wright has worked with stakeholders to improve research culture and engagement, seeing significant positive increases in PRES responses, with FMC having the highest overall scores and a 40% increase in timely completions. Specific changes include integrating PGRs into research centres and departments better, bringing the PhD timeline forward, and improving the overall monitoring and mentoring.
He sits on the university external engagement committee, where he has facilitated improvements in HE-BCI reporting. He has implemented a Knowledge Exchange Hub and created a structure to support knowledge exchange in FMC. He also created a system for the distribution of contracts and tenders across BU.
Prior to joining BU, he held several important leadership and administrative roles, including Chair of Graduate Studies, School Executive, Faculty Board, Research Committee, Higher Degrees by Research Coordinator. In each role he offered strategic leadership and mentoring. Specific leadership examples include the development of a dual MA degree with Fudan University; the development of a formal relationship between the University of Melbourne and the New York Times (e.g. Hard Truths exhibition, internships, talks); and the development and launch of a successful MA degree in Broadcast Journalism at UEA.
Externally, Wright sits on the ESRC College of Experts and the Australian Research Council National Intelligence and Security Discovery Research Grants panel
moreResearch
On returning to the UK, Wright has shifted to be a partner investigator on an ARC Discovery grant: ‘Evaluating the Challenge of ‘Fake News’ and Other Malinformation’ (DP200101317 - $431,000) led by Axel Bruns (QUT), and partner investigator on an ARC Linkage grant led by David Nolan (Canberra): Amplifying Indigenous News: A Digital Intervention, working with the Guardian and IndigenousX (LP180100201 - $222,782). He has previously held a range of grants from organisations such as the Economic and Social Research Council, the Research Councils of the United Kingdom, the British Academy and the European Union. The total value of these grants is in excess of £4m.
He has published widely in the highest ranked communication and politics journals in the world, including New Media & Society (4); Press/Politics (2); Political Communication; Information, Communication & Society (3); Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication; International Journal of Communication (2); Journalism Studies (2); Digital Journalism, Media, Culture & Society; European Journal of Communication; Journal of European Public Policy; British Journal of Politics and International Relations; Parliamentary Affairs; and the Journal of Information Technology & Politics. His research has received over 3700 citations and has an h-index of 27 and an i10-index of 35 (March 2022).
Wright’s research focuses on political communication, journalism and political participation.
Specific interests include:
• Online deliberation and everyday online political talk, particularly in non-political ‘third spaces’, and how this is shaped by website design and moderation...
• The relationships between big technology companies and journalism and politics (e.g. responses to fake news, algorithmic moderation, censorship, Instant Articles, fact checking, the reporting of technology, advertising, sponsorship, data journalism)
• The extent, nature and impact of fake news and fake news discourse, and how to combat this
• Attacks on journalists and journalism, including discursive (fake news, #theirABC, bias) from politicians, the public and between journalists; incivility and abuse (e.g. attacks on indigenous journalists, female journalists); how newsrooms are responding; how journalists respond
• Engaged Journalism, including the nature of debate in ‘below the line’ comment spaces and on Twitter; how journalists engage; the impact of this on journalists and journalism
• The Manosphere and alternative spaces of political debate and action, particularly around questions of toxic masculinity and misogyny
• Political reporting, particularly during elections
• Online political participation and activism, including e-petitions and online consultations, hybrid media
• The role and impact of ‘super-participants’ on political talk and participation
• Chinese political communication (e.g. political talk in China; political talk on Weibo) and journalism in China (e.g. professional practice of journalists; data journalism in China)
• Methods of analysing online discussion
His research is multi-method, comparatively grounded, and is quantitative and qualitative - using content analysis, statistics, interviews, discourse analysis and digital ethnography.
Wright has advised a range of bodies on e-democracy initiatives from local councils to the US State Department. His research has had a broad impact, influencing the development and use of online consultations, discussion fora and political blogs by groups such as the Hansard Society; the International Centre of Excellence in Local E-democracy; Public Works and Government Services Canada, and the German Bundestag. Wright was Convener of the Political Studies Association Urban Politics specialist group and a member of the NSF-funded International Working Group on Online Consultation and Public Policy Making. He won a Cue East award for his engagement activities and had Beacon Status.
moreFavourites
- Wright, S. and Nolan, D., 2023. The Development of Data Journalism in China: Influences, Motivations and Practice. Digital Journalism, 11 (9), 1664-1681.
- Jones, C., Trott, V. and Wright, S., 2020. Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment. New Media and Society, 22 (10), 1903-1921.
- Wong, S.C. and Wright, S., 2020. Hybrid mediation opportunity structure? A case study of Hong Kong’s Anti-National Education Movement. New Media and Society, 22 (10), 1741-1762.
Journal Articles
- Wright, S. and Nolan, D., 2023. The Development of Data Journalism in China: Influences, Motivations and Practice. Digital Journalism, 11 (9), 1664-1681.
- Sun, Y. and Wright, S., 2023. Relay activism and the flows of contentious publicness on WeChat: a case study of COVID-19 in China. Information Communication and Society.
- Nolan, D., Brookes, S. and Wright, S., 2022. Introduction. Media International Australia, 184 (1), 3-5.
- Beratis, D. and Wright, S., 2022. Election Night Broadcasts and the Hybrid Media System: A Case Study of Australia. International Journal of Press/Politics, 27 (1), 38-57.
- Carson, A. and Wright, S., 2022. Fake news and democracy: definitions, impact and response. Australian Journal of Political Science, 57 (3), 221-230.
- Wright, S., 2021. Discourses of fake news. Journal of Language and Politics, 20 (5), 641-652.
- Wright, S., 2021. Beyond 'fake news'? A longitudinal analysis of how Australian politicians attack and criticise the media on Twitter. Journal of Language and Politics, 20 (5), 719-740.
- Jones, C., Trott, V. and Wright, S., 2020. Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment. New Media and Society, 22 (10), 1903-1921.
- Wong, S.C. and Wright, S., 2020. Hybrid mediation opportunity structure? A case study of Hong Kong’s Anti-National Education Movement. New Media and Society, 22 (10), 1741-1762.
- Wright, S., Trott, V. and Jones, C., 2020. ‘The pussy ain’t worth it, bro’: assessing the discourse and structure of MGTOW. Information Communication and Society, 23 (6), 908-925.
- Wright, S., Jackson, D. and Graham, T., 2020. When Journalists Go “Below the Line”: Comment Spaces at The Guardian (2006–2017). Journalism Studies, 21 (1), 107-126.
- Wright, S. and Doyle, K., 2019. The Evolution of Data Journalism: A Case Study of Australia. Journalism Studies, 20 (13), 1811-1827.
- Wright, S. and Higginbotham, W., 2019. Delineating and assessing cultural relations: The case of Asialink. International Journal of Communication, 13, 1487-1506.
- Wright, S., 2018. Analytic activism: digital listening and the new political strategy. JOURNAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & POLITICS, 15 (2), 195-196.
- Wright, S., 2018. The impact of 'super-participants' on everyday political talk. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND POLITICS, 17 (2), 155-172.
- Wright, S., 2018. The impact of ‘super-participants’ on everyday political talk. Journal of Language and Politics, 17 (2), 155-172.
- Simons, M., Nolan, D. and Wright, S., 2017. ‘We are not North Korea’: propaganda and professionalism in the People’s Republic of China. Media, Culture and Society, 39 (2), 219-237.
- Graham, T., Jackson, D. and Wright, S., 2016. ‘We need to get together and make ourselves heard’: everyday online spaces as incubators of political action. Information Communication and Society, 19 (10), 1373-1389.
- Graham, T., Jackson, D. and Wright, S., 2015. From everyday conversation to political action: Talking austerity in online ‘third spaces’. European Journal of Communication, 30 (6), 648-665.
- Graham, T. and Wright, S., 2015. A Tale of Two Stories from “Below the Line”: Comment Fields at the Guardian. International Journal of Press/Politics, 20 (3), 317-338.
- Wright, S., 2015. Populism and Downing Street E-petitions: Connective Action, Hybridity, and the Changing Nature of Organizing. Political Communication, 32 (3), 414-433.
- Graham, T. and Wright, S., 2014. Discursive equality and everyday talk online: The impact of "superparticipants". Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19 (3), 625-642.
- Wright, S., 2012. Assessing (e-)Democratic Innovations: "Democratic Goods" and Downing Street E-Petitions. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 9 (4), 453-470.
- Wright, S., 2012. Politics as usual? Revolution, normalization and a new agenda for online deliberation. New Media and Society, 14 (2), 244-261.
- Wright, S., 2012. From "third place" to "third space": Everyday political talk in non-political online spaces. Javnost, 19 (3), 5-20.
- Wright, S., 2010. The Internet and Democratic Citizenship. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 61 (11), 2374-2375.
- Wright, S., 2009. Political blogs, representation and the public sphere. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, 61 (2), 155-169.
- Wright, S., 2008. Read my day? Communication, campaigning and councillors' blogs. Information Polity, 13 (1-2), 41-55.
- Coleman, S. and Wright, S., 2008. Political blogs and representative democracy. Information Polity, 13 (1-2), 1-6.
- Wright, S. and Street, J., 2007. Democracy, deliberation and design: The case of online discussion forums. New Media and Society, 9 (5), 849-869.
- Wright, S., 2006. Government-run online discussion fora: Moderation, censorship and the shadow of control. British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 8 (4), 550-568.
- Wodak, R. and Wright, S., 2006. The european union in cyberspace: Multilingual democratic participation in a virtual public sphere? Journal of Language and Politics, 5 (2), 251-275.
- Wright, S., 2006. Electrifying democracy? 10 Years of policy and practice. Parliamentary Affairs, 59 (2), 236-249.
Chapters
- Wright, S. and Vromen, A., 2023. E-petitioning and changing state-citizen engagement. Handbook of Digital Politics. 327-338.
- Wright, S., 2020. Facebook as a third space? The challenge of building global community. A Research Agenda for Digital Politics. 171-185.
- Graham, T., Jackson, D. and Wright, S., 2019. The possibilities and limits of "open journalism": Journalist engagement below the line at the guardian 2006-2017. Letters to the Editor: Comparative and Historical Perspectives. 147-169.
- Lilleker, D.G., Jackson, N. and Koc-Michalska, K., 2015. Social media in the UK election campaigns 2008-2014: Experimentation, innovation, and convergence. The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics. 325-337.
- Wright, S., 2015. E-petitions. Handbook of Digital Politics. 136-150.
- Graham, T. and Wright, S., 2014. Analysing 'super-participation' in online third spaces. Analyzing Social Media Data and Web Networks. 197-215.
- Wodak, R. and Wright, S., 2007. The European Union in Cyberspace. The Multilingual Internet: Language, Culture, and Communication Online.
- Wright, S., 2005. Design matters: The political efficacy of government-run discussion boards. The Internet and Politics: Citizens, Voters and Activists. 72-89.
Conferences
- Wright, S., Jackson, D. and Graham, T., 2019. When journalists go ‘below the line’: Comment spaces at The Guardian (2006-2017). In: IAMCR Annual Conference 17-24 July 2019 Madrid.
- Jackson, D., Wright, S. and Graham, T., 2019. When journalists go ‘below the line’: Comment spaces at The Guardian (2006-2017). In: International Communication Association annual conference 24-28 May 2019 Washington DC.
- Wong, S.C. and Wright, S., 2018. Generating a voice among ‘media monsters’: hybrid media practices of Taiwan’s Anti-Media Monopoly Movement. Australian Journal of Political Science, 53 (1), 89-102.
- Wright, S., 2016. ‘Success’ and online political participation: The case of Downing Street E-petitions. Information Communication and Society, 19 (6), 843-857.
- Wright, S., 2007. A virtual European public sphere? the Futurum discussion forum. Journal of European Public Policy, 14 (8), 1167-1185.
Grants
- Evaluating Media Literacy with a Theory of Change (DMCS, 04 Sep 2023). Completed
- Evaluating the Challenge of 'Fake News' and Other Malinformation (Australian Research Council, 01 Jul 2023). Awarded
- Amplifying Indigenous News: A digital intervention (Australian Research Council, 01 Jan 2019). In Progress
- Staying safe online: An examination of the effectiveness of e-safety websites (Melbourne Network Society Institute, 04 Sep 2018). Completed
- Data Journalism in China (University of Melbourne, 13 Jun 2018). Completed
- AHRC Network Grant: E-petitions in the UK (Arts and Humanities Research Council, 13 Sep 2017). Completed
- Data Journalism Network (Carlton Connect, 15 Aug 2017). Completed
- `Visiting Fellow (Dyason/University of Melbourne, 02 Jul 2015). Completed
- Blogging the Political (British Academy, 02 Jan 2012). Completed
- SeaMedia (U Interreg, Two Seas Programme, 01 Jul 2011). Completed
- Organised Virtual Collective Action (British Academy, 01 Sep 2007). Completed
- Super-Participation” and Everyday Political Talk Online: A Comparative Analysis (Melbourne Networked Society Institute, 08 Sep 2006). Completed
- International Working Group on Online Consultations and Public Policy- Making (US National Science Foundation, 01 Sep 2006). Completed
- Visiting Fellow (University of Melbourne, 02 Jul 2006). Completed
- RCUK Research Fellowship - local e-democracy (Research Councils UK, 01 Sep 2005). Completed
- Postdoctoral Fellow (Economic and Social Research Council, 04 Apr 2005). Completed
- PhD Studentship (Economic and Social Research Council, 14 Sep 2001). Completed