MECCSA-PGN Executive Committee Members
Einar Thorsen
Bournemouth University
The Media School
I am currently researching for a PhD at Bournemouth University. I have previously graduated with an MA in Cultural and Media Studies from the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) in 2005 and a BSc (Hons) in Electronic Imaging and Media Communications from the University of Bradford in 2002.
The working title of my PhD thesis is: “News, citizenship and the Internet: BBC News Online’s reporting of the 2005 General Election.”
My PhD research focuses predominantly on the BBC's coverage of the most recent General Election in the UK (May 2005). Online journalism has only recently gained public status as a credible news source. It offers considerable advantages over traditional news sources due to its immediacy, available resources, and audience interactivity, amongst other factors. News coverage of elections is a critically important issue, especially with regard to current debates about voter apathy within the UK and the potential significance online news sources may have in encouraging voter participation among young adults. In light of this my research is broadly organised around the following research questions:
What discursive forms and practices are characteristic of online news reporting about national elections, and the UK General Election in particular?
- What was the discourse in print based media surrounding online news coverage of the UK General Election?
- What was the BBC discourse on online news coverage of the UK General Election?
- What are the relative strengths and limitations of online journalism in relation to national elections?
- What characteristics of online news reporting may contribute to improving journalism's potential for positively influencing democratic systems?
The project will seek to analyse the forms of online news further by drawing on examples from alternative news sources that use the Internet to gather, produce and publish news in creative and imaginative ways. The thesis will conclude by putting forward the strengths and weaknesses of online journalism in covering national elections. This final analysis will be conducted in the context of how online journalism may best evolve in order to positively influence democratic systems and their institutional processes.
My supervisory team consists of Professor Stuart Allan (Director of Studies) and Professor Barry Richards. The research is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
For the past two years I have been a Visiting Lecturer in the School of Cultural Studies at UWE where I have been teaching seminars on the second year BA module 'Journalism and Society' and the first year module ‘Media Representations’.
I am a member of the Executive Committee of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network and was responsible for organising our Fourth Annual Conference which was held at UWE on 12-13th July 2007.
Contact details
E-mail: ethorsen @ bournemouth.ac.uk
University address:
The Media School
Bournemouth University
Weymouth House
Talbot Campus
Poole
Dorset, BH12 5BB
United Kingdom
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