Caroline MitchellUniversity of Sunderland Mike O’Brien was my colleague at the University of Sunderland from 1996 to 2005. He was born in Morpeth, north-east England but was a naturalised Australian. He had been an English teacher and lecturer in teacher education in Zimbabwe and New Zealand and a producer and designer of curriculum resources and …Continue Reading

Justin SchlosbergBirkbeck, University of London Things are not looking good for the Murdochs in their latest attempt to buy out Sky via 21st Century Fox. As well as coinciding with a snap election, the merger review is being conducted in the shadow of unfolding allegations and lawsuits, all of which point to a culture of …Continue Reading

Vian Bakir & Andrew McStayBangor University In January 2017, the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee set up its Fake News Inquiry to investigate ‘the growing phenomenon of widespread dissemination, through social media and the internet, and acceptance as fact of stories of uncertain provenance or accuracy’. It was a response to the public …Continue Reading

Gordon RamsayKing’s College London Writing in the midst of the 2017 election campaign, the EU Referendum can seem a long way in the past. Perhaps unsurprisingly, with the exception of the pause in campaigning as a result of the tragedy of the terrorist attack in Manchester, the 2017 campaign – and the techniques employed by …Continue Reading

Stephen CushionCardiff University It was billed as the Brexit election, but events have influenced a campaign few predicted. I have been monitoring election coverage with a research team at Cardiff University, comparing TV news across the main UK evening bulletins. The opening part of the campaign began fairly predictably, with the Conservatives tightly controlling their …Continue Reading