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Addressing the vacuum in local news via citizen media: the Media Trust’s Newsnet project - Part-funded PhD opportunity at the Institute of Communication Studies, Leeds.

The diminishing of local newspapers in the internet age (through closures, rationalisation and amalgamation) together with the slow death of regional TV is creating a vacuum in local news media and, in turn, the local public sphere. In response to the crises in ‘old’ local media, last year the Media Trust was awarded a Big Lottery grant of £1.9 million to support citizen journalists to fill this gap through hyper local (digital) media. The aim is to develop ‘Newsnet’: an online community of citizen journalists and a network of local news hubs around the country.

As part of a three year evaluation of the project, the Media Trust will provide £5,000 per annum to support a Phd student, working in the area of local media. The student will work alongside an evaluation team from BOP, a consultancy which specialises in the cultural and creative industries, but will be based ICS in Leeds. ICS has considerable expertise in local media, citizen journalism and digital citizenship, and the student will be part of a growing PhD community.

We envisage the project starting in October 2012, but an earlier start date can be negotiated. If you’d like to know more about this opportunity, please contact Professor Kate Oakley on [log in to unmask].

Kate Oakley

+44 (0)207 7330014
+44 (0)7970 861355