Professor Jackie Harrison

Jackie Harrison is Professor of Public Communication, Head of the Department of Journalism Studies and Chair of the Centre for Freedom of the Media at the University of Sheffield.

Her research is into the civil power of news which she approaches through three specific lines of inquiry. First the architecture and culture of news; second the way it mediates civil and social identity and third issues of news media freedom and standards. She has achieved international standing as a scholar in these fields.

Since 1996 she has been the single author of three books, joint author of three and a co-editor of a further one (with a further edited book due in 2010) and has 18 research papers in international refereed journals and 14 book chapters.

She has been the recipient of awards from the British Academy; The Open Society Institute Soros Foundation; the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Council of Europe and has undertaken six funded research projects for the television industry, acted as a consultant to information and communication firms, broadcasters and public sector bodies, was an expert witness on a judicial review of Irish radio licences and has served on several professional journalism committees.

Jackie welcomes research students in the areas of her research interests, in particular in relation to the study of news, public service communication and media policy and regulation.