While studying for an LLB law degree at the University of York, Gemma had plans to become a solicitor - but as she spent lots of time enjoying the student newspaper, her thoughts turned to Journalism.
“I looked at doing an MA in Journalism and I found the MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield." She explains.
"I loved the course and Yvonne Illsley was a fantastic tutor! It was while I did the MA that I discovered media law and ethics – both of which I found really interesting. I started thinking if I could do some research around celebrities and their right to privacy as I had always been interested in the celebrity journalism industry. I asked in the department about potential funding and how to find a supervisor as I knew I wanted to stay in Sheffield and the School because I’d felt so supported during my Masters.”
Gemma’s keen interest in media law and ethics, particularly in regard to celebrities, was the starting point for her PhD, which was brought to life with the help of her supervisors.
“My PhD focused on the right to privacy of celebrities and how it was balanced with freedom of expression following the conclusion of the Leveson Inquiry. I looked at case studies of celebrities who had been in the spotlight during my PhD and examined the press’ coverage of them, along with interviewing media law experts and journalists to gain their viewpoint.
“Irini was a great supervisor in helping me to structure my PhD and take things one step at a time, as being told you have to write 100,000 words is quite daunting! Mark Hanna was also a great second supervisor who helped me with the nuances of law in the journalism industry.” Gemma says.
Research and working out how to write 100,000 words weren’t the only skills Gemma gained from her PhD, however! Opportunities offered by the department, such as teaching and working as a research assistant for the Centre of Freedom for the Media really helped shape Gemma’s career path. She hosted events, organised conferences and presented her research at conferences in Italy, Germany and Belgium.
“I loved doing my PhD, but the extra opportunities I received were great in helping me to flesh out my CV and in the end it was these experiences that helped me land my first job as a University Teacher in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool.”
After three years at Liverpool, Gemma’s dream job came up - as an Impact Fellow at the Centre for the Freedom of the Media at the University of Sheffield. She got the job and has been back in the department for just over a year.
“I’ve hosted several events for the Centre and engaged with great researchers from all across the world who are passionate about defending media freedom. I’ve also had the chance to research around these areas, helping to write a report on academia’s role in journalism safety for UNESCO and developing my own research looking into threats to media freedom in the UK.
She continues - “I’ve been to amazing conferences in Vienna and New York and have worked with amazing partners and developed new relationships.”
Gemma’s work with CFOM currently includes a monthly online seminar series with speakers from journalism practice, civil society and academia discussing topics relating to media freedom from around the globe. The next session will be a discussion with Jessica White, a Senior Research Analyst at Freedom House, thinking about Freedom House’s recent report Reviving News Media in an Embattled Europe.
To find out more about the seminar series, or to sign up to an event, have a look at our events page.CFOM events
