Dr. Roger Domeneghetti and Dr. Aarti Ratna from the Department of Arts and the Department Of Social Science, Northumbria University, are looking to recruit a potential candidate to apply for a fully-funded PhD studentship through the Northern Bridge Collaborative Doctoral Award scheme.
The project, titled A level playing field? Understanding diversity in the British Sports Media, is a collaboration between Northumbria University and the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), this project proposes the first detailed scholarly exploration of the amount of diversity at all levels within British sports journalism, the experience of members of the workforce from minority backgrounds, and the understandings of this issue among the industry’s senior management.
By focusing on the under-researched area of workforce diversity among British sports journalists, this project will (1) provide new and much needed insights into the levels of diversity and inclusion (or lack thereof) at all levels of the industry, (2) explore the challenges and opportunities that sports journalists from minority groups encounter within the industry, and (3) provide insight into senior managers’ understandings of the current state of play.
The decision to situate the project between Northumbria University and the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), will ensure that the research is (1) informed by a leading network and advocacy group focused on diversity within the British sports media with which the university already has a strong working relationship, thus ensuring that is (2) relevant to professional practice. This will ensure that the opportunities to reflect the findings back to the industry and make visible where any structural problems may lie are maximised.
The PhD will bring new knowledge to (1) academic researchers in the fields of media and cultural studies, the sociology of sport, and sports journalism; (2) practitioners in the UK sports media, and; (3) sports journalism educators.
More information about this studentship and about the application process including eligibility criteria, can be found here.
How to apply
We strongly encourage you to make contact with Dr Domeneghetti to discuss the project at an early stage.
You must first complete Northumbria’s online postgraduate application form by the closing date of 9 January 2024. On the application form under ‘Studentship / Partnership Reference’ and ‘Who is your sponsor / funding body?’ please include the code “NBC24/DOMENEGHETTI”.
Your application should discuss your academic and/or professional experience and describe how this has prepared you to undertake this project. The ‘Research Proposal’ should be based on the advertised project and should set out what your proposed approach to the project will be.
If your application is successful and you are invited to interview, the project supervisor may ask for additional material to be submitted.
We expect to hold interviews for these studentships in February 2024. Studentships will start in October 2024.
The project team is committed to equality and diversity and encourage applications from under-represented communities.
