
Damian Radcliffe
Biography
Damian Radcliffe is the Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism, a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) and the Agora Journalism Center, and a Research Associate of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR), at the University of Oregon.
Alongside holding the Chambers Chair at the School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC), he is also a three-time Fellow of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, an Honorary Research Fellow at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture Studies (JOMEC), and a life fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
An experienced digital analyst, consultant, journalist, and researcher, Damian has worked in editorial, research, policy, and teaching positions for the past two and a half decades in the UK, Middle East, and USA. This includes roles in all media sectors (commercial, public, government, regulatory, academic, and nonprofit/civil society) and all platforms (print, digital, TV and radio).
Damian continues to be an active journalist, writing monthly columns for ZDNet (Red Ventures) and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the University of Missouri. He also writes regular features for the International Journalists' Network (IJNet), What's New in Publishing, journalism.co.uk and other outlets. Damian writes about digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, and the evolution - and practice - of journalism.
These themes are also at the heart of the Demystifying Media speaker series, which Damian curates. He launched the series in January 2016, with the goal of bringing leading academics and industry professionals to the SOJC. To date, more than 40 experts have participated in the program.
Outside of this series, Damian has chaired sessions, provided training, and spoken at events, around the world including: North America (New York, Portland, Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, Albany; New York, Nashville, Topeka, Toronto, Chicago and Washington D.C.), UK (London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cardiff, Belfast, Bristol), Europe (Paris, Brussels, Strasbourg, Vienna, Barcelona, Istanbul, Ankara, Amsterdam, Perugia, various cities in Germany) and the Middle East (Doha and Dubai), and virtually for events in Asia, South and Latin America.
He has been interviewed, and had his work on these topics, featured in leading trade publications such as Harvard's Nieman Lab, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), Poynter, PBS MediaShift, Editor & Publisher, CNN's Reliable Sources, the Reuters Insitute for the Study of Journalsm and the American Press Institute. As a media commentator, he has been featured in articles by The New York Times, Forbes, Wired, NPR, Monocle magazine, Esquire Italia, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) and on ESPN, NPR's Marketplace, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) and the BBC World Service.
Before joining the University of Oregon in 2015, Damian previous employers include: The Local Radio Company, BBC, the NGO Volunteering Matters, Ofcom (the UK communications regulator), and Qatar’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR).
He has also written, spoken to, or provided consulting services, for a wide range of additional industry and academic organizations, such as: Abramis Academic Publishing, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, Association of Information and Communication Media (AMIC, Spain), BBC Academy, BBC Media Action, BBC Monitoring, BBC World Service, Canvas8, Carnegie UK Trust, Cass Business School, Centre for Research on Communities and Culture, City University London, Cognizant, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), The Conversation, Crowd DNA, Digital Content Next, Editor & Publisher, Eyewitness Media Hub, Facebook, FIPP, First Draft, FJUM (forum journalism and media, Vienna), German-American Institutes, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, IBC Content Everywhere, Interional Journalists' Network (IJNET), journalism.co.uk, JustHere, LION Publishers, Media Development Investment Fund, MediaShift, Middle East Broadcast Network, NESTA, New Media Academy, Nieman Lab, Northwestern University in Qatar, nuviun, Online Journalism Blog, Qatar Today, Street Fight, TEDx Reset (Turkey), TheMediaBriefing, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, Routledge, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, What's New in Publishing, World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA), the United Nations and Your Middle East.
Other outlets to feature Damian's work include: BBC College of Journalism and BBC Academy (35 bylines), The Conversation (9 bylines), Digital Content Next (6 bylines), Huffington Post (12 bylines), International Journalists' Network/IJNet (22 bylines) and - prior to their closure - PBS MediaShift (14 bylines) and TheMediaBriefing (35 bylines). Additional bylines can also be found in Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), Harvard's Nieman Lab, Poynter and elsewhere.
Find out more about him on his website.
Education
- MA (Oxon), University of Oxford
- BA, Modern History, University of Oxford
Research
Radcliffe’s research focuses on the usage of social media and wider trends in local media, technology, the business of media, and journalism innovation.
Publications
For more details of Radcliffe’s writing, media mentions, interviews, and presentations, please visit his website.
Industry Report and Books
- World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA): World Press Trends Outlook 2021-22, with Francois Nel, Dean Roper and Teemu Henriksson (members only)
- What’s New In Publishing: eCommerce in Publishing: Trends and Strategies
- Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS), Central European University: Understanding and Implementing Innovation in News Media and Journalism (also available via SRRN, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, Scribd and SlideShare)
- What’s New In Publishing: 50 Ways to Make Media Pay (fully updated for 2021)
- Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Life at Local Newspapers in a Turbulent Era: Findings from a survey of more than 300 newsroom employees in the United States (with Ryan Wallace)
- New Media Academy: How the Middle East used Social Media in 2020 (with Hadil Abuhmaid. Also available in Arabic).
- Thomson Reuters Foundation: The Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South
- What’s New In Publishing: The Publisher’s Guide to Navigating COVID-19 (also available via UO Scholars’ Bank, SSRN, Academia.edu and ResearchGate)
- What’s New In Publishing: The Publisher’s Guide to eCommerce: Case Studies (also available via UO Scholars Bank, SSRN, Academia.edu and ResearchGate)
- University of Oregon: Social Media in the Middle East: 2019 in review, by Damian Radcliffe and Hadil Abuhmaid. Download, or view online, via the University of Oregon Scholars’ Bank, Scribd, SlideShare, Academia.edu and ResearchGate.
- University of Oregon / Agora Journalism Center: Shifting Practices For A Stronger Tomorrow: Local Journalism in the Pacific Northwest, by Damian Radcliffe, Destiny Alvarez, Alex K Powers and Jaycie Schenone.
- What’s New in Publishing: The Publisher's Guide to eCommerce
- What’s New in Publishing: 50 Ways to Make Media Pay. (Also on UO Scholars Bank, Academia.edu, ResearchGate, Scribd, SSRN and SlideShare.)
- What’s New in Publishing: 50 Maneras De Hacer Los Medios Redituable (Spanish language version of my “50 Ways to Make Media Pay” report. Available on UO Scholars Bank, Scribd, ResearchGate and Academia.edu.)
- University of Oregon: State of Social Media, Middle East: 2018, by Damian Radcliffe and Payton Bruni. (Download from the University of Oregon Scholars’ Bank, or view it online via Scribd, SlideShare, ResearchGate and Academia.Edu.)
- University of Oregon: Social Media in the Middle East, The Story of 2017, by Damian Radcliffe and Amanda Lam. (Download the report on the University of Oregon.Scholars’ Bank, embed on Scribd, SlideShare and Academia.edu.)
- Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Local News in a Digital World: Small-Market Newspapers in the Digital Age, by Damian Radcliffe; Christopher Ali (Available via: Columbia Academic Commons, CJR)
- Agora Journalism Center, University of Oregon: Local Journalism in the Pacific Northwest: Why It Matters, How It’s Evolving, and Who Pays for It (Available at UO Scholars Bank, Academia.edu, SlideShare, Scribd, + via this story on UO School of Journalism website)
- Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Life at small-market newspapers: A survey of over 400 journalists (Co-written with Dr. Christopher Ali and Rosalind Donald, available via CJR, Columbia University Academic Commons, GitBook)
- Damian Radcliffe: Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2016
- Damian Radcliffe: Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2015
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford: Digital News Report 2015, Supplementary Report, by Richard Fletcher and Damian Radcliffe with David A. L. Levy, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and Nic Newman.
- Abramis Academic Publishing: Data Journalism: Inside the global future, by Tom Felle (Editor), John Mair (Editor), Damian Radcliffe (Editor)
- Cardiff University and Nesta: Where are we now? UK hyperlocal media and community journalism in 2015
- Damian Radcliffe: Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2014
- ictQATAR: Emerging Social Media Platforms in Qatar (Launch slides, Press Release, Media coverage, English Summary, Arabic Summary, (full report),English, Arabic, Sribd, Academia.edu)
- ictQATAR: Full Report: “The attitudes of online users in the MENA region to cybersafety, security and data privacy in MENA” (English, Arabic, Report launch slides, Launch event write-up, Video of launch lecture at Georgetown University)
- ictQATAR: Report Summary: The attitudes of Internet users in the Middle East to Cybersafety, Security and Data Privacy, (English, Arabic, Report launch slides, Infographic En/Ar])
- ictQATAR: Social Media Use In Qatar: The Story Of 2013 (Slides: English, Arabic)
- ictQATAR: Social Media in the Middle East: The Story of 2013 (Slides: English, Arabic)
- ictQATAR: Social Media in the MENA – 2012 Review (English, Arabic)
- NESTA: “Here and Now: hyper-local in the UK”
Book Chapters
- Amsterdam University Press: “The Datafication of Journalism: Strategies for Data-Driven Storytelling and Industry-Academy Collaboration,” with Seth C. Lewis, in The Data Journalism Handbook, edited by Liliana Bounegru and Jonathan Gray
- Oregon State University Press: “Interviewing for Radio, Podcasting and Audio,” in Interviewing: The Oregon Method, 2nd Edition, Edited by Peter Laufer with John Russial, 15 July 2019
- Hurst Publishers / Oxford University press: “E-Government in the GCC Countries: Promises and Impediments,” in Digital Middle East, State and Society in the Information Age, edited by Mohamed Zayani.
- Abramis Academic Publishing: “Ten ways the tech industry and the media helped create President Trump,” in Brexit, Trump and the Media, edited by John Mair, Tor Clark, Neil Fowler, Raymond Snoddy and Richard Tait.
- ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller: 2016 Arab Youth Survey, essay on “The Age of Social.
- Abramis Academic Publishing: “The importance of little data: creating an impact at a local level,“ in “Data Journalism: Inside the global future.”
- Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: “How Turkey uses social media,” by Esra Doğramacı and Damian Radcliffe in Digital News Report 2015, Supplementary Report.
- Abramis Academic Publishing: Data journalism in US and UK local and community media,” in “Data Journalism: Mapping the future.”
- Abramis Academic Publishing: “Hyper-local Media: A Small but Growing Part of the Local Media Ecosystem” in; “What do we mean by local?The rise, fall and possible rise again of local journalism.”
- Routledge: “Innovation challenges in the digital economy” in “Digital World – Connectivity, Creativity and Rights.”
- The Democratic Society: “Hey! Regulator! Leave those Hyperlocals alone!” – for a publication on “Media Regulation & Democracy.”
Selected Presentations/Conference Speaking
- WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): Virtual World News Media Congress 2021, Presentation on World Press Trends 2021-22, panel on “Business Barometer: The trends behind trends,” 29 November 2021
- WAN-IFRA (World Association of Newsapers): Chair, panel on “How to make your newsletter a killer product. Lessons from Quartz and The New York Times,” part of Digital Media LATAM 2021, 05 October 2021
- WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): Fireside chat, “”Affiliate is not a four-letter word”: E-commerce and alternate revenue streams,” part of Digital Media Europe 2021, 08 September 2021
- Fulbright: Chair + Main Speaker, Session on “Media Literacy and Misinformation,” 2021 Fulbright Europe and Eurasia Virtual Pre-Departure Orientation, (Slides, Handout), 15 July 2021
- WAN-IFRA: Middle Eastern Media Leaders e-Summit 2021, Panel on "Trends and Predictions - 2021 and Beyond" presentation (pre-recorded) on "How the Middle East Used Social Media in 2020," 20 May 2021
- WAN-IFRA: Asia Media Leaders eSummit, Panel on "Revenue-generating ideas that work," 08 April 2021
- Foreign Press Association USA: Is journalism another casualty of COVID 19? (video, transcript), 27 January 2021
- Thomson Reuters Foundation: Speaker + Chair, Panel on “The Impact of COVID on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South,” 20 January 2021
- United Nations: International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East 2020, Panel on “A tale of two narratives: misinformation and disinformation,” Zoom, (watch on Twitter, Periscope, Facebook, UN Web TV), 9 December 2020
- The Washington Center for Equitable Growth: “Working with the Media” 60-minute session, 8 and 10 December 2020
- Trinity College, Oxford University: Building a Career in Journalism and the Role of Journalism in Public Life, 18 November 2020
- Facebook: Video Accelerator program, India, workshop on “Distributed Newsrooms,” 17 November 2020
- World Learning: Panel on “Journalism and COVID-19, Impacts of the Global Pandemic,” Zoom, (write-up, video on YouTube), 14 October 2020
- AEJMC 2020: Panel Session, “We’ve Got This: Best Practices in Online Teaching, and How Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication Prepares Us for the Big Pivot Online.” Slides on Self-care and Student Engagement in a Remote Environment – 10 Top Tips, Zoom, 07 August 2020
- WAN-IFRA – Asian Media Leaders eSummit: Panel on Content-led Commerce (slides), Zoom, 23 July 2020
- Cardiff University: The Future of Digital Education, (full event video, my 7-minute presentation) 6 July 2020
- First Draft: Panel on “Reporting on the coronavirus: Student night – How to rise above the obstacles,” Zoom, 6 May 2020
- ZN: The Impact of COVID-19 on the big Social Media Platforms, (write-up, watch on YouTube, recap video,) 29 April 2020
- City Club of Central Oregon: Chair, Panel on “Journalism in Crisis: The impact of COVID-19 on the American Media,” Bend/Virtual, (watch on YouTube, Facebook) 18 June 2020
- LION Publishers: Annual Summit, Panel on “Charting Progress in Local News“Nashville, Tennessee, 25 October, 2019
- City Club of Central Oregon: EXTRA! EXTRA! The News: Change and Challenge, Panel on the future of local journalism in Bend, Bend, Oregon, 15 October 2019
- Kansas State Press Association: 2019 Montgomery Family Symposium, keynote on digital disruption and workshop on implications latest research and trends, Topeka, Kansas, 11 October 2019
- United Nations: Panel on "Social Media and Hashtag Activism," at 2019 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, Ankara, Turkey, 11-12 September 2019
- newsrewired: Presentation on “The state – and future – of US local newspapers,” (audio, slides, video interview) London, UK, 11 July 2018
- New York Press Association: Presentation/Workshop on “Digital Disruption and Local Newspapers,” Albany, USA, 14 April 2018.
- Association of Information and Communication Media (AMIC): “Local Media Opportunities: the USA Experience,” (slides),opening keynote, 6th International Conference of proximity media, Barcelona, Spain, 22 November 2017
- Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia Journalism School: Local News in a Digital World, 15 November 2017. (Slides,Recording of event on YouTube)
- Amerikahaus München: Journalism and the Media in the Age of Trump, Munich, Germany, 09 November 2017
- Local Independent Online News Publishers, 2017 Annual Summit: “The plight and future of small-market daily local newspapers,” Chicago, Illinois, USA, 28 October 2017. (Watch on YouTube)
- National Governors Association: “Journalism in the Era of Big Data” part of a two-day 2017 NGA Management Seminar for Governors’ Communications Directors and Press Secretaries, Portland, Oregon, USA, 14 September 2017.
- Inland Press Association and SNPA (Southern Newspaper Publishers Association): “When digital disruption comes to town: How small-market newspapers are thriving,” Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, 11 September 2017.
- Ryerson University: “The Economics of Local: Survival in the New Competitive Landscape,” panel, presentation on “Searching for Sheboygans: the future of small market newspapers,” at “Is no local news bad news? Local Journalism and its future” hosted by Ryerson Journalism Research Centre, 04 June 2017.
- Ryerson University: Opening panel, “Understanding Local Journalism: An Overview” presentation on “Differences between local media in the UK and USA,” at “Is no local news bad news? Local Journalism and its future” hosted by Ryerson Journalism Research Centre, 03 June 2017.
- Eugene Public Library: presentation “Understanding Fake News: history, origins, solutions,” part of a talk with Professor Peter Laufer on “Why “fake news” matters and how to fight it,” May 23, 2017.
- Oregon State Bar, 37th Annual Northwest Securities Institute, lunchtime keynote, “Changing Media Coverage in the Digital Age,” Portland, Oregon, 19 May 2017.
- Association of Alternative News Media annual conference, speaker/session co-chair “Rebuilding Public Trust in Media in the Age of Trump,” Portland, Oregon, 20th January 2017.
- BBC World Service’s “Arab Media Leaders” summit, facilitated two-days of workshops on “Social Media and the Digital Opportunity,” London 5-8 December 2016.
- Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG): Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) Digital Futures Strategy Workshop, presentation on “The Future of Journalism,” Washington D.C. 26 October 2016.
- Digital Media Strategies USA 2016: Day One opening session, a fireside chat with Jay Lauf, President and Publisher of Quartz, Chaired a panel on “Monetising Third Party Platforms” and a panel on “Advertising V2.0 – New Digital Advertising Models That Go Beyond Display.” New York, 7-9 September 2017
- Principles for Data Storytelling, presentation and chaired panel on this topic, as part of a Data Storytelling workshop hosted at the Turnbull Center, University of Oregon, 18th April 2016.
- What is Media? Understanding Digital Disruption in 2016, conference held at the University of Oregon, 14-16 Apr 16.
- American Press Institute / Society of Professional Journalists: Social Media for Journalists, Portland: Presentation from the “Build a Better Journalist” conference, held at George S. Turnbull Center, University of Oregon, 23 Jan 16.
- ENEX General Assembly 2015, Paris: Presentation on “Digital Disruption” and Chaired Panel on Social Media vs. Legacy Media, 09 Oct 15
- Cardiff University and Nesta: “What next for community journalism” conference. “Where are we now? UK hyperlocal media and community journalism in 2015“, Cardiff, 09 Sep 15
- Centre for Research on Communities and Culture, Canterbury Christ Church University: “How can hyperlocal media create active and digitally inclusive communities?“, Canterbury, 09 Jun 15
- TEDxReset: “How to use digital tools to build active communities“, Istanbul, Turkey, Apr 17, 2015
- ictQATAR: How Qatar uses WhatsApp, Snapchat and other social media, Doha, Qatar, 01 December 2014
- Center for Global Communication Studies, at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania: “Where next for mobile in the Middle East?” contribution to a panel on “Mobile and its Effects on Global Markets,” as part of a two-day conference on “Ubiquity, Mobility, Globality: Charting Directions in Mobile Phone Studies,“ 11 November 2014
- Georgetown University, Center for International and Regional Studies (Doha):“eGovernance in the Gulf,” contribution to two-day academic roundtable on “The Digital Middle East, ” Doha, 27 September 2014
- Georgetown University, Center for International and Regional Studies (Doha): Public lecture on “Attitudes to Cybersafety and Online Privacy in the Middle East,” 16 September, 2014
- IBC 2014: “What caught my eye – Social Media & Multi Screen,” Amsterdam, Netherlands, 14 September, 2014
Honors and Awards:
- Agora Journalism Center, Faculty Innovation Fellow, 2021-22
- Member, Provost's Teaching Academy, University of Oregon, 2021+
- KnightNews Innovation Fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia University, 2021-22
- Fellow, Solutions Journalism Educators Academy, 2021
- Fellow, Career Readiness CAIT (Communities Accelerating the Impact of Teaching), University of Oregon, 2020-21
- COVID-19 Research Innovation Award, University of Oregon, 2020
- Fellow, OsloMet Digital Journalism Research Fellowship Program, 2020-21 (delayed due to COVID-19)
- Fellow, Scripps Howard Journalism Entrepreneurship Institute, 2019
- Agora Journalism Center, Faculty Innovation Fellow, 2018-19
- Summer Teaching Fellow Program, Future Today Institute, 2018
- U.S. Government sponsored, seven-day speaking tour of German-American Institutes in southern Germany, supported by the Economic Security and Global Affairs team at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, November 2017
- Fellow, Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia University, 2016 - Present
- Agora Journalism Center, Faculty Innovation Fellow, 2016-17
- College Radio Day Advisory Board 2014+
- Top 1% most viewed content, globally, SlideShare.net, 2013 and 2014
- Next Generation Leaders Program, Internet Society (ISOC) 2013
- Honorary Research Fellow, Cardiff University, School of Journalism, Media and Culture Studies, 2012 - Present
- Fellow, Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, 2008 - Present
Areas of Expertise:
- Business of Media
- Community journalism
- Hyperlocal media
- Social media
- Technology in the Middle East
Teaching
- J611: Mass Communication and Society (reading list Fall 2018)
- J462/562: Reporting II
- J463/563: Audio Storytelling (student blog 2016, blog 2017)
- J408: Social Media for Journalism (blog, summer 2016)
- J408: Journalism Today (student blog, summer 2016)
- J408/508: Super-J in NYC Experience (student blog 2016-present)
- Social Media for Journalists (Study Abroad, Journalism in London program, summer 2018 and 2019)
- Demystifying Media seminar series (podcast with guest speakers)
A selection of Damian's syllabi, published student work and other teaching related materials can be found here.