Profile picture of Damian Radcliffe

Damian Radcliffe

Professor of Practice, Carolyn S. Chambers Professor in Journalism
Middle East and North African Studies, SOJC, SOJC-Journalism, SOJC-Journalism Master's
Phone: 541-346-7643
Office: 201 Allen Hall
Research Interests: digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, evolution of journalism, Middle East tech, media policy

Biography

Damian Radcliffe is a journalist, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon. He holds the Chambers Chair in Journalism and is 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).

He is an expert on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, the evolution of present-day journalistic practice and the role played by media and technology in the Middle East.

Damian is always a three-time Knight News Innovation Fellow at 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). In Spring and Summer 2023 he was a Visiting Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the media industry, Damian has worked in editorial, strategic, research, policy and teaching roles in the USA, Middle East and UK. This includes roles in all media sectors (commercial, public, government, regulatory, academic, and nonprofit/civil society) and all platforms (print, digital, TV and radio).

He continues to be an active journalist, writing regular features for Digital Content Next, the International Journalists' Network (IJNet), What's New in Publishing, journalism.co.uk and other outlets. His work focuses on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, and the evolution - and practice - of journalism.

As an analyst, researcher and trainer, he has worked with a wide range of additional industry and academic organizations including the BBC World Service, Facebook, FIPP, INMA, Thomson Reuters Foundation, The Washington Center for Equitable Growth, World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the United Nations.

He has been quoted on issues relating to digital media and journalism by major outlets such as Agence France-Presse (AFP), BBC News, BBC World Service, Business Insider, ESPN, Forbes, Marketplace, Monocle magazine, NPR, The New York Times, Snapchat, Wired and Voice of America.

He has been interviewed, and had his work featured, in leading trade publications such as the American Press Institute, CNN's Reliable Sources, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), Editor & Publisher, Harvard's Nieman Lab, Poynter, PBS MediaShift and the Reuters Insitute for the Study of Journalism.

As a freelance journalist, his work has also been published by leading publications and trade outlets such as the BBC College of Journalism and BBC Academy, Columbia Journalism Review (CJR), The Conversation, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the University of Missouri, Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), Harvard's Nieman Lab, HuffPost, PBS MediaShift, Poynter, TheMediaBriefing, Your Middle East and ZDNet.

Damian is the founder and curator of the Demystifying Media speaker series, which brings leading academics and industry professionals to the SOJC. To date, more than 50 experts have participated in the program. You can catch some of their contributions via the series' podcast. Alongside this, Damian also publishes a podcast - Next Generation Leaders - featuring class conversations with young alumni of the SOJC.

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.

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

 

Book Chapters

 

Selected Presentations/Conference Speaking

Honors and Awards

  • Visiting Academic Fellow, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
  • Fellow, Difference, Inequality, Agency CAIT (Communities Accelerating the Impact of Teaching), University of Oregon
  • Agora Journalism Center, Faculty Innovation Fellow, 2021-22
  • Member, Provost's Teaching Academy, University of Oregon, 2021+
  • Knight News 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

A selection of Damian's syllabi, published student work and other teaching related materials can be found here.