About us
The Humanitarian Journalism Research Project is jointly led by Professor Mel Bunce (City, University of London), Professor Martin Scott (University of East Anglia) and Dr Kate Wright (University of Edinburgh). If you have any questions about our research or want to find out more then please do get in touch with one of us.
Prof Mel Bunce is a university leader, researcher and international media commentator. She is currently the Deputy Dean of the School of Communication & Creativity at City, University of London, and she was previously the Head of City's renowned Department of Journalism. Her research focuses on journalism and democracy, media freedom and international journalism.
Mel's books include 'Capturing News, Capturing Democracy' (Oxford University Press, 2024), 'Humanitarian Journalists' (Routledge, 2022), 'The Broken Estate' (Bridget Williams, 2019) and 'Africa's Media Image in the 21st Century' (Routledge, 2016).
Email: melanie.bunce.1@city.ac.uk
Prof Martin Scott is an Professor of Media and Global Development at the University of East Anglia. His research and teaching focusses on the intersection of media studies and development studies. He is currently researching media’s influence on humanitarian aid, international media freedom initiatives, international journalism and media capture. He has previously published research on foundation-funded news, representations of Africa, celebrities and development, audiences of distant suffering and the political roles of popular culture. These issues are also explored in his book Media and Development (Zed Books, 2014).
Email: Martin.Scott@uea.ac.uk
Dr Kate Wright is the Academic Lead of the interdisciplinary research cluster in Media and Communications at the University of Edinburgh. She studies international news and mediated advocacy, particularly humanitarian and human rights campaigning. She is PI on, 'Beyond Humanitarian Emergencies', which is funded by the Centre for Data, Culture and Society. This interrogates the different meanings associated with the term 'humanitarian' in Anglophone news output around the world, over the past decade. She has studied major state-funded international broadcasters and wire agencies, as well as specialist outlets funded by private foundations. She has also published extensively on the growing involvement of NGOs in the production of international news, focusing on the coverage of Africa.
Email: Kate.Wright@ed.ac.uk