148 Media Mentions and Interviews, 16 Conference Panels and Workshops: my public engagement work in 2021

The impact of COVID on journalism in the Global South, managing misinformation, digital trends and the future of local journalism… just some of the topics I touched on this year

Talking about Digital Disruption — in person! — to members of Northwest Public Power Association at their annual conference in Portland, Oregon, 13 October 2021

This post follows on from an earlier round-up sharing links to the applied research I published in 2021.

COVID-19 once again meant that almost all my travel this year was virtual. But Zoom made it possible to engage in events hosted by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA) in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, as well as other events hosted in Italy and UAE, as well as activity in the USA; including a series of webinars that I have organized for the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University on media policy and local journalism. I also had the chance to speak at one event, in Portland (OR) in person, the first time I had done so in 18 months. It felt great — and a bit weird — in equal measure. I certainly felt rusty!

I contributed to a wide range of discussions, covering everything from online misinformation, to e-commerce and other revenue strategies, social media and tech trends in the Middle East, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on journalism.

Image for the TMR (The Men’s Room) podcast, where I spoke about VoIP and Tech Bans in the Middle East,

Alongside this, during the past year, I was lucky enough to be interviewed by outlets and organizations like the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA), Columbia Journalism Review, Digital Content Next, Editor & Publisher, Forbes, Foreign Press Association USA, The New York Times, NPR and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.

Meanwhile, my research and journalistic work were highlighted by organizations such as the American Press Institute, Arab News, CNN Reliable Sources, FIPP, JAMLAB Africa, journalism.co.uk, Media Voices podcast, MTV Lebanon, Nieman Lab and Twipe.

إليسا أكثر شخصيّة عربيّة مؤثّرة على مواقع التواصل في العالم العربي

Here’s a round-up of those activities:

Events/Conference Speaking

• Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Chair, “Giving a Voice to Grassroots Media,” (watch the full conversation on YouTube, listen on SoundCloud, read the transcript on Scribd), 16 December 2021

Panelists: Graciela Mochkofsky, Director of the Bilingual Journalism Program, Executive Director, Center for Community Media at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism; Tracie Powell, Founder at The Pivot Fund, Fall 2021 Shorenstein Center Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, board chair of LION Publishers, Simon Galperin Founding Director of the Bloomfield Information Project and of the Community Info Coop.

• Sapienza Università di Roma: Locale, lento, indipendente: Il giornalism che crea comunità (Local, slow, independent: journalism that creates communities), Q&A on local journalism in the USA, 16 December 2021
• 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

• Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Chair, “Lessons from Overseas,” (watch the full conversation on YouTube, listen on SoundCloud, read the transcript on Scribd and write-up on Medium), 18 November 2021

Panelists: Kristy Hess, Associate Professor of communication at Deakin University, Australia and Associate Editor, Digital Journalism; Matthew Powers, Associate Professor, Dept. of Communication, Co-Director of Center for Journalism, Media and Democracy at the University of Washington; Sameer Padania, Founder at Macroscop, Lead Author Journalism Funders Forum.

• Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Chair, “An introduction to Media Policy and Local Journalism,” (Watch on YouTube, listen on SoundCloud, read the transcript on Scribd and write-up on Medium), 21 October 2021

• Northwest Public Power Association: “Presentation, Digital Disruption in 2021: Trends, Drivers, and Issues for the Future,” 2021 NIC (Northwest Innovations in Communications) Conference, Portland Oregon, 13 October 2021
• BEA On-Location: Panelist, Podcasting IS the New Broadcasting, 11 October 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

Newsletter como producto estratégico en los medios: las enseñanzas de Quartz y The New York Times …

• Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism and the Samir Kassir Foundation: Media Accountability and Media Sustainability in the MENA region, Amman, Jordan, video contribution on the “Evolution of Social Media in the Middle East,” 25 September 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 (World Association of News Publishers): 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

Social media trends in MENA in 2020 - WAN-IFRA

• WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): Asia Media Leaders eSummit, Panel on “Revenue-generating ideas that work,” 08 April 2021

Building loyalty and revenues from younger readers through local content - WAN-IFRA

• New Media Academy: Report launch, “How the Middle East Used Social Media in 2020,” via Zoom, 11 March 2021

• Foreign Press Association USA: Is journalism another casualty of COVID 19? (video, transcript), 27 January 2021

Will Church, Head of Journalism and Media Programmes at Thomson Reuters Foundation, and I, joined Ian Williams of the Foreign Press Association to expand on our report which investigates the effects of COVID-19 on journalists and journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South.

• Thomson Reuters Foundation: Speaker + Chair, Panel on “The Impact of COVID on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South,” 20 January 2021

Welcome and opening remarks from Antonio Zappulla, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF). Panel: Zanji Sinkala, an investigative multimedia journalist from Zambia; Juan Garcia Hernandez a reporter for the digital newspaper Economía Hoy in Mexico City; Monica Jha, an independent journalist based in Bangalore, India; Natalia Bushkovskaya, a freelance health correspondent based in Ukraine

My slides providing an overview of the TRF #COVIDReport

Media Interviews / Mentions

I may have missed some, but here’s the main mentions for my work over the past year, including a mixture of interviews, direct (named) references to work I have published, or other links to my work (unnamed).

1. Digital Content Next: Why video might be the key to podcasting success, 09 December 2021
2. FIPP: FIPP World Newsletter, 01 December 2021
3. ABS-CBN News: Filipinos online get news mainly from social: study, 01 December 2021
4. Spiny Trends: Report highlights 50 revenue options for publishers, 01 December 2021
5. WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): World Press Trends preview: Publishers upbeat about future business, 30 November 2021
6. Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Tow Center weekly Newsletter, 30 November 2021
7. Forbes: RIP Twitter Trending As Jack Dorsey Steps Down, And Some Vow To Leave Service For GETTR, 29 November 2021
8. FIPP: 50 Ways to Make Media Pay (fully updated for 2021): download the report now, 29 November 2021
9. The New York Times: Local News Outlets Could Reap $1.7 Billion in Build Back Better Aid, 28 November 2021
10. The Fix: How media outlets can diversify their revenue, from micropayments to eBooks (and NFTs), 19 November 2021
11. WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): World Editors Forum Newsletter, 19 November 2021
12. FIPP: Social media in the Middle East: 5 key trends, 17 November 2021
13. twipe: “50 ways to make media pay”: A look at the future of publisher revenue generation, 17 November 2021
14. Editor & Publisher: News Publishing Today, 17 November 2021
15. Editor & Publisher: Tow Center study captures local news life, 09 November 2021
16. Spiny Trends: How to keep innovating effectively as a publisher, 03 November 2021
17. Tow Center for Digital Journalism: Tow Center weekly Newsletter, 02 November 2021
18. Nieman Lab: Nieman Newsletter 28 October 2021, 28 October 2021
19. Nieman Lab: What We’re Reading, 28 October 2021
20. Digital Content Next: DCN’s must reads: week of October 28, 2021, 28 October 2021
21. American Press Institute: Need to Know Thursday, October 28, 2021, 28 October 2021
22. www.audiosocial.network: Experts share their tips for making the most from many audio formats, 28 October 2021
23. The Media Minute: The Media Minute 10.27.21, 27 October 2021
24. Today in News Tech: How newspapers define and implement “Innovation”, 27 October 2021
25. Farm and Dairy: Are you OK? Because we’re not., 25 October 2021
26. Nieman Lab: Nieman Newsletter 25 October 2021, 25 October 2021
27. Nieman Lab: What We’re Reading, 25 October 2021
28. Columbia Journalism Review (CJR): The Media Today — British MP’s death intensifies calls for end to online anonymity, 21 October 2021
29. Columbia Journalism Review (CJR): Small-market newspapers: the view from on the ground, 20 October 2021
30. Digital Content Next: Local news is changing. Here’s how journalists feel about it, 18 October 2021
31. Spiny Trends: How to leverage user-generated audio for greater audience engagement, 15 October 2021
32. podnews: Last Podcast on the Left to stop being Spotify Exclusive, 14 October 2021
33. Muck Rack Weekly: Two good days in a row for the internet, 13 October 2021
34. FIPP: FIPP and Tipser’s e-commerce course Week 5: Putting the pieces together, 13 October 2021
35. twipe: The Augmentation of Audio, 13 October 2021
36. Poynter: Local Edition newsletter, 13 October 2021
37. Editor & Publisher: Experts share their tips for making the most from many audio formats, 12 October 2021
38. Media Nation (Dan Kennedy): A new study highlights the difficulties of working for small newspapers, 08 October 2021
39. Columbia Journalism Review (CJR): The Media Today — The shifting floor in debt ceiling coverage, 08 October 2021
40. American Press Institute: Need to Know: October 8, 2021, 08 October 2021
41. CNN: Reliable Sources newsletter, 07 October 2021
42. Nieman Lab: Local news blues: The employees of small newspapers see a bleak future, this survey says, (also republished in Portuguese by Poder360) 07 October 2021
43. Editor & Publisher: Life at local newspapers in a turbulent era: Findings from a survey of more than 300 U.S. newsroom employees, 07 October 2021
44. FIPP: FIPP and Tipser’s e-commerce course Week 4: Conversion rate optimisation, 07 October 2021
45. journalism.co.uk: Tip: Beef up your Twitter strategy, 04 October 2021
46. FIPP: FIPP and Tipser’s e-commerce course Week 3: Development & Implementation, 30 September 2021
47. FIPP: FIPP and Tipser’s e-commerce course Week 2: A look at the growing range of models around the world, 21 September 2021
48. Editor & Publisher: Use audio to promote greater audience engagement, 17 September 2021
49. FIPP: FIPP and Tipser’s e-commerce course Week 1: Setting the scene — an introduction to e-commerce, 15 September 2021
50. Digital Content Next: As podcasting soars, advertising follows, 02 September 2021
51. Media Voices: The Media Round-Up, 24 August 2021
52. American Press Institute: Need to Know: August 23, 2021, 23 August 2021
53. Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA): Emerging trends in journalism: how to use them and increase effectiveness as a reporter, 23 August 2021
54. SpeechKit: 6 benefits of converting articles into audio, 10 August 2021
55. dubawa: Challenges Nigerian media organisations face in covering the pandemic and resultant disinformation, 04 August 2021
56. Ada Magazine: Begeisterung für Audio: Hört, hört! (Enthusiasm for audio: listen, listen!), 03 August 2021
57. Digital products, strategy and innovation newsletter (Kevin Anderson): Publishers: Your Products Suck PLUS Podcasters, shorter is better, don’t be so self-indulgent, 15 July 2021
58. American Press Institute: Need to Know: July 13, 2021, 13 July 2021
59. Editor & Publisher: Life at Small Market Newspapers in the Middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic, 13 July 2021
60. Publisher Weekly: Issue #157 — Why you should monetize your content directly, 04 July 2021
61. Paminy: MarTech and AdTech News Headlines Update on July 02 2021, 02 July 2021
62. Observatório da Imprensa: Redações em mutação: Covid-19 impulsiona modelo híbrido (Changing Newsrooms: Covid-19 Drives Hybrid Model), 29 June 2021
63. ANER — Associação Nacional de Editores de Revistas: Oito maneiras de fazer o áudio compensar em redações menores, (Eight Ways to Make Audio Pay in Smaller Newsrooms), 28 June 2021
64. Arab News en Francais: Les nouvelles tendances des réseaux sociaux dans la région Mena (New social media trends in the MENA region), 23 June 2021
65. America’s Newspapers: Eight ways smaller newsrooms can make audio pay, 15 June 2021
66. ANER — Associação Nacional de Editores de Revistas: Oito maneiras pelas quais redações menores podem fazer o áudio compensar, 15 June 2021
67. America’s Newspapers: Eight ways smaller newsrooms can make audio pay, 15 June 2021
68. Editor & Publisher: Eight Ways Smaller Newsrooms Can Make Audio Pay, 15 June 2021
69. TMR (The Men’s Room): VoIP and Tech Bans in the Middle East, 14 June 2021
70. WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): Social media trends in MENA in 2020, 09 June 2021
71. The Media Roundup from Media Voices: Wednesday 9th June: Have you opened this email? Soon, we won’t know. (Also republished by What’s New In Publishing), 09 June 2021
72. Observatório da Imprensa: A reinvenção do jornalismo passa pelos jornais locais (The reinvention of journalism passes through local newspapers), 08 June 2021
73. ANER — Associação Nacional de Editores de Revistas: Nove maneiras pelas quais as redações podem incorporar mais áudio em seu trabalho, 28 May 2021
74. What’s New In Publishing: 9 ways publishers can incorporate more audio, 10 tops on raising media money, and more: This week in publishing, 27 May 2021
75. Editor & Publisher: Nine Ways Newsrooms Can Incorporate More Audio in Their Work, 27 May 2021
76. arab.org: Rise of MENA Education Technology, 21 May 2021
77. Jacaranda FM: Dancing man becomes social media sensation, 18 May 2021
78. International Policy Digest: Targeted Disinformation Campaigns, 14 May 2021
79. Pagosa Daily Post: EDITORIAL: All the News That’s Fit to Share, Part Two, 11 May 2021
80. Journalism.co.uk: Tip: Getting the most out of interviewing experts, 10 May 2021
81. The Media Online: Building loyalty and revenues from younger readers through local content, 10 May 2021
82. Middle East Monitor: Uso de redes sociais aumentou na pandemia entre árabes (Use of social media increased in the pandemic among Arabs), 06 May 2021
83. Kentucky Press Association: ‘Audio’ outdistancing smartphone apps and TV for top content; newspapers encouraged to adopt, 30 April 2021
84. What’s New In Publishing: How publishers can incorporate more audio: The Media Roundup, 30 April 2021
85. Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA): Social media usage up in Arab countries during pandemic, 30 April 2021
86. Media Voices: The Media Round-Up Friday 30th April: How publishers can incorporate more audio, 30 April 2021
87. Kevin Anderson’s Daily Newsletter: Email! Level Up Your Subscription Strategy and Flipboard’s Move to Support Newsletter Subs, 29 April 2021
88. Editor & Publisher: Nine Ways Newsrooms Can Incorporate More Audio in their Work, 28 April 2021 (also 29 April 2021 daily newsletter)
89. Jeremy Caplan, Coda: Building a Revenue Portfolio, 28 April 2021
90. Solutions Journalism Network: Meet Our Participants: 2021 SoJo Educators Academy, 28 April 2021
91. Aus dem Internet-Observatorium: #15 Clubhouse und Social Audio — Genre oder Funktion?,24 April 2021
92. Israel Gulf Report: Artificial intelligence, kosher food and new partnerships, 21 April 2021
93. Public Media Alliance: PSM Weekly 14–20 April, 20 April 2021
94. WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers): Building loyalty and revenues from younger readers through local content, 20 April 2021
95. Middle East Online: Modern communication platforms are shaking the throne of Twitter in the Arab region (In Arabic), 15 April 2021
96. Los Angeles Times Pressmens 20 Year Club: Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere, 14 April 2021
97. Newsletter Sebastiana Matyszczaka: To medium pożegnało się z mediami społecznościowymi. Czy żałuje? (In Polish: This medium said goodbye to social media. Do you regret it?),12 April 2021
98. Carrington Malin: UAE innovation plans stand to gain from Israeli collaborations, 11 April 2021
99. Giornalisti al Microfono: Modelli di business: come il giornalismo può farsi pagare, senza pubblicità (In Italian: Business models: how journalism can get paid, without advertising), 09 April 2021
100. Israel Gulf Report: Report: Economy in focus as historic Abraham Accords gather strength, 07 April 2021
101. JAMLAB: The impact of Covid-19 on journalists in Africa, 06 April 2021
102. la Repubblica: Cent’anni e sentirli. In diretta ($), 06 April 2021
103. Lifewire: Why Clubhouse Alternatives Could Mean More Audio Choices, 05 April 2021
104. ZDNet: Phones we love: ZDNet writers actually (still!) use these devices, 26 March 2021
105. Communicate: How Did The Middle East Use Social Media In 2020?, 21 March 2021
106. Pensem: El periodisme a l’era de la desinformació digital: un servei essencial per a la democràcia (In Catalan: Journalism in the age of digital misinformation: an essential service for democracy), 19 March 2021
107. East Africa Daily: Covid-19 Crushed Media, Gave Governments Excuse to Silence Journalists — Study, 19 March 2021
108. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: What the COVID-19 pandemic means for freelance journalists in the Global South, 16 March 2021
109. Khaleej Times: UAE users have over 10 social media accounts, survey reveals, 14 March 2021
110. Zawya: The New Media Academy publishes its first comprehensive social media report for the Middle East in 2020, 14 March 2021
111. Editor & Publisher: Studying the Impact of a Pandemic on Global Journalism (An “E&P REPORTS” Video/ Podcast also available on YouTube and iTunes), 09 March 2021
112. journalism.co.uk: Tip: Nine best practices for reporting on covid-19, 08 March 2021
113. Foundr Magazine: Ultimate Guide to Clubhouse for Entrepreneurs, 08 March 2021
114. JSTOR Daily: Online Voices, Mongolian Dogs, and Coronazeit, 02 March 2021
115. Silicon Florist: Why is Clubhouse so popular? A University of Oregon professor explains, 02 March 2021
116. Pod Academy: Journalism in the pandemic: challenges and innovation, 22 February 2021
117. Mensagem de Lisboa: Um jornal, um café, e que mais? O que é e ao que vem a Mensagem, 21 Friday 2021
118. Journalism Students Network Of Zimbabwe: Covid Report: How The Virus Has Changed The Face And Future Of Journalism, 08 February 2021
119. The Fix: Deals, deals, deals, 01 February 2021
120. MediaPowerMonitor: Impact of Covid on Journalism in the Global South, 31 January 2021
121. Foreign Press Association USA: Is journalism another casualty of COVID 19?, 28 January 2021
122. Columbia Journalism Review / CJR: In Vermont, one hyperlocal newsroom aims to fill a void, 27 January 2021
123. The Communication Initiative Network: The Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South, 26 January 2021
124. Journalism Students Network Of Zimbabwe: How Covid-19 Impacted Journalism In Emerging Economies And The Global South, 26 January 2021
125. JAMLAB Africa: Covid report: How the virus has changed the face and future of journalism, 24 January 2021
126. Farol Jornalismo: NFJ # 313 How the pandemic impacted journalism in emerging economies (Como a pandemia impactou o jornalismo nas economias emergentes, published in Portuguese), 22 January 2021
127. journalism.co.uk: Six ingredients for a perfect audio story, 22 January 2021
128. Business Trumpet (Nigeria): The impact of COVID-19 on journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South, 22 January 2021
129. CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists): The Torch weekly newsletter, 21 January 2021
130. Monocle: Issue 140, February 2021, 20 January 2020
131. Democratic Decay Resource (DEM-DEC): Newsletter #78 ‘An Unusual Inauguration & the Post-Trump Era,’ 20 January 2021
132. Muck Rack Weekly: So many important gems, 20 January 2021
133. Pod Academy: Local journalism in the pandemic, 19 January 2021
134. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Weekly newsletter, 19 January 2021
135. Around the O: UO researchers share expertise on COVID-19, Jan. 11–15, 19 January 2021
136. Modern Treatise: Third Way: How Money Influences The Media, 18 January 2021
137. Nieman Lab: Daily Newsletter, 15 January 2021
138. International Journalism Festival: The decision to ban Trump from Facebook and Twitter, the impact of Covid-19 on journalism in the Global South, and the new reality for Hong Kong media, 15 January 2021
139. CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists): The Torch weekly newsletter, 15 January 2021
140. Bizcommunity.com (South Africa): Report reveals the impact of Covid-19 on journalism, 15 January 2021
141. International Press Institute (IPI): IPI Weekly Digest, 15 January 2021
142. Nieman Lab: The Covid-19 crisis is being used to curb press freedom around the world, a new report warns, 14 January 2021
143. BIZweek.mu: Thomson Reuters’ report: The Impact of Covid on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South (and weekly PDF publication Edition 325), 14 January 2021
144. Editor & Publisher: Report: Impact of COVID-19 on Journalism in Emerging Economies and the Global South, 14 January 2021
145. American Press Institute: Need to Know: January 14, 2021, 14 January 2021
146. Columbia Journalism Review / CJR: The Media Today — Platform ban of Trump and Parler raises questions about speech and power, 14 January 2021
147. Thomson Reuters Foundation: Impact of COVID-19 on journalists in Global South and emerging economies revealed in new report, 14 January 2021
148. NPR: Our Favorite Global TikToks Of 2020: From A Handwashing Dance To A Literal Ice Box, 01 January 2021

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). 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.