About the Department
Journalism at City
Wherever you are in the world, on any given day you are likely to see, hear or read journalism from graduates of City’s Department of Journalism.
Each year hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds apply to us who want the best education to enable them to get a great job in the media.
Here at City, we provide an intense and highly focused education to help you acquire the up-to-date journalism skills needed to enter your chosen area of the media.
We have 10 MA courses and two BA courses all tailored to your needs in online, data, broadcast and print journalism.
And alongside the journalism skills, we will push you intellectually during your time with us. City offers the opportunity to study at a celebrated journalism school, in one of the world’s media capitals, with amazing opportunities to meet world famous journalists and join our global network of alumni.
Study
Our courses
The department offers a range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degree level
See which course is right for you:
Undergraduate
Postgraduate
- MA Broadcast Journalism
- MA Data Journalism
- MA Global Financial Journalism
- MA Interactive Journalism
- MA International Journalism
- MA Investigative Journalism
- MA Journalism, Media and Globalisation (Erasmus Mundus)
- MA Magazine Journalism
- MA Newspaper Journalism
- MA Podcasting
- MA Television Journalism.
Research degrees
Related subjects
Research
City’s Department of Journalism is an internationally distinguished, research-driven environment for the study of journalism.
Our academics conduct research into important topics such as journalistic products and practices related to science, crime, intelligence, humanitarian, crisis and international reporting; and the impact of issues related to gender, diversity, innovation, freedom of information and media ethics.
We are proud to produce influential and impactful research from world-leading experts. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework – which measures the quality and impact of university research – our research was rated highly, with 87% recognised as being 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent) quality.
In addition to highlighting our publications with leading book publishers and in a wide range of internationally prominent journals, our submission to REF2021 featured two new Impact Case Studies.
One highlights our success in instigating changes in broadcast news, with a dramatic increase in the number of women used as on-air experts.
The other features our ground-breaking work to improve reporting on humanitarian crises around the world.
City journalism scholars serve on numerous editorial boards, routinely present their work at leading international conferences and regularly publish in top-tier academic journals such as:
- Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism (co-edited by City Journalism’s Howard Tumber)
- Journalism Studies
- Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
- New Media and Society
among many others.
Our PhD students also are active scholars and integral to our research community; alumni hold prestigious academic positions around the world.
The Department of Journalism also is home to the European Journalism Observatory a network of 14 independent, non-profit media research institutes in 13 countries. The EJO seeks to bridge journalism research and practice across Europe, as well as to foster professionalism and press freedom.
Academics
Featured academics
Academic staff
- Dr Rana Arafat, Lecturer in Journalism
- Jason Bennetto, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Lindsey Blumell, Senior Lecturer
- Yuen Chan, Senior Lecturer of Journalism
- Colette Cooney, Lecturer
- Glenda Cooper, Reader
- Dr Richard Danbury, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Ben Falk, Lecturer in Journalism
- Professor Suzanne Franks, Professor of Journalism
- Dr Zahera Harb, Reader
- Dr Lea Hellmueller, Lecturer in Journalism
- Jonathan Hewett, Director of Postgraduate Journalism
- Dr Mark Honigsbaum, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- Professor Lis Howell, Professor Emeritus of Journalism
- Coral James O'Connor, Senior Lecturer
- Dr Paul Lashmar, Reader
- Dr Sarah Lonsdale, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- Professor Jane Martinson, Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism
- Dr James Morris, Lecturer in Digital Journalism
- Glyn Mottershead, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
- George Negas, Lecturer in Journalism
- Johanna Payton, Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Colin Porlezza, Lectureship in Journalism
- Dr James Rodgers, Reader in International Journalism and Assistant VP (Global Engagement)
- Dr Barbara Rowlands, Honorary Research Fellow
- Professor Jane Singer, Professor of Journalism Innovation
- Paul Solman, Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar, Senior Lecturer
- Dr Neil Thurman, Honorary Senior Research Fellow
- Professor Howard Tumber, Professor
- Sandy Warr, Lecturer in Journalism
- Sally Webb, Senior Lecturer in Journalism
Visiting Lecturers
Visiting Lecturers who are part of the teaching team on the following MA courses. The following journalists and lecturers are expected to teach in the academic year 2022/23, but this cannot be guaranteed.
Magazine Journalism MA
Julian Linley is a multimedia creative consultant, formerly Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Creative Director of Bauer Media, and Editor of heat magazine and heatworld.com.
Helena Lee is the Features Director at Harper’s Bazaar UK, Co-Editor of Bazaar Art, and Editor of East Side Voices: Essays celebrating East and Southeast Asian identity in Britain.
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Malvin Van Gelderen is an art director and trainer in InDesign and Photoshop. Formerly a designer of trade publications at Haymarket Press followed by 14 years as Art Director on leisure, specialist and woman's interest at IPC Media. He’s also been a designer of newspapers and colour supplement's at the Daily Mirror, The Sun, and Express newspapers.
Fred Burlage is a copy writer. He was a former Digital Editor of Business and Money at The Sunday Times, and ex Chief Sub-editor of Business and Money Sections of The Sunday Telegraph.
Susie Boniface has worked almost everywhere in Fleet Street, and spent 10 years at the Sunday Mirror. In 2009 she began blogging anonymously as Fleet Street Fox and published a novel, The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox, after revealing her identity in the Times. Today she is a freelance columnist, TV and radio commentator.
Tom Butler is a film journalist and online editor with extensive SEO, SMO, and content creation experience, including news, features, interviews, videos, and podcasts. He's currently Senior Editor at Yahoo Entertainment UK.
Ben Moore is a BBC Producer/Director and previously a senior Digital Video Reporter at the BBC. He's an award-winning journalist who makes films and tells stories for the BBC's digital and TV programmes, focusing on people who don't usually get a voice in the mainstream media.
Investigative Journalism MA
Jenna Corderoy is an investigative journalist for openDemocracy. She is one of the UK’s foremost journalistic experts in using access to information laws, and is an author of a handbook on subject access requests. She has also written for - amongst others - VICE News and Finance Uncovered. Her work has been long- and shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award, and the PressGazette British Journalism Awards.
Antony Barnett has a 25-year plus track record of leading major (and award-winning) investigations for both national newspapers (The Observer) and Channel 4. For the past 15 years, he has spearheaded, produced and presented more than 50 investigative documentaries for Channel 4. As well as traditional investigations, he has gone undercover in the UK and overseas.
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Fred Burlage is a copy writer. He was a former Digital Editor of Business and Money at The Sunday Times, and ex Chief Sub-editor of Business and Money Sections of The Sunday Telegraph.
Innes Bowen is an executive producer at BBC Studios, the UK's largest production company and a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. She oversees investigative podcast serials made by BBC Studios for platforms including Audible UK and BBC Sounds. Her past jobs include executive producing true crime podcasts for independent production companies, editing programmes for BBC radio such as 5 Live Investigates, Analysis, The Briefing Room and The Bottom Line, and being investigations editor at BBC TV’s Newsnight. Her first podcast serial project, The Catch: The Real Freshwater Five Story, won true crime podcast of the year at the British Podcast Awards 2022.
Broadcast Journalism MA
Lloyd Watson was Duty Editor at GMTV, before becoming Senior Output Editor for Reuters. His last position with Thompson Reuters was as Editor, Television Production.
Tom Croasdell is a freelance newsreader, who can regularly be heard across the country on some of UK’s biggest radio brands including Heart, Capital, Radio X, Smooth, Times Radio, Talk Radio and Talk Sport. He also presents on the rolling news station, LBC News. Previously, Tom worked as a producer on the BBC News Channel and BBC Radio 5 Live and has also taught audio and TV on the Multimedia Journalism MA at Bournemouth University.
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Television Journalism MA
Mike Trew is a multi-skilled TV producer, whose clients include ABC News, Al Jazeera, and ESPN.
Lloyd Watson was Duty Editor at GMTV, before becoming Senior Output Editor for Reuters. His last position with Thompson Reuters was as Editor, Television Production.
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Financial Journalism MA
Jane Fuller is co-director of the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation, an independent think-tank. A former financial editor and Lex writer at the Financial Times, she still trains its journalists. She is also Director of the Wincott Foundation, which promotes high-quality economic, financial and business journalism.
Mike Dolan is Reuters Editor-at-Large for Finance and Markets and has worked as an editor, correspondent and columnist at Reuters for the past 26 years, specialising in global economics, policymaking and financial markets across the G7 and emerging economies.
Julian Worricker is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with nearly 30 years' on-air experience. He presents 'Weekend' on the BBC World Service. He presented 'You & Yours' on Radio 4 for five years, and was one of the main voices on Radio Five Live for 13 years.
Nerys Avery is a freelance journalist and editor. A specialist in covering China, she has been China economy reporter at Bloomberg and has held senior positions at AFX including Beijing bureau chief and editor of the international desk.
Fred Burlage is a copy writer. He was a former Digital Editor of Business and Money at The Sunday Times, and ex Chief Sub-editor of Business and Money Sections of The Sunday Telegraph.
Newspaper Journalism MA
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Susie Boniface has worked almost everywhere in Fleet Street, and spent 10 years at the Sunday Mirror. In 2009 she began blogging anonymously as Fleet Street Fox and published a novel, The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox, after revealing her identity in the Times. Today she is a freelance columnist, TV and radio commentator.
Fred Burlage is a copy writer. He was a former Digital Editor of Business and Money at The Sunday Times, and ex Chief Sub-editor of Business and Money Sections of The Sunday Telegraph.
Laurence Earle is the former Executive Editor of The Week and formerly, Executive Editor and an award-winning Magazine and Features Editor for The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers. He is currently Acting Editor of Military History Matters, and Executive Editor of The Past.
International Journalism MA
Ray Alexander was a reporter on UK newspapers and at the BBC and ITV. Before joining City he was Lead Trainer in broadcasting at the BBC in the UK and also went to 16 countries training journalists as well as sport professionals moving into broadcasting as reporters/commentators.
Julie Hadwin began her career with the BBC as a broadcast journalist - working in news and current affairs as a TV producer/director and programme editor. She also helped to establish and run an independent production company making series and documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC, before returning to the BBC as Head of Journalism Training.
Malvin Van Gelderen is an art director and trainer in InDesign and Photoshop. Formerly a designer of trade publications at Haymarket Press followed by 14 years as Art Director on leisure, specialist and woman's interest at IPC Media. He’s also been a designer of newspapers and colour supplement's at the Daily Mirror, The Sun, and Express newspapers.
Jonathan Rugman has reported from over 50 countries and winning 15 awards, including a BAFTA while covering the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015. He began his career as the BBC’s Ankara correspondent. He then joined The Guardian and The Observer, reporting from the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus. He has made 15 current affairs documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and recently left Channel 4 News after 22 years, where he served successively as Business, Washington, Diplomatic and Foreign Affairs Correspondent.
Tom Parry has been a renowned print journalist for more than 20 years, and has won a clutch of prestigious international awards. His dispatches from the 2017 famine in Somalia, the Rohingya refugee crisis, the Japan tsunami, and the West Africa Ebola outbreak - as well his writing on social affairs in the UK - brought particular acclaim during his time as Special Correspondent at the Daily Mirror. Tom has also written two books.
Jane McClenahan trains journalists for the Thomson Reuters Foundation to cover under-reported topics including children’s issues. She works with charities and NGOs developing their media training. She worked at the BBC for more than 15 years as an editor, producer, reporter or presenter in national and international news and current affairs.
Alex Wood is Europe Editor at Forbes. Previously he founded The Memo, which was acquired by Forbes Media in February 2018. Alex is a leading voice on technology and regular contributor to BBC News, Sky, CNN and CNBC.
Jonathan Paterson is Managing Editor of The News Movement, a start up news provider pressing the reset button on journalism. Previously Head of Video at BBC News, Jonathan’s 20+ year career include production roles at Newsnight, and international postings to New York and Washington
Interactive Journalism MA
Sophie Murray-Morris is a freelance audience and product consultant. She was Head of Audience and Product at the Metro.co.uk. Previously she was the Engagement Editor of inews.co.uk, and worked in Audience Development for The Sun.
Nicu Calcea is the Data Projects Editor at GlobalData Media and the New Statesman Media Group. He previously created data-led content for the property website Zoopla.
Michael Goodier is a data journalist at the New Statesman Media Group. He previously worked for the Reach Data Unit, a team providing data-driven stories for The Mirror and regional newspapers.
Tom Calver is the Data Projects Editor at The Times and The Sunday Times. He was previously a Data Journalist at the BBC and a Data Journalist at Which? consumer magazine. He was names one of Forbes’ 30 under 30.
Ashley Kirk is a Visual Projects Editor at The Guardian. He’s interested in data-driven storytelling, statistical analysis and multi-platform reporting. In 2021, he was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing. Previously published in the Telegraph, the Independent and City AM.
Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.
Data Journalism MA
Ashley Kirk is a Visual Projects Editor at The Guardian. He’s interested in data-driven storytelling, statistical analysis and multi-platform reporting. In 2021, he was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing. Previously published in the Telegraph, the Independent and City AM.
Leila Haddou is an investigative journalist and the former data journalism editor for The Times and The Sunday Times. She previously worked for the Guardian on the Datablog and data-led investigations covering offshore tax leaks, corporate land banking and issues surrounding social justice.
Nicu Calcea is the Data Projects Editor at GlobalData Media and the New Statesman Media Group. He previously created data-led content for the property website Zoopla.
Michael Goodier is a data journalist at the New Statesman Media Group. He previously worked for the Reach Data Unit, a team providing data-driven stories for The Mirror and regional newspapers.
Tom Calver is the Data Projects Editor at The Times and The Sunday Times. He was previously a Data Journalist at the BBC and a Data Journalist at Which? consumer magazine. He was names one of Forbes’ 30 under 30.
Facilities
Newsrooms and studios
Our sector leading multi-media facilities – which meet the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) standards and requirements - were developed in consultation with experts from the BBC and ITN, and include:
- a Broadcast standard Television studio with green screen: enabling simultaneous multi-media broadcasting and streaming - allowing for a major expansion in the number of TV news and current affairs programmes produced
- 3 Broadcast standard Radio studios: enabling an increase in output and the potential to explore a permanent radio station
- 2 Radio production newsrooms: high-tech facilities that enable you to learn how to produce a radio programme
- 2 digital newsrooms: impressive modern facilities that enable you to learn the skills required to produce newspapers, magazines and websites
- 2 TV production newsrooms: with state-of-the-art facilities that enable you to learn about TV production and video editing
- In 2019 we added an interactive multi-media newsroom and video studio in collaboration with vSolution MATRIX from WolfVision.
Where our graduates work
Our students have been graduating from City into long, successful and interesting jobs in journalism for almost 40 years.
Over 6,000 City Journalism graduates now work in the media in the UK and internationally, with many now at the top of their profession - including national newspaper editors, news anchors, magazine editors, and award-winning writers.
Take a look at some of our leading alumni below and what they have achieved since leaving City.
Leading alumni
Over 6,000 City Journalism alumni are working as reporters, broadcasters, anchors, feature writers and in many other roles in the UK and internationally.
Chris Mason
BBC Political Editor
Broadcast Journalism, 2002
Dolly Alderton
Author, screen writer, podcaster, and Sunday Times columnist
Magazine Journalism, 2010
Sophie Raworth
Presenter, BBC News
Broadcast Journalism, 1992
Zing Tsjeng
Executive Editor of Vice UK
Magazine Journalism, 2012
Gary Younge
Award winning author, columnist, academic and broadcaster
Newspaper Journalism, 1993.
More leading alumni working in newspapers
- Decca Aitkenhead – Chief Interviewer, Sunday Times | Newspaper Journalism, 1995
- Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff - award winning founder of GalDem – now Senior Editor, New York Times | Newspaper Journalism, 2016
- Celia Duncan – Women’s Editor, Daily Mail | Periodical Journalism, 1994
- Stephen Foley – Deputy US News Editor, Financial Times| Newspaper Journalism, 1999
- Victoria Newton – Editor in Chief of The Sun |
- Sebastian Payne - Whitehall Editor, Financial Times | Investigative Journalism, 2011
- Alexis Petridis - Guardian's head rock and pop critic and the music editor of GQ | Periodical Journalism, 1995
- Ben Preston - Associate Editor and Culture Editor, Sunday Times Newspaper Journalism, 1987
- Ben Riley-Smith – Chief Political Editor, Daily Telegraph – Magazine Journalism, 2012
- Simon Rogers - Data journalist. Author of 'Facts are Sacred' Newspaper Journalism, 1991
- Fay Schlesinger - Head of National News, The Guardian | Print Journalism, 2008.
More leading alumni working in broadcasting
- Szu Ping Chan – Economics and Finance, BBC World Service | Newspaper Journalism, 2010
- Mark Chapman - BBC Sport | Broadcast Journalism, 1996
- Adam Fleming – Chief Political Correspondent, BBC News | Broadcast Journalism, 2002
- Faisal Islam – Economics Editor, BBC News | Newspaper Journalism, 2000
- Ian King – Presenter ‘Ian King Live’, Sky News | Newspaper Journalism, 1994
- Dermot Murnaghan - Sky News | Dip Journalism, 1986
- Ramita Navai – Emmy Award-winning documentary maker | Broadcast Journalism, 2003
- Keme Nzerem - Channel 4 News | Broadcast Journalism, 2000
- Ali Plumb - Film Critic BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra | Magazine Journalism, 2009
- Barbara Serra - Al Jazeera | Broadcast Journalism, 1999
- Dino Sofos – Founder of Persephonica Podcasts, Former Editor, BBC News podcasts (Newscast/Americast) | Broadcast Journalism, 2007.
More leading alumni working in magazines
- Ellie Austin - Editor of Live Journalism at the Wall Street Journal | Magazine Journalism 2013
- Clare Conway - Features Editor, Tatler | Magazine Journalism, 2011
- Hannah Ewens - Features Editor Rolling Stone Magazine | Magazine Journalism, 2014
- Helena Lee – Features Director, Harper’s Bazaar – Magazine Journalism, 2011
- Helen Lewis - The Atlantic and BBC radio | Newspaper Journalism, 2005
- Stuart McGurk - Associate Editor, GQ | Periodical Journalism, 2004
- John Mulvey - Editor, Mojo | Periodical Journalism, 1990
- Fraser Nelson - Editor, Spectator | Newspaper Journalism, 1996
- Susan Riley - Editor of Stylist magazine | Magazine Journalism, 2000.
More leading alumni working in online and digital
- James Ball – Global Editor, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism | Investigative Journalism, 2008
- Kate Day – Deputy Editor in Chief, Politco Europe | Newspaper Journalism, 2007
- James Harding – Former editor of the Times and former Director of News at BBC, now editor of Tortoise Media | Newspaper Journalism, 1995
- John Jelley – SVP Product at Peacock, NBCUniversal | Broadcast Journalism, 2005
- Conrad Quilty-Harper – UK Digital Editor, Bloomberg UK | Investigative Journalism, 2010
- Yara Silva - Group Head of Social for Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star and OK! | Magazine Journalism, 2013
- Martin Stabe – Data Editor, Financial Times | International Journalism, 2005.
More leading alumni working as writers
- Richard Benson - (former editor of The Face), The Farm
- Imogen Edwards-Jones - Hotel Babylon | Pop Babylon | Beach Babylon | Wedding Babylon | Air Babylon | Fashion Babylon
- Tania Hershman - Writer. Author of ‘The White Road and Other Stories’ | Periodical Journalism, 1994
- Julia Llewellyn Smith - The Love Trainer | If I Were You | Amy's Honeymoon
- James Meek - The People's Act of Love | We are Now Beginning Our Descent | Drivetime
- JoJo Moyes - Silver Bay | Foreign Fruit | The Ship of Brides | The Peacock Emporium | Sheltering Rain
- Patrick Neate - Winner of 2001 Whitbread Novel Prize and 2004 National Book Critics Circle Criticism Award - Jerusalem | Twelve Bar Blues | City of Tiny Lights | The London Pigeon Wars | Musungu Jim and the Great Chief Tuloko | Where You're At: Notes from the Frontline of a Hip Hop Planet
- Justine Picardie - Coco Chanel | Daphne | If The Spirit Moves You: Love and Life After Death | My Mother's Wedding Dress: The Life and Afterlife of Clothes | Wish I May | Truth or Dare.
City Open Days

Register for an Open day, look around our campuses and speak with our staff and students to answer any questions you may have.

Scholarships in the Department of Journalism
Find out about scholarships available in the Department of Journalism.
New Scholarships will be available in 2023, so please check back.