University News Last updated 24 November 2023
Professor Panayiota Tsatsou has described her appointment as 探花直播鈥檚 new Professor in Media Diversity as a 鈥済reat privilege鈥� and has praised the campaigning work of Chancellor Sir Lenny Henry.
鈥淪ir Lenny has inspired a great many people with the emotional investment and time he has devoted to providing more opportunities听for diverse and marginalised communities,鈥� said Professor Tsatsou.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great privilege to be part of such a vibrant and diverse community here at BCU.鈥�
Professor Tsatsou will be a key member of the team driving the strategic development of the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity (LHC), which has been at the heart of important industry debates about representation since its launch in 2020.
鈥淒iversity is at the core of everything I will be doing as a researcher and teacher,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e need to take stock and identify new challenges and opportunities. We also need to continue defining what diversity is and asking ourselves what research needs to be conducted. 滨鈥檓 excited to see what we can achieve together.鈥�
Arriving from the University of Leicester, where she served as an Associate Professor in the School of Media, Communication and Sociology, Professor Tsatsou will also deliver undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the College of English and Media as well as supervise doctoral students.
She has a particularly strong track record of research in digital media, from the way it can include and exclude vulnerable people and marginalised communities to its use for the purpose of civic activism and mobilisation.
鈥淒igital media has the power to improve lives and promote social inclusion,鈥� said Professor Tsatsou. 鈥淚t is a source of real social empowerment but also the object and space of elite power struggles and manipulation. Thus, questions remain as to how digital media speaks to social inclusion and the role it plays in media diversity today.鈥�
Professor Diane Kemp, Director of the LHC and BCU鈥檚 Professor of Broadcast Journalism, is looking forward to working alongside Professor Tsatsou.
"We're delighted to welcome Professor Tsatsou to the Centre,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur plan from the start has been to strengthen the academic direction of our research, to complement the practitioner-led and consultancy work of which we're very proud. Panayiota is a great addition.鈥�