Paul Bradshaw
Senior Lecturer
Paul Bradshaw is a Reader in Online Journalism at the School of Media. He joined the University in 2001 with a background in magazines and editorial website management. His expertise lies in online journalism and his Online Journalism Blog is one of the most widely-read authorities on the subject. In addition he also runs a website for ‘crowdsourcing’ investigative journalism: Help Me Investigate.com.
The news industry is changing rapidly and Paul Bradshaw is at the helm, helping to steer those changes. Unwittingly, he has become one of the world’s leading voices about social media after writing a series of articles online about the model for the 21st century newsroom.
Written as a challenge to the newspaper and media industry, the articles have been picked up by organisations across the world and used as a model of excellence to build their multi-platform operations.
Paul was approached by dozens of organisations, including a television station in Brazil and industry leaders in Norway, Ukraine, USA, as well as from across the UK.
Paul admitted he was surprised by the reaction to the articles, which total about 10,000 words. He was expecting them to be used as a discussion point. “As someone who prefers to be challenged and to challenge other people, in some ways it was disappointing that they were just picked up and used.”
His links with industry – and delivering talks to industry leaders on the subject of the future of journalism - are helping to shape the future of journalism globally and he is passionate about helping traditional forms of media to experiment and look at new ways of communicating and delivering the news.
What excites Paul is the shift in power from traditional media outlets delivering the news to the online possibilities that allow “ordinary” people to become empowered and communicate directly with the outside world on matters that are important to them. “We have a wave of start-ups that are beginning with a blank canvas and are battling with the established powers.
“These start-ups don’t have the ear of the powerful, but they have an efficient way of doing things and are inviting their audience to take part in it.
“There are tremendous opportunities for new journalism: exploring the way they tell stories, find them, distribute them and the way we can engage in the stories. That’s what I find most interesting. It is incredibly empowering. There shouldn’t be passive consumption of news anymore.”
Among the social media project Paul has been involved with is the JEECamp, an “unconference” for those involved with the media, exploring how you can make a living from it in a world of free information.
A second one was held in May, it attracted people from the traditional areas of journalism, as well as entrepreneurs and experimenters with multi-media.
At Birmingham City University, Paul has developed an MA in online journalism to address the rapidly changing world of the industry. Students on this “course without walls” will study business models for online journalism, newsgathering and production, distribution, as well as experimentation.
The course, which launched in 2009, is unique among journalism courses offered in the country. It is another example of how the University is innovating, leading the way and providing courses that are relevant to today’s changing society.
“Birmingham is a significant place nationally and internationally in the way the creative community operates, which makes it such a great place to be. I’ve had offers to go elsewhere, but the city is special and is far more interesting than other places.
“It is important for the University to be part of that. It is a phenomenally important part of the local economy and engaging with the community is what we should be doing.”