University News Last updated 24 November 2023
Professor Panayiota Tsatsou has described her appointment as Birmingham City University’s new Professor in Media Diversity as a “great privilege” and has praised the campaigning work of Chancellor Sir Lenny Henry.
“Sir Lenny has inspired a great many people with the emotional investment and time he has devoted to providing more opportunities for diverse and marginalised communities,” said Professor Tsatsou.
“It’s a great privilege to be part of such a vibrant and diverse community here at BCU.”
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.
“Diversity is at the core of everything I will be doing as a researcher and teacher,” she said.
“We 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. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”
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.
“Digital media has the power to improve lives and promote social inclusion,” said Professor Tsatsou. “It 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.”
Professor Diane Kemp, Director of the LHC and BCU’s Professor of Broadcast Journalism, is looking forward to working alongside Professor Tsatsou.
"We're delighted to welcome Professor Tsatsou to the Centre,” she said. “Our 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.”