Q &A with... Dr Rachel Broady

School: Humanities and Social Science
Bio: Dr Rachel Broady’s background is in professional journalism, but she also focuses on analysing the industry and its practices. Her research interest is in the representations of poverty in the news media. Rachel holds a doctorate from LJMU having researched the political unconscious in journalistic responses to poverty and protest during the cotton crisis.

How do you include and use your research to shape, develop, share, discuss, interrogate and experiment within your teaching?
My research is used as case studies at Level 3 Foundation and Level 5. The research is used to discuss naturalisation,agenda-setting, moral panics and representation at Level 3.  At Level 5 in Popular Journalism, it informs practice-based sessions on journalism (also using my own journalism), in Analysing Entertainment Media it informs discussions on representations in documentary and reality TV, and in Public Communication provides a real-world example of how to build a public communication campaign (using my campaigns).

What are the specific strategies you use to maximise the teaching and learning impact of your research?
I use very recent real-world examples from journalism and television which support my broader findings. I also use my own research materials created in collaboration with external organisations. I contributed to a series of virtual lectures, sharing my PhD research. I also recently delivered guest lectures to students in Health and Social Care and Education on the media naturalisation of derogatory representation and its impact. I have submitted a paper to the Students at the Heart Conference to argue the potential of extending delivery across the University. I have been interviewed for a number of publications and authors about this research. I hope to engage with news organisations to develop a research programme to encourage journalists’ use of the Reporting Poverty Media Guide for Professionals I developed in collaboration with Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

How do your students engage with and respond to your research and teaching?
The students are aware of my keen interest in representation of poverty. A number of Level 5 and 6 students attended a virtual seminar I gave on the subject.

Mia O'Hare is an LJMU MA in Journalism student writing about putting Students at the Heart at Liverpool John Moores University

The Student at the Heart Conference is on June 15 & 16.  Updates about the conference and related-topics are available at the SATH hub.