PhD post in the project “Biting the hand that feeds you: Commercially instigated media capture and the consequences for journalistic performance”
For the topic “Commercially instigated media capture and the consequences for journalistic performance: Biting the hand that feeds you?” we are looking for a PhD candidate. The PhD applicant will study the dynamics and impacts of commercially initiated media capture on journalistic outputs, public trust, policy, and individual journalists in the European setting during the course of this four-year project.
The PhD track is a component of the “Corporate Communication” and “Political Communication & Journalism” course areas within the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR, department of Communication Science) at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. You’ll be employed by
Mark Boukes, Katjana Gattermann, Olga Eisele, and Kathleen Beckers will be overseeing your work.
How are you going to proceed?
When corporate or political interests influence or control news content, it is known as media capture and undermines journalistic independence. Regarding commercially instigated capture, when corporate owners’ or powerful marketers’ interests may take precedence over journalistic ethics, little is still understood. This risk is particularly present in Europe, where a small number of corporations can control a large portion of the media landscape due to high media market concentration.
However, little is known about how these more covert forms of media manipulation affect the process of producing journalism. This relates to citizens’ knowledge of media capture; the difficulties that individual journalists confront and how they manage corporate influences on their reporting
Therefore, the main research question for the PhD thesis is: How do commercially driven media capture efforts affect policy, individual journalists, citizen trust, and journalistic outputs?
Among the methodology’s components are
(1) (Automated) content analysis of corporate takeover stories in the media to map out the systematic effects of commercially driven media capture on journalistic output;
(2) surveys on how the general population feels about news trust and media ownership;
(3) study of stakeholders in mergers including media;
(4) journalistic interviews to determine how corporate media capture affects journalists’ work and editorial independence.
Your background and resume
a research master’s degree in a social scientific discipline relevant to communication science, or anticipate obtaining one in the near future (last date of enrollment: January 31, 2025);
a keen interest in and, ideally, familiarity with political, corporate, and/or journalistic communication subjects;
solid foundation in empirical research techniques and, ideally, data analytic expertise. The project specifically calls for in-depth interviews, surveys, and manual and automated content analysis. It is not necessary to possess expertise in every one of these techniques; the PhD path enables methodological education and advancement. In the motivation letter, please address your methodological skill set specifically.
What can we provide for you?
This project’s final start date is February 1st, 2025 (earlier: if possible). This is a temporary post with a maximum tenure of four years and 38 hours of work. The first job is for a period of one year. In the event of a favourable evaluation and absent unusual circumstances, this term will be extended for a maximum of 36 months, culminating in the awarding of a doctorate. We’ll create a curriculum that offers the chance to go to training sessions and both domestic and international competitions. For about 10% of the contract, you will also be responsible for instructing (Bachelor’s) students. The University Job Classification profile “promovendus” is applicable for this role.
Your monthly gross pay will be €2,770.
gross monthly salary in the first year, rising to €3,539 in the last year in accordance with the Dutch Universities’ Collective Labour Agreement. We also provide a full range of secondary benefits, such as an 8.3% year-end bonus and an 8% holiday allowance.
Excellent opportunities for continued study and professional development are provided by the UvA.
