Dr Omega Douglas
Omega’s interests include race, journalism and critical approaches to the consequences of colonialism
Staff details
Position
Lecturer in Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
Department
Media, Communications and Cultural Studies
omega.douglas (@gold.ac.uk)
Omega has practiced as a journalist and editor for several decades. She is the convenor of the BA in Journalism. She's worked for Conde Nast, The Guardian, TI Media, Hearst, and the BBC, amongst others. She has also worked as a media consultant, including for the UN. Omega completed an ESRC funded PhD at Goldsmiths in 2019, where she teaches theory and practice.
Omega’s research interests lie in race, decolonial epistemology in journalism & media studies, EDI, international reporting, particularly coverage of Africa, and the role of diasporic communities, as well as international institutions, such as NGOs, in global communications.
Omega's latest book, 'The Racial Dynamics of Reporting Africa' (Routledge), will be published in 2025. Other recent projects include her co-authored book 'Journalism, Culture and Society' (Routledge), and a research project for UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists investigating online harassment of women journalists around the world.
Academic qualifications
- PhD Media and Communications – Goldsmiths 2019
Teaching and supervision
Programme Convenor – BA Journalism (UG)
Module Convenor – Journalism in Context (PG)
Omega is interested in supervising students in the following broadly defined areas: race and representation; post- and decolonial approaches to the study and practice of journalism, media and communications; international news and development communication; media diversity, equality and inclusion; the role of diasporic and transnational communities in global communications, particularly in relation to the Global South.
Featured publications
2025:
The Racial Dynamics of Reporting Africa: Colonial and Decolonial Practices in Mainstream Western News Media
This book critically considers how and why centring race in analysis of journalism deepens our understanding of how race is constructed and experienced in society
2022:
Journalism, Culture and Society: A Critical Theoretical Approach to Global Journalistic Practice
Journalism, Culture and Society examines journalism as a democratic necessity that often fails to live up to its promise
2021:
The Media Diversity and Inclusion Paradox
The experiences of black and brown journalists in mainstream British news institutions
Publications and research outputs
Article
- The media diversity and inclusion paradox: Experiences of black and brown journalists in mainstream British news institutions Douglas, Omega. 2022. The media diversity and inclusion paradox: Experiences of black and brown journalists in mainstream British news institutions. Journalism, 23(10), pp. 2096-2113. ISSN 1464-8849
- The media diversity and inclusion paradox: there is a disconnect between expressed commitments to diversity and the experiences of journalists of colour Douglas, Omega. 2021. The media diversity and inclusion paradox: there is a disconnect between expressed commitments to diversity and the experiences of journalists of colour. LSE British Politics and Policy,
Book
- The Racial Dynamics of Reporting Africa Colonial and Decolonial Practices in Mainstream Western News Media Douglas, Omega. 2025. The Racial Dynamics of Reporting Africa Colonial and Decolonial Practices in Mainstream Western News Media. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781032569451
- Journalism, Culture and Society: A Critical Theoretical Approach to Global Journalistic Practice Douglas, Omega and Phillips, Angela. 2022. Journalism, Culture and Society: A Critical Theoretical Approach to Global Journalistic Practice. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9780367480240
Book Section
- The Black British Press Douglas, Omega. 2025. The Black British Press. In: Des (D. J.) Freedman and Michael Klontzas, eds. Media Pasts and Futures: Critical Reflections on Power Without Responsibility. London: University of Westminster Press, pp. 151-156. ISBN 9781915445643
- It’s Rife: The Online Bullying of Women Journalists in Africa: What Is to Be Done? Daniels, Glenda and Douglas, Omega. 2024. It’s Rife: The Online Bullying of Women Journalists in Africa: What Is to Be Done? In: Bruce Mutsvairo and Kristin Skare Orgeret, eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Global Digital Journalism. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 143-159. ISBN 9783031593789
Conference or Workshop Item
- Theory in Practice: How Feminist and Decolonization Movements Shape Media Ecologies and Representation Douglas, Omega. 2024. 'Theory in Practice: How Feminist and Decolonization Movements Shape Media Ecologies and Representation'. In: AWiM24: Media and Sustainability. Dakar, Senegal 5 - 6 December 2024.
- Colonial continuities and discontinuities in British journalism Douglas, Omega. 2024. 'Colonial continuities and discontinuities in British journalism'. In: ECREA Journalism 2024. University of Sheffield, United Kingdom 11 April 2024.
- The online harassment of African women journalists Douglas, Omega. 2023. 'The online harassment of African women journalists'. In: AWiM 2023 Conference. Kigali, Rwanda 30 November - 1 December 2023.
Film/Video
- How Racialised Hierarchies are Playing out in the Russia-Ukraine War Douglas, Omega. 2022. How Racialised Hierarchies are Playing out in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Professional Activity
- Research project on structural racism in UK newsrooms Al-Kaisy, Aida and Douglas, Omega. Research project on structural racism in UK newsrooms.
Report
- The Chilling: A Global Study of Online Violence Against Women Journalists Posetti, Julie; Shabbir, Nabeelah; Douglas, Omega and Gardiner, Becky. 2022. The Chilling: A Global Study of Online Violence Against Women Journalists. Project Report. International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), UNESCO, Washington, DC.
- A Future for Public Service Television: Content and Platforms in a Digital World Freedman, Des (D. J.)
Thesis
- Backstories / Black Stories: Black Journalists, INGOs and the Racial Politics of Representing Sub-Saharan Africa in Mainstream UK News Media Douglas, Omega. 2019. Backstories / Black Stories: Black Journalists, INGOs and the Racial Politics of Representing Sub-Saharan Africa in Mainstream UK News Media. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London
Media engagements
2022:
How Racialised Hierarchies are Playing out in the Russia-Ukraine War
The Guardian
Conferences and talks
2022:
Black Lives in the Media
Media Democracy Festival. Panel discussing race and racism in dominant western media.
2021:
Foreign News Coverage at the Guardian Newspaper
Panel discussion on The Guardian’s coverage of international affairs.
2021:
Media, Race and Religion: Silences and Scapegoats
Discussion on the racialised silences and scapegoats the media propagate and what we can do about them