About the Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre

The Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre began in 2007 by investigating whether new technology is enabling self-expression and connection in new ways, and by developing new applications for social and creative purposes [Link to archive].  Its work since 2012 has centred on how journalism is changing, and how the media can be reformed.

One of its initial projects concluded that the migration of advertising to websites is leading to a decline of mainline journalism. Follow-up research reveals how local newspaper closures is leading to the further emasculation of local democracy, while the economic crisis of the national press is contributing to its moral decline {new link to book – see below).

The Centre’s researchers continue to question the extent to which the internet is democratizing journalism. They point to the limited reach of citizen journalists and the domination of popular websites by giant media corporations.

The Centre has also developed a comparative dimension. Three successive surveys – the last one covering four continents - showed that public service broadcasting supported a higher level of knowledge about public affairs and international news than market-oriented broadcasting.

The Goldsmiths Leverhulme Media Research Centre is primarily concerned with academic research and practice. Its output includes some twenty books, nearly 100 academic essays, and numerous computer applications. It also houses the Media Reform Coalition, a campaigning organization designed to increase the diversity and accountability of UK media.