My Campus

KU Researcher to Edit Special Issue of Prestigious Journalism Journal 

July 19, 2020

Dr. Sadia Jamil, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at Khalifa University, has been invited to guest-edit a special issue of Routledge’s influential journal, Journalism Practice – a Q1 ranked journal within the field of Journalism & Media Studies. 
Journalism Practice’s special issue will be published online in Summer 2021. It aims to include a range of research papers to address several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including gender equality (SDG goal 6), inequalities (SDG goal 10) and issues that relate to human wellbeing, societal peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG goal 16). She will be co-editing the special issue with Dr. Jessica Retis (University of Arizona) and Dr. Paul Murschetz (Austrian Academy of Sciences & University of Digital Sciences). Details can be accessed at: https://think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issues/media-discourse/
Dr. Jamil is part of a team of 15 faculty members and researchers from KU’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences that belongs to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Researchers from Masdar Institute, KU’s flagship research institute in the area of clean energy and sustainable technologies, are also members of the UN’s SDSN. As members of this network, the researchers aim to contribute impactful research in areas relevant to human development.
Dr. Jamil investigates challenges to fundamental human rights, social equality and justice — including a recent project that explores the digital divide in Abu Dhabi – and addresses many of the United Nations’ SDGs through her researchmedia representation of marginalized communities, addressing issues related to minority rights, gender equality, inequalities and justice. 
Dr. Jamil earned her PhD in Journalism at the University of Queensland, Australia in July 2015, and holds postgraduate degrees in Media Management and Mass Communication from the University of Stirling, Scotland, and the University of Karachi, respectively. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Journalism Research and Education Section at the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). IAMCR is the preeminent worldwide professional organization in the field of media and communication research. Its members promote global inclusiveness and excellence within the best traditions of critical scholarship in the field. IAMCR aims to support and develop media and communication research throughout the world. It particularly encourages the participation of emerging scholars, women and those from economically disadvantaged regions. The organization is supported by the voluntary contributions of many people, including more than 80 Section and Working Group chairs and deputies, 30 members of its International Council, a five-member Executive, many members of various committees and task forces, and more than 2,500 active members of the association.

Currently, Dr. Jamil is a co-investigator on KU’s research project: “Cultural Determinants of Digital Skill Levels among Internet Users in Abu Dhabi.” The project, led by Dr. Glenn Muschert, Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences and an expert in digital inequalities, is the first-ever #DigitalDivide study conducted in the UAE, and one of very few in the MENA region. The study is designed to be a state-of-the-art investigation in the field of digital divide studies, and is poised to establish a new avant-garde in the rapidly-growing area of digital inequality studies.  Conceptually, this study is on the cutting-edge because it utilizes the newest concepts in digital inequality, along with the newest measures of such concepts.
Dr. Jamil has published on freedom of expression, media freedom, safety of journalists, data journalism, ethnic media, artificial intelligence in the news industry, and digital divides. Her most recent books include ‘the Handbook of Research on Combating Threats to Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety’ (IGI Global, 2019), ‘Ethnic Journalism in the Global South (forthcoming, Palgrave MacMillan) co-edited with Dr. Anna Gladkova, and ‘Discrimination, Gender Equality and Safety Risks in Journalism’ (forthcoming, IGI Global) co-edited with Dr. Baris Coban, Dr. Bora Ataman and Dr. Gifty Appiah-Adeji. Recently, Journalism Practice has published Dr. Jamil’s research in the area of artificial intelligence and journalism practice, which is a groundbreaking academic research into artificial intelligence and the news industry in Pakistan. The article can be accessed at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512786.2020.1788412
Dr. Jamil has received a number of international awards and scholarships, including The University of Queensland’s Centennial Award (2010), UQ’s International Postgraduate Research Support Award (2010), the Norwegian UNESCO Commissions’ and Oslo Metropolitan University’s conference grants (2015-2018), IAMCR’s travel grant award (2019), Union Insurance’s Cairo Air Crash Journalists Victim Memorial Gold Medal (2007) and Daily Jang’s and The News’ Sardar Ali Sabri Memorial Gold Medal (2007).
Erica Solomon
Senior Editor
19 July 2020