Visiting faculty testimonial: Ingrid Bachmann

Read Ingrid Bachmann's report as an Erasmus Mundus Visiting Professor at City University London and Aarhus University in January and February 2015.

Ingrid Bachmann, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

We discussed how the new media thrive on exemplification, yet fail often times to accurately depict reality, as seen with the recent coverage of the Ebola outbreak in Africa. 

In preparation of my three-week visit to City University at London’s School of Journalism, my host, Professor Neil Thurman, informed faculty members about my visit, my research expertise and the topics I could present in guest lectures. In addition, once I arrived in London in late January, I met with several professors who invited me to visit their classes or meet with them to discuss possible research projects. 

Thus, my lectures addressed the uses of exemplars in news coverage, and how they can be problematic when the example is not representative; adolescents' motivations to consume news (and what they think of news); the impact of news media on political participation, and gender roles in political news. In all these cases, the students asked very good questions and in some instances even approached me after the lecture to further engage in discussions about the topics addressed. 

The students from Connie St. Louis’ science journalism class were particularly insightful in their comments, as we discussed how the new media thrive on exemplification, yet fail often times to accurately depict reality, as seen with the recent coverage of the Ebola outbreak in Africa. In my lectures, I presented data from my own research as well as findings from extant academic literature in both English and Spanish.

In addition, I had the chance to talk about my research with other scholars, and greatly benefited from the feedback I received, especially for my studies focusing on the Chilean context and how my findings and conclusions could be interpreted in a European context. 

In between my stay in London I also went to Denmark to give a lecture on female politicians’ emotional management to Mundus Journalism students. I arrived in Aarhus on January 28 for a 2-day visit and was kindly welcomed by Unni From, Bettina Andersen and Inger Munk. Unni From also provided all the necessary information needed for my trip to Aarhus, and was given the opportunity to visit the facilities of the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Since the Mundus students in attendance were enrolled in a method course, my lecture focused on methodological aspects. These and other issues were also later part of very productive discussion with Professor Teke Ngomba.

 

Overall, my time as a visiting professor was an opportunity not only to showcase my research, but also to engage in insightful discussions with students and scholars, get valuable feedback, and reflect on both my work and the state of journalism today.