D.K. (David) Cheruiyot, PhD

As an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies (CMJS), this is the question that broadly defines David’s scholarship (both teaching and research): How can the public or the global society make media and news journalism meet their assumed mission or obligation to serve their communities better? His research contributes to several media and communications fields through exploring the interdependencies between, first, journalism and public discourse by investigating the ways that public criticism or non-journalists in digital spaces influence the profession and institution of journalism. Second, by examining the interdependencies between professional and non-traditional journalism through the ways citizens or organised groups/organisations or algorithmic actors produce journalistic/media content independently, collaboratively or collectively. And, lastly, he is currently developing the third strand of the research, i.e., the possible interdependencies between journalism and the risks that it attracts or generates, by mainly exploring the implications of harms and failures to (and from) journalism on the public, global communities, media policy and democracy. David’s research mainly entails multi-country and comparative approaches, as well as empirical data from the Majority World, and find relevance mostly within the fields of media/journalism studies, while their theoretical/conceptual contributions are interdisciplinary and applicable globally. His research has been published in major media and communication publications such as Journalism Studies, Media, Culture & Society, International Communication Gazette, and International Journal of Communication, among others. His published works have won several national and international awards, including the Stuart Hall Prize. He serves as an editorial board member of Digital Journalism, among other journals.