Former Students of the MA in Political Communication

Yida Ma: US Correspondent, Oriental Morning Post, Shanghai

I graduated with an MA in Political Communication from the Department of Journalism Studies in 2006. Being a journalism graduate I wanted to pursue a career in media political analysis but felt that I needed more knowledge and skills to develop my career. In my view Sheffield is rightly internationally renowned for its leading Journalism Studies department as it enabled me to achieve my ambitions.

The course offers a perfect mix of theory and practice with modules equipping me with the necessary knowledge and skills to communicate political information effectively and ethically as well as enabling me to understand key issues central to political and public communication. My dissertation was entitled "A Content Analysis of BBC and CNN Online News Report of Human Rights in China" and this was the first time I had pursued serious academic research. I feel that the support provided allowed me gain a scholarly insight in to key issues in political communication and to go on and do independent research.

In November 2006 I entered the International News department of the Oriental Morning Post in Shanghai. I am now in charge of the news reporting of U.S. politics. Particular recent highs for me have been - interviewing the Mayor of New Orleans on the reconstruction program of New Orleans; interviewing the architects of the U.S. and Chinese Embassy; providing an analysis of U.S. presidential election with Party Chairs; coverage of Western Media´s coverage of Beijing Olympics with the New York Times and USA Today. In my working life I interview political figures, professionals in politics, arts, media and business sectors. In 2008 I was dispatched as a special reporter to cover the U.S. presidential campaign and visited Washington D.C, New York, Denver and St. Paul. During the campaign I conducted exclusive interviews with high profile U.S. government officials and policy advisers.

I think studying at the University of Sheffield has been a vital in developing my career in Shanghai, China. Now I consider myself a creative and versatile individual with a positive and confident persona. The extensive communication skills and a dynamic analytical mind acquired at Sheffield University helped me find a job in this intense competitive job market.

Jameel Yusha´u, PhD Candidate

Jameel is from Kano State, Nigeria. He received his first degree in Mass Communications in 2002 from Bayero University, Kano. He started his career as a teacher at Da´awah primary School in July 1995 before joining the Kano State College of Arts and Science in 1997 for the Interim Joint Matriculation Board Examination (IJMB) course between 1996 and 1997. In 2000 Jameel started working as a freelancer with radio Kano II FM stereo where he was a producer. In 2003 after the Mandatory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), he took appointment as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Mass Communications, Bayero University Kano.

In September 2004, Jameel came to Sheffield to study an MA in Political Communication. This is a defining moment as the course enabled him to understand the relationship between media and politics. The course focuses on issues like campaign communication, political marketing, and the agenda setting role of the media as well as the relationship between journalists and politicians. The course enabled him to understand how politicians use the media to their advantage, and how journalists can handle politicians.

The MA in Political Communication prepared Jameel to continue pursuing a research career. His MA dissertation was on the press coverage of the war on Iraq in the British press. The research skill he acquired made him to continue with his PhD in Journalism Studies in the same Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield in November, 2005. His PhD was on the coverage of corruption scandals in the Nigerian press. The research developed a framework that can be used in studying corruption scandals between northern and southern newspapers. During his studies, he acquired additional teaching skills by running seminars for undergraduate students in courses like Journalism and political communication, and free speech and censorship.

Jameel has acquired both academic and professional skills. His research has been presented in key international conferences including the International Communication Association (ICA), International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), and the American Political Science Association (APSA). He has experience in radio journalism as a reporter for the Hausa Service of radio Deutsche Welle, and as a producer with the BBC World Service.