Kathy English receives Fellowship from Oxford University’s Reuters Institute

Kathy English, public editor of the Toronto Star and RSJ instructor, has received a Fellowship from Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

The fellowship gives recipients the opportunity to conduct research on a topic of their choice, network with journalists around the world and work alongside leading experts to examine key issues facing in today's industry.

English applied after being encouraged by her colleagues. Her research will focus on the role of public editors.

“For the last couple of years, the industry has been asking how to be trustworthy. What can we do to prove that we are trustworthy news,” she said. “Going in-depth with corrections, ethics and policies...I thought to myself, I have been doing this. All editors have been doing this. Let's make a project that focuses on the rethinking of the public editor role.”

English will analyze the role of the public editor/news ombudsman in ensuring and explaining trustworthy digital news and information. She plans to study the history of media self-regulation and how this fits with current trust and transparency initiatives and imperatives in digital news. Her research will emphasize on the quality and credibility of journalism by using “Indicators of Trust” established by The Trust Project, (external link)  to examine news organization accuracy and the work behind the story.

English began her journalism career 40 years ago. Prior to joining the Toronto Star as public editor in 2007, she worked at six Canadian daily newspapers, launched websites for two Canadian media companies and was a faculty member at the RSJ in the 1990s.

The fellowship will give her the luxury of time and allow her to produce research that she hopes will be significant for the study of journalism.

“Oxford is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, this would be a place to learn and think,” said English. “I have time to think about what I do as a journalist...why journalism, why does it matter?”

Leaving the Ryerson community, though, is never easy.  

“When I am in a newsroom, I want to be in a classroom and vice versa. I always struggle with the love of both academic journalism and doing journalism,” said English. “Oxford feels like the right way to combine it all and to bring everything in a full circle through my career.”

“I came back to teaching at Ryerson last winter. I was full-time faculty from 1989-1999 and left a 10-year position to go back to the industry. It's really important to me that I came back to Ryerson and looked at the academic purpose of journalism, critical issues and thinking about journalism as a whole.”

English reminds us no matter how much hard work is going to be involved, do not stop yourself from seeking new opportunities.  

“Just go for it. If you have an idea and you think it's something that you want to do, do it.”

English begins her fellowship in the Spring of 2020.  

For more information on journalism fellowship programs, you can check out Reuters Institute at Oxford University. (external link)