Collaboration in Focus: Academic Visit to the University of Copenhagen, Hosted by Dr. Mads Møller Tommerup Andersen

On April 22-23, 2024, Dr. Greta Gober visited the University of Copenhagen at the invitation of Dr. Mads Møller Tommerup Andersen from the Department of Communication, Media Studies Section. The visit provided an opportunity for academic exchange and discussions on diversity management in newsrooms.

During her visit Greta delivered two lectures:

📌 Lecture for Faculty – “From Polyphony to Epistemology: Rethinking Newsroom Diversity”

Dr. Gober argued that newsroom diversity is not just about representation but about who controls knowledge production. She discussed epistemic injustice, where journalists from marginalized backgrounds struggle to have their perspectives recognized, and emphasized that true diversity requires structural change in editorial decision-making.

📌 Lecture for Students – “The Danger of a Single Story: Diversity as a Blind Spot Detector”

Using Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk as a starting point, this session explored how journalism shapes societal narratives. Dr. Gober highlighted how biases and blind spots in newsrooms reinforce dominant perspectives, urging students to approach journalism with critical awareness and inclusive storytelling practices.

Both lectures sparked discussions on rethinking diversity beyond token representation, encouraging a deeper reflection on power, credibility, and inclusion in journalism. Both talks built on findings from the Managing Newsroom Diversity project.

A Research Collaboration Emerging from the Visit

This academic visit also paved the way for a new research collaboration. Based on discussions at the University of Copenhagen and previous findings from the “Managing Newsroom Diversity” project, an application was developed for the NordPlus program.

The proposed project, currently in the funding application stage, aims to explore newsroom work organization, including time management and editorial decision-making processes, and their impact on diversity, inclusion, and other key issues.

The application is being developed in collaboration with:

Norsk Journalistlag (Norway)

Mads Møller Tommerup Andersen (University of Copenhagen – Project Coordinator)

Greta Gober (KTH – Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan)

Birgit Røe Mathisen (Nord University)

Dansk Journalistforbund (Denmark)

Journalistförbundet i Sverige (Sweden)

📢 More updates will follow as the funding process progresses!