The University of Kent at Medway has appointed Tim Luckhurst as its first professor of journalism and the news industry.
Luckhurst, 44, is a former editor of The Scotsman and now contributes to a wide range of publications and works as a commentator on politics, media, foreign affairs and motorcycling.
He has also been duty editor for the Today programme, assistant editor for BBC Radio Five Live and and bimedia editor of news programmes for BBC Scotland.
He takes up his new job in June, and one of his first tasks will be to set up a new degree programme in journalism and the news industry.
In a statement, the university said its new Centre for Journalism intended to ‘provide students with an industry-based qualification that combines traditional print media and journalism skills with training in digital and multi-media communications, including radio, television and online publishing.”
Luckhurst said: ‘Many of the most talented young people want to be journalists. They have the drive, ambition, intellectual curiosity and creativity that can’t be satisfied in any other profession.
‘It’s vital to equip the next generation of reporters with the full range of skills they’ll need to have successful careers, whether they are launching radio stations, working as foreign correspondents or editing websites.
‘It’s equally important to inspire journalists not only to do the job to a high technical specification, but to contribute ideas and ethical values, and to understand the crucial contribution good journalism makes to nurturing democratic freedoms.”
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