Media and journalism: Covering World News

TED Studies, created in collaboration with Wiley, are curated video collections – supplemented by rich educational materials – for students, educators and self-guided learners. In Covering World News, media executives, journalists and authors explore how our ability to understand and participate in a global society is helped or hindered by Western media coverage of world events. As technology and a tough economy change the way mainstream media companies do business, will international news be an albatross or an asset? Relevant areas of interest, study and coursework include: journalism, photojournalism, citizen journalism, advocacy journalism, media studies, African studies and Middle East studies.

Learning outcomes

TED’s Covering World News will provide learners with a deeper knowledge of:

  • The key concepts, issues and debates that relate to journalism, media and communications in a global context
  • A range of critical approaches to understanding news, news technologies and news stories
  • The role of media in communicating information globally
  • Debates about the role of the media in the formation of collective identity, especially across nations
  • The dynamics and context of global news flows and foreign and transnational news coverage
  • The impact of technology and the Internet on the practice of journalism in different regions of the world.

Relevant talks

Introductory essay

Begin Covering World News with a fascinating read that gives context and clarity to the material.


About the educators

TED Studies professor: Martin Conboy

Martin Conboy is a professor and the director of graduate studies in the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield (UK).

TED Studies professor: Scott Eldridge

Scott Eldridge, a former researcher and reporter in South Africa and the U.S., is a PhD candidate at the University of Sheffield researching the nexus between traditional and online journalism.

TED Studies professor: Jairo Luco-Ocando

Jairo Luco-Ocando, a former journalist and news editor in South America, is a lecturer in Journalism Studies and the coordinator of the MA in Global Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

TED Studies professor: John Steel

John Steel is the course leader for the MA in International Political Communication in the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield.


About TED Studies

TED Studies created in partnership with
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Each TED Study offers a curated and sequenced set of TED Talks, along with specially commissioned materials for teaching and self-guided learning. Created by world class experts, they cover topics ranging from "Understanding Happiness" to "Covering World News" to "Ecofying Cities." An abbreviated version of TED Studies is offered here; the full curricula — including special modules on each talk with questions, assignments, key terms and recommended reading — are available for licensing to academic institutions, ministries of education, and media companies worldwide.

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