David Lush
Journalist, Media Entrepreneur and Researcher
Throughout his career as a journalist, media entrepreneur and development worker across southern Africa and Europe, David has explored a central challenge: how to sustain the long-term funding of journalism without compromising its quality.
His PhD by Portfolio seeks to better understand how quality journalism can strengthen the viability of media in fragile media ecosystems. These include contexts affected by armed conflict, rapid political change, natural disasters and authoritarian rule.
Moving beyond the tendency to define journalism through the lens of stable Western liberal democracies, David’s research aims to redefine what “quality” means from the perspective of those who produce and consume journalism in less stable and less democratic environments.
His work examines the value that quality journalism creates for the individuals and organisations best positioned to sustain it. In doing so, it explores how journalists, media outlets and their partners can enhance this value and support more resilient media systems.
