Personal statement

Dr Fiona McKay is a Lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Strathclyde. Her research has a strong interdisciplinary focus at the intersection of gender, media, politics, and journalistic practice. Dr McKay’s research interests include a gendered focus on representation in the media, media and political communication, and journalistic practice. She has published articles on the press treatment of Nicola Sturgeon, press discourses amid the 2016 EU Referendum and the mediated representation of female leaders and the “double bind”. More recently, she has completed research on the experiences of female journalists in Scotland and EDI initiatives in the creative industries.

Dr McKay welcomes those interested in pursuing doctoral studies with an intersectional focus on gender and/or minoritised identities in media, in particular representations of gender in journalism/news media and gendered journalistic experiences. She has experience of qualitative methods and approaches relating to interviews and textual analysis (critical discourse analysis, thematic analysis, qualitative content analysis). Having also worked as journalist for several years, she also welcomes projects that focus on journalistic practice and ethics.

Please note: Dr Fiona McKay will be on a period of maternity leave from 20 June 2025 and will not be taking on any new supervision applications until 2026. Anyone looking to apply to Fiona for supervision before this time, please contact: hass-hum-pgr@strath.ac.uk