Staff Profile

I joined the School of Arts and Cultures in September 2023. My academic career started at the University of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where I served as an Admissions Tutor, Academic Integrity Officer and Course Leader for two degree programmes. I am a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds, and Visiting Professor, Department of Mass Communication, Trinity University, Lagos, Nigeria. I hold a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Leeds, a Master’s degree in Journalism Studies from the University of Cardiff, and a Master’s degree in Higher Education Practice from the University of Huddersfield. Also, I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and have taught at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels for many years in the UK, USA and Nigeria. In 2018, I won a Fulbright Scholar award and spent a semester at Elon University in North Carolina, USA, teaching and doing research. Prior to my career in academia, I worked in Nigeria and the UK as a journalist in various capacities, including serving as a founding editor of an international news magazine with special interest in Africa and the African diaspora. 

My research profile is a tapestry of three strongly interwoven strands: intersections of journalism and politics (or more broadly defined as political communication); journalism and conflict/terrorism; and intersectionality in politics and conflict. As a political communication scholar, I interrogate the role of the media as powerful institutions in politics, particularly from a non-Western perspective, with Nigeria as my specific area of study. My interest in the journalism-terrorism symbiosis focuses on Boko Haram, a transnational terrorist organisation, which was once recognised as “the world’s deadliest terror group,” according to The Global Terrorism Index (2015). The third strand of my research adventure is driven by intersectionality and this allows me to examine how gender overlaps different aspects of socio-cultural and political inequalities. Outputs of my research have been published in top-tier peer-reviewed journals and as book chapters. A monograph, Journalism and Politics in Nigeria: Embers of the Empire (2021), synthesises my research in political communication. Also, as an associate editor of the Journal of Digital Media & Policy and a member of the editorial board of Media, War and Conflict, I have the privilege of making significant contributions to scholarship in my areas of research interests.

Selected Research and Publications

orcid.org/0000-0001-5905-8344

 Journals

Ette, Mercy (2023). “Brexit and ‘Specialness’: Mapping the UK–US Relationship in the New York Times and The Guardian Newspapers.” Journalism and Media 4: 231–243. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia4010016

Ette, Mercy & Akpan-Obong, Patience (2022). ‘Negotiating Access and Privilege: Politics of Female Participation and Representation in Nigeria’, Journal of Asian and African Studies

http://doi.org/10.1177/00219096221084253

Ette, Mercy & Joe, Sarah (2019). ‘Boko Haram in the Nigerian press:

The politics of labelling’ Journal of African Media Studies, Vol 11 (1), 65-80

https://doi.org/10.1386/jams.11.1.65_1

Ette, Mercy & Joe, Sarah (2018). “Rival visions of reality”: An analysis of the framing of Boko Haram in Nigerian newspapers and Twitter. Media, War and Conflict. 11 (4) 392-406

https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635218776560

Ette, Mercy (2017). ‘Where are the women? Evaluating visibility of Nigerian female politicians in news media space’. Gender, Place & Culture, Vol 24 (10) 1480-1497

https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2017.1387104

Ette, Mercy (2016). ‘Condensational symbols in British press coverage of Boko Haram’. International Communication Gazette. Vol. 78(5) 451–468

https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048516640209

.

Ette, Mercy & Stoker, Ruth (2014). ‘Exploring Experiential Learning Through Blogging’, Journalism Education, 3 (2) 91-102

Ette, Mercy (2013). ‘Gendered frontlines: British press coverage of women soldiers killed in Iraq’, Media, War and Conflict, 6(3) 249-262.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635213487276

Ette, Mercy (2012). ‘Nigeria as a country of interest in terrorism’: newspaper framing of Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber.’ Journal of African Media Studies Vol. 4, no 1, 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams.4.1.45 1

Ette, Mercy (2008). ‘Shifted focus: newspaper coverage of female military personnel as casualties of war,’ Studies in Communication, No.3, 195-214

Ette, Mercy (2000). ‘Agent of change or stability? The Nigerian press undermines democracy,’ Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 5(3):67-86.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1081180X00005003006

Book and Book Chapters

Ette, Mercy (2021). Journalism and Politics in Nigeria: Embers of the Empire. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Ette, Mercy (2020). ‘Journalism and Gendered Mediation’, in Karen Ross, (ed-in-chief). International Encyclopaedia of Gender, Media and Communication, John Wiley & Sons

Ette, Mercy (2020). ‘Nigeria’, in Debra Merskin, (ed) The Sage International

Encyclopaedia of Mass Media and Society, pp 1259-1261, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications

Ette, Mercy, (2018). ‘’US’ Versus ‘Them’: Exploring Ethno-Regional Contestations in Nigerian Political Communication’ in Bruce Mutsvairo and Beschara Karam, (eds) Perspectives on Political Communication in Africa, pp 173-187, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan

Ette, Mercy, (2018). ‘Reality check: The Nigerian press and the potentials of the internet: Exploring the domestication of international news’, in Hayes Mabweazara (ed), Newsmaking Cultures in Africa: Normative Trends in the Dynamics of Socio-Political & Economic Struggles, pp 357-376, London: Palgrave Macmillan

Ette, Mercy, (2013). ‘The press and democratic consolidation in Nigeria’, in Alex Charles (ed.), Media/Democracy, pp 103-123, Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Ette, Mercy, (2007). ‘Empowerment', in Georgina Blakeley and Valerie Bryson (eds), The impact of feminism on political concepts and debates, pp 146-160, Manchester & New York: Manchester University Press

Book Reviews

Ette, Mercy (2014). Waging gendered wars: US military women in Afghanistan and Iraq by Paige Whaley Eager, Ashgate, The London School of Economics and Political Science Review of Books

Ette, Mercy (2014). Gender, War, & Conflict by Laura Sjoberg, Polity Press, The London School of Economics and Political Science Review of Books

Selected Peer-reviewed Conference Presentations

Ette, Mercy (2019). ‘Negotiating access and power: Women in politics in Nigeria,’

Media and Politics Group annual conference, University of Leeds, 16-17 December

Ette, Mercy (2019). ‘Framing a Special Relationship: An analysis of the New York

Times coverage of the UK-US bond,’ Political Studies Association International

conference, Nottingham, 15-17 April

Ette, Mercy, (2018). ‘Gender, media and Boko Haram in the New York Times’,

Media, War & Conflict conference, Florence, Italy, 22-23 May

Ette, Mercy & Joe, Sarah (2018). ‘Boko Haram in the Nigerian press: The politics of

labeling’, Political Studies Association International conference, University of Cardiff,

UK, 26-28 March

Ette, Mercy (2016). ‘Gender or power? A comparative analysis of press coverage of

Tim Farron and Nicola Sturgeon as new political party leaders’, International

Association for Media and Communication Research, IAMCR, conference, University

of Leicester, Leicester, 27-31 July

Ette, Mercy (2015). ‘Where are the women? Challenging gendered mediated

representation of Nigerian female politicians’, International Association for Media and

Communication conference, Université du Québec à Montréal, UQAM, Canada, July

12-16

Ette, Mercy (2015). ‘Battle for Nigeria: The Nigerian press as the pivot of politics’,

keynote paper, Media and Politics Group conference, University of Chester,

November 5-6

Ette, Mercy & Stoker, Ruth (2014). ‘Exploring experiential learning through blogging’,

Association for Journalism Education conference, Liverpool John Moores University,

Liverpool, June 12-13.

Ette, Mercy (2013). ‘Condensational symbols in British press coverage of Boko

Haram’, Media, War & Conflict Anniversary conference, Royal Holloway University,

London, April 11-12

My teaching philosophy is underpinned by a conviction that teaching is an opportunity to help students increase their knowledge and understanding, and modify pre-conceived notions about their chosen disciplines. As a strong advocate for equality, inclusion and diversity in all its dimensions, I aim for flexibility and sensitivity to learning styles and cultures. I am a life-long learner always seeking innovative and transformational ways to encourage and support active and interactive learning. I sometimes adopt apprenticeship and developmental approaches in my teaching. The first approach entails conceptualising teaching as a process of socialising students into new behavioural norms of working while the second perspective requires helping learners to create increasingly complex and sophisticated cognitive structures for comprehension. These translate into strategies to motivate students to venture out, armed with information provided in the classroom, and apply knowledge and concepts to practice. A major driving force in my approach is a commitment to facilitate an exceptional learning environment and outstanding experience for a diverse student body.

• Articles

  • Ette M, Akpan-Obong P. Negotiating Access and Privilege: Politics of Female Participation and Representation in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies 2023, 58(7), 1291-1306.
  • Ette M. Brexit and ‘Specialness’: Mapping the UK–US Relationship in the New York Times and The Guardian Newspapers. Journalism and Media 2023, 4(1), 231-243.
  • Ette M, Joe S. Boko Haram in the Nigerian press: The politics of labelling. Journal of African Media Studies 2019, 11(1), 65-80.
  • Ette, M, Joe, S. “Rival visions of reality”: An analysis of the framing of Boko Haram in Nigerian newspapers and Twitter. Media, War & Conflict 2018, 11(4), 392-406.
  • Ette, M. ‘Where are the women? Evaluating visibility of Nigerian female politicians in news media space’. Gender, Place & Culture 2017, 24(10), 1480-1497.
  • Ette, M. ‘Condensational symbols in British press coverage of Boko Haram’. International Communication Gazette 2016, 78(5), 451-468.
  • Ette, M. ‘Gendered frontlines: British press coverage of women soldiers killed in Iraq’. Media, War & Conflict 2013, 6(3), 49-262.
  • Ette Mercy. Nigeria as a country of interest in terrorism: newspaper framing ofFarouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber. Journal of African Media Studies 2012, 4(1), 45-59.
  • Ette Mercy. Shifted focus: newspaper coverage of female military personnel ascasualties of war. Studies in Communication 2008, 195-214.

• Authored Book

  • Ette M. Journalism and Politics in Nigeria: Embers of the Empire. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021.

• Book Chapters

  • Ette, M. Nigeria. In: Debra L. Merskin, ed. The Sage International Encyclopaedia of Mass Media and Society. Sage, 2020.
  • Ette, M. ‘Journalism and Gendered Mediation’. In: Karen Ross (Editor-in-Chief Cosimo Marco Scarcelli, Associate Editor Ingrid Bachmann, Associate Editor Sujata Moorti, Associate Editor Valentina Cardo, Associate Editor, ed. International Encyclopaedia of Gender, Media and Communication. John Wiley & Sons, 2020.
  • Ette, M. ’US’ Versus ‘Them’: Exploring Ethno-Regional Contestations in Nigerian Political Communication’. In: Bruce Mutsvairo and Beschara Karam, ed. Perspectives on Political Communication in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, pp.173-187.

• Report

  • Ette M. Nigeria: ‘Water was the source of life; it is now the cause of death’ – the ongoing oil pollution crisis among Ogoni people in the Niger Delta. Kampala; Budapest: Minority Rights Group International, 2023. Minority and Indigenous Trends Reports.