The University of Glasgow featured prominently across a range of media outlets in March, with strong coverage for a number of high profile research stories from each of the colleges, along with expert comment on everything from the Russian elections to social class in Scotland.

A study from Dr Gill Pell and colleagues into the effects of the smoking ban on premature births was undoubtedly the media highlight, with almost fifty major pieces across a range of outlets including Breakfast News TV, Radio 5-Live, BBC Scotland and most major national newspapers and websites. The story was also picked up by a number of international outlets, and continues to be noted by our global monitoring systems.

Another media hit came from the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, where researchers  found that when listening to boring speakers the brain ‘talks over’ the voice to make the quotes more vivid and interesting. It was a story that was picked up across all UK and many international outlets, including a live radio piece on BBC’s PM programme. .  

The Glasgow accent and how it has changed over the decades saw coverage across broadcast, print and online outlets and there was notable success for a story from the Dumfries Campus where colleagues have been field-testing a unique device called a Jompy Boiler that could help secure clean water supplies in Africa. There was also significant media interest in a science teaching tour of the Scottish islands by Professor Martin Hendry and in research into girl gangs in Glasgow by Jon Bannister and his team at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Criminal Justice Research.

The School of Law held another successful public lecture on the constitution. The talk, by the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was picked up across the press, including a front page article and an editorial in the Scotsman. This lecture followed on from a similar one given in January by the Advocate General, Lord Wallace of Tankerness. 

The championing of Scottish Studies, in a new group which is being convened by Professor Murray Pittock, made for a major piece and an editorial in the Herald along with broadcast interviews and online coverage on both the BBC and STV.  

Expert comment was given by colleagues in the centre for Public Policy in the Regions on the latest government expenditure report, and academics also gave their opinion on a range of topics from the dangers of eating too much red meat, the impact of the UK budget on households, the military and political situation in Argentina and even the new series of the Apprentice.

In addition to a strong showing in the UK media, the January international report from the World 100 Network showed that the University of Glasgow had the highest reputational score of media output of any participating institution and had the highest worldwide impact of media coverage with a research focus.  

All of the stories promoted by the media relations office are also fed out via social media, and the University of Glasgow continues to be the most popular Scottish and the third most popular UK University for Facebook and Twitter. We are followed by more than 26,000 FB friends and over 15,000 on Twitter.

 

First published: 12 April 2012

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