Merle van Berkum

Research interests

Media development cooperation, migration reporting, climate journalism in countries on the African continent as well as Germany and the UK, training for journalism educators, AI against disinformation

Background

• Since 2024: Post-doctoral researcher, “AMAZE!” project leader and senior researcher for “PROMPT” (Predictive Research On Misinformation and narrative Propagation Trajectories) at the Erich Brost Institute, Dortmund
• 2023: Project manager for the public relations work of the German-African Youth Organization, Engagement Global gGmbH, on behalf of the BMZ
• 2023: Graduate Teaching Assistant for Politics and Current Affairs, Department of Journalism, City, University of London
• 2020-2023: PhD (without corrections) with Prof. Suzanne Franks and Dr. Glenda Cooper, Department of Journalism, City, University of London; “Global Issue, Global Coverage? How climate change is reported in African countries and countries in the Global North with regard to national issues and international relations.”
• 2020-2023: Freelance editor, Westdeutscher Rundfunk and UNICEF press office
• 2018-2020: Master's degree, Intercultural Communication and Education, University of Cologne and School of Oriental and African Studies London; Master's thesis: “Storytelling as a tool of journalistic reporting using the example of climate change.”
• 2015-2018: Bachelor's degree, 2-subject Bachelor's degree in Media Studies and English Studies, University of Bonn and University of Florida
   

Publications 

• van Berkum, Merle (2023). Global Issue, Global Coverage? How climate change is reported in African countries and countries in the Global North with regard to national issues and international relations. London: University of London. 
• van Berkum, Merle (2023): International relations framing in national reporting on climate change: A frame analysis of climate coverage in countries allocated to the Global South and the Global North. Environment, Science and Risk Communication Working Group (ESR). IAMCR, Lyon, Frankreich.

Lectures (selection)

• van Berkum, Merle: International relations framing in national reporting on climate change: A frame analysis of climate coverage in countries allocated to the Global South and the Global North. Sustainability and the Local, ICA 2023 Post-conference. Toronto, Kanada, 30. Mai 2023. 
• van Berkum, Merle: News values in international climate change communication with a specific focus on international journalism. ECREA Section: Science and Environment Communication. ECREA 2022. Aarhus, Dänemark, 20. Oktober 2022. 
• van Berkum, Merle: Global issue, global coverage? How climate change is reported in African countries and countries in the Global North regarding national issues and international relations. The Science of Science Communication: Mapping the Field. Preconference at the 72nd Annual Conference of the ICA. ICA 2022. Paris, Frankreich, 25. Mai 2022.