Latest news

Scotland gets Egyptians' vote

A group of nine journalists from Egypt visited Glasgow and Edinburgh (May 2-6) to observe the Scottish Parliamentary elections where they witnessed a “seismic” shift in Scottish politics, with the Scottish National Party being returned to power with a landslide majority - the first time any party has held an outright majority in the new Scottish Parliament which was reconstituted in 1999. The journalists attended election-planning workshops conducted by Charles McGhee, a former editor of The Herald and a visiting Professor in Journalism and Media at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The Visit was facilitated by Charles on behalf of the Thomson Foundation and the European Neighbourhood Journalism Network.

Honorary Professor in Journalism and Media

Glasgow Caledonian University has appointed Charles McGhee an Honorary Professor in Journalism and Media. The university has one of the most sought-after multi-media journalism programmes in the UK which, uniquely in Scotland, is accredited by both the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).
Charles, a former editor of The Herald and a past president of the UK Society of Editors, said he was delighted to be associated with such a vibrant university. "I have been highly impressed with the enthusiasm, energy and commitment of the staff and students at Glasgow Caledonian University and look forward to working with them as they develop their ambitious plans for today's challenging media environment."

Hon professorship for McGhee allmediascotland
Read GCU website report here

Scottish Digital Network Panel

The Scottish Digital Network Panel - which has been examining options for launching a new television channel for Scotland - has presented its final report to the Scottish Government. You can read the full report here.
The panel was chaired by Blair Jenkins, who also chaired the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, and included Charles McGhee, media consultant and former editor of The Herald; Professor Neil Blain Head of Department of Film, Media & Journalism, University of Stirling; Judith Mackenzie, Investment Director at Downing Corporate Finance; and David Wightman, former member of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission and former founder and CEO of Creative Edge Software.

Other links:
Scottish Broadcasting Commission

Return to Beijing

During September Charles McGhee returned to China to train another group of Xinhua journalists in English-language news writing. The course - once again held in the Xinhua Training Centre in West Beijing - was expanded to include some basic multi-media training as journalists in China adapt to the world of converged media.

Training Journalists in China

Charles McGhee was back in Beijing in June to run another three-week course for young journalists with Xinhua, the state-run national and international news agency. Xinhua supplies China's booming media industry in print, broadcast and online. There is a growing demand for the agency's English language news, features and picture service and Xinhua is in the process of training many of its journalists in English-language news writing. The course run by Charles was once again delivered under the auspices of the Thomson Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation which trains journalists and other media professionals in developing countries. You can visit Xinhua's English-language news website here.