Michael Higgins

Michael Higgins is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Strathclyde, where he has served since 2007. As Programme Leader for the MSc in Media and Communication, he focuses on teaching and research in political communication, media discourse, and mediated populism. He holds editorial roles at Communication Theory and Journal of Language and Politics, and co-authored Conflict Culture: Anger in a Mediated World (forthcoming 2026). His research explores incivility in media, political discourse, and broadcast talk. Higgins has supervised AHRC and Carnegie Trust-funded PhD students, with topics spanning social media engagement and gender representation in politics.

• Education: BA (Hons), MLitt, PhD
• External Roles: Visiting Professor in Political Communications at LUISS University, Rome; External Examiner at Swansea University and American College of Greece.

His work intersects with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in promoting inclusive societies. Recent projects include the Kate Adie Archive (AHRC-funded) and election monitoring initiatives. Higgins has appeared as a media analyst on BBC Radio and Al-Jazeera, emphasizing the role of journalism in shaping political narratives.

Higgins’ 90+ publications include seven books and over seventy peer-reviewed articles, with a focus on mediated populism, political communication, and broadcast journalism. He co-founded Palgrave Communications’ Mediated Populism section and chairs the Political Studies Association’s Media and Politics Group.