| Communications and Development |  |
Published by Communications and Development
Lecturing to a full University of Canterbury lecture theatre is one thing, but reaching a potential audience of 180 million listeners around the world is quite another — and that's how many Dr Anne-Marie Brady stands to connect with this month when a documentary featuring her and her research goes to air.
The BBC World Service airs The Message from China, a 22-minute documentary based on Dr Brady's research on 9 April. The senior lecturer from the Department of Political Science and Communication also presents the documentary, which is based on research funded by the Marsden Fund.
The BBC World Service is an international broadcaster with an estimated 183 million regular listeners worldwide. The service broadcasts in English and 32 other languages.
Dr Brady said working on the documentary had been “a thrill”. She worked on the project with BBC producer Kathy Flower, who in the 1980s hosted a television programme in China teaching viewers to speak English. The documentary was put together by UK-based production company Loftus Productions.
“It's been really interesting working with a journalist who has been able to take my knowledge and translate it for a broader audience,” said Dr Brady, who recently returned from being an official observer at the Taiwanese presidential elections as a guest of the Republic of China's Foreign Ministry.
“It's also been wonderful, as an academic, to have the opportunity to share my work with a wider audience. It's really important to me as a scholar to be able to do that. I want my work to be used and for it to be available to the general public, not just scholars and students — and that's another big thrill that has come out of this project.”
In the documentary, Dr Brady looks at the modernisation of China 's propaganda system and how western techniques are being used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to maintain its hold on power. It will feature interviews recorded by Dr Brady with party propagandists, academics, and students while she was doing fieldwork in China last year.
The script was co-written by Dr Brady and Ms Flower, with Dr Brady's voice links recorded using UC's Audio Visual Services' facilities.
For further information please contact:
Communications Officer
University of Canterbury
Ph (03) 364 2987 ext 3809
stacey.doornenbal@canterbury.ac.nz