Dr James Mahon
Staff Tutor In Film & Media
Biography
Professional biography
Dr James Mahon joined the Open University in September 2024. He has previously worked for institutions in Scotland including the University of Stirling, University of Glasgow and University of the West of Scotland, the latter where he programme led the BA in Sports Journalism/Journalism to top the NSS in Scotland and amongst the highest performing media courses in the UK.
His doctoral and postdoctoral work explores digital media, mobile journalism and internationalisation in communication studies and subsequent impact for pedagogy and higher education.
He is a senior fellow of the HEA and is currentlly a senior fellow of the John Schofield Trust.
Mahon has worked extensively as a TV reporter and presenter for the last 15 years including for CBS and PBS affiliates in the US, UTV, ITV and ITN in the UK and RTE and TG4 in Ireland.
He has won more than a dozen awards as a broadcast journalist and as a documentary filmmaker and more recently as a podcaster.
Research interests
Digital Media
Mobile Journalism
Media and Society
Communication Studies
Practice-Based Research
Curriculum Development
Teaching interests
Feature Reporting
Social Media Storytelling
Documentary Journalism
Creative Practice
Impact and engagement
Mahon's media work and reporting regularly features in regional and national TV outputs along with international film festival runs.
He has written for The Conversation and published in conjunction with the Royal Society in Edinburgh.
His latest journal articles explore media pedagogy and he has presented at the World Journalism Education Council, Global Media Education Summit and at AJE UK national events.
External collaborations
University of Derby, External Examiner, Journalism
University of Sussex, External Examiner, Film and Media
University of Glasgow, Visiting Lecturer, Digital Media
ITN Productions, Journalist
Bauer Media, Consultant + Trainer
Scottish Qualifications Authority, HN Media Expert
International links
University of Sulaimani, Iraq, Visiting Lecturer of Digital Media
Chattanooga State College, TN, USA, Visiting Professor of Journalism
University of Tennessee, TN, USA, Visiting Professor of Journalism
Documentary and Practice Outputs
Blantyre's Battle, 2024,
Dr James's One Cap Wonders, 2023-2025,
Scots-Irish Songs of the South, 2021,
The Mojo Revolution, 2019,
The Impact, Silicon Valley, 2017,
The Impact, LA, 2017,
Publications
Book
Book Chapter
Journal Article
An Analysis of Scotland’s Post-COVID Media Graduate Landscape (2025)
The rise of sports club media in Scotland: Implications for ethics teaching (2024)
Reflections and insights from PG pandemic delivery in Scotland (2024)
Distributed digital capital: digital literacies and everyday media practices (2021)
Presentation / Conference
Losing Leisure, Scotland's Community Centre Closures (2024)
Media Education and The Devolved Post-Covid Scottish Newsroom (2023)
Insights from the Devolved Post-Covid Newsroom and their Classroom Impact (2023)
Is mobile journalism a revolution or an evolution? (2021)
[Presentation at] Association For Journalism Education Virtual Summer Conference (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
2024 A Summer of Sport, Did It Bring British Broadcasting Back? (2025)
