Welcome to the latest edition of the University media digest. This digest covers major media appearances for the University during the month of April. During that time, media appearances related to the University created over 100 million opportunities to view and hear stories via print, broadcast and online outlets. The advertising equivalent value of these appearances in print and via commercial broadcast media reached £319,752.
Below is a selection of stories which reached national and international audiences:
Missing Malaysia Airlines plane
Oceanographer Dr Simon Boxall continued to give a number of interviews to global media outlets on developments in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. He spoke to BBC Breakfast, the BBC news, the BBC News Channel, the BBC World Service TV, ITN News, Channel 4 News, Sky (five interviews), CNN (four times), CBC (Canada), TV 2 Denmark, CTV (China), BBC Radio 4 and BBC 5 Live and his comments appeared on and in numerous TV, radio and newspapers around the world.
Dr Jon Copley, a senior lecturer in marine ecology, talked about deep-sea envioronments on the BBC’s Today Programme, BBC World Service and BBC Radio Scotland.
New city wall found for Roman port
News that Southampton archaeologists, led by Professor Simon Keay, have discovered that the Roman port of Ostia was much larger than orginally thought has been covered by press worldwide. The Huffington Post (US), French Tribune, The Province (Canada), Times of India, Times of Malta, El Pais (Spain) and 20 Italian outlets including Rai News and Corriere della Sera all carried the story. In the UK, The Independent, Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph newspaper and BBC Online also featured the discovery.
Read our press release.
Intelligent prosthetic liners
A new device, developed by the University of Southampton, which can help to relieve the pain and discomfort experienced by thousands of amputees as a result of poorly fitting replacement lower limbs, received widespread media attention. Outlets such asBBC Breakfast, BBC News Channel, Radio 4’s Today programme, BBC Radio 2 and 3, BBC 5 Live, over 20 regional BBC radio stations, BBC South Today, ITV News and the Daily Echo all covered the story.
Read our press release here.
Health atlas
Professor David Coggon offered his expert comments on a new online map of England and Wales that allows people to enter their postcode and find their community’s risk of developing 14 conditions, such as heart disease and lung cancer. BBC News, The Daily Express, BMJ News, the Metro, BBC Radio Wales and the Daily Telegraph published his quotes.
Autumn ends later
Research by Geography Professor Peter Atkinson using satellite data to examine seasonal vegetation growth in the northern hemisphere has shown our Autumn is ending later and Spring starting slightly earlier. The story was covered in the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, the Irish Independent, The Australian, the Daily Echo and by ITV Meridian and CBC public broadcasting in Canada. The research was also picked up by other numerous regional media organisations worldwide.
See our press release.
If you have a story, or are undertaking research that you think might be of interest to the press, please email us on press@soton.ac.uk. You can also view a more comprehensive listing of the University’s latest media coverage at www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/in_the_news/current.shtml