Carmen Sammut (professor)

Professor Carmen Sammut SAMMUT, CARMEN (17th March 1966). Pro-Rector for Student and Staff Affairs and Outreach at the University of Malta since 2016. Her research interests are international communications processes, public diplomacy, political communication, culture and gender in international affairs.

Carmen Sammut

Sammut was a receiver of the Harold Scorey Scholarship in Broadcast Journalism and in 2001 she was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue doctoral research in the United Kingdom, which led to a PhD in Media and Communications (Goldsmiths College, University of London). She also holds a Masters, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Bachelors degree from the University of Malta.

A long-experienced broadcaster, Sammut started her career as a journalist with state broadcasting in the early 1980s, where she wrote and produced foreign news and current affairs programmes. Since the advent of pluralism in 1991, she has freelanced with various media outlets, wrote columns and participated as a media analyst. In 2006 she presented a radio programme on European affairs for which the radio station RTK won a journalism award. Carmen Sammut also served on the Media Ethics Commission of the Institute of Journalists and chaired a committee that proposed a revised version of the Journalists' Code of Ethics.

Her role in civil society is related to gender-related matters to which she dedicated many columns, articles and media interventions throughout her career. Between 2018-2020 Sammut chaired the ‘Committee for the Strengthening of Democracy’ that presented a set of proposals published in Gender Balance in Parliament: Consultation Document that aimed to increase the participation of women in Maltese politics. After leading a long consultation process, the proposals were finally endorsed by both Government and the Opposition.

Her other contributions include: serving as Chair of the Board of Majjistral Nature and History Park; Head of Operations at the European Commission-Arab League States Liaison Office; member of the Board of the Valletta 2018 Foundation when the capital city was declared European City of Culture in 2018; Chair of the political think-tank Fondazzjoni Ideat (2011-2014) and moderator in several events of the Council for the Maltese Living Abroad.

List of publications

Sammut-Bonnici, T., Vella, A. J., Baldacchino, G. Cacciottolo, J. M., Sammut, C., & Zammit, S. (2020). Strategic Plan 2020-2025, University of Malta: Malta.

"Freedom of Expression, Demonization and Deification: Continuities and Disruptions in the Maltese Media System”, In Angelos Giannakopoulos (Ed.). Media, Freedom of Speech, and Democracy in the EU and Beyond, S. Daniel Abraham Centre: Tel Aviv.]

Sammut, C. (2019). Meta ltqajt ma’ Marie Louise Coleiro: Ġurnaliżmu, attiviżmu u femminiżmu f’Malta ta’ żgħożitna. (pp 159–170). In Sergio Grech (Ed.). Marie Louise Colerio Preca: Bejn Storja u Miti. Horizons: Malta.

Sammut, C. & Abdilla, N. (2018). Il-Ġurnalizmu u l-Ġlieda għall-Vot tal-Mara Maltija fil-Kuntest Imperjali: Ir-rwol ta’ Mabel Strickland. (pp 197–233). In Sergio Grech (Ed.). Mabel Strickland: Bejn Storja u Miti. Horizons: Malta

Sammut, C. (2017). The Road to Women's Suffrage and Beyond Women's Enfranchisement and the Nation-Building Project in Malta, Central Bank: Malta. Sammut, C. (2017). Collective memory and amnesia: Gender in the Siege narratives, Valletta, Department of Information (publication of a speech delivered in Commemoration of National Victory Day, on September 6). Government Printing Press: Malta.

Maier, J., Faas, T., Rittberger, B. et al. (2017). "An event that could have made a difference: Effects of the Eurovision Debate on young citizens’ and its consequence for EU democracy – Evidence from a quasi-experiment in 24 countries.” Journal of European Public Policy.

Novelli, E., Rafter, K., Poulakidakos, S., Veneti, A., Veríssimo, E., Álvares, A. & Sammut, C., (2017). ‘The Economic Crisis and Austerity’ in Political Advertising, (pp 57–80). In C. Holtz-Bacha, E. Novelli & K. Rafter (Eds.). The 2014 European Parliament Elections., Palgrave & Macmillan: UK.

Sammut, C., (2017) ‘The Face of Evil in the era of Liberal Peace: Media Debates around the cases of Jyllands-Posten and Charlie Hebdo’, (127-146). In Borg, Carmel and Grech, Michael, (eds). Pedagogy, Politics and Philosophy of Peace and Peace-Making, Bloomsbury: UK.

Murphy, B. & Sammut, C., (2016). ‘Situating the Media: Facts and History" in, (pp 425–441). M. Briguglio & M. Brown. (eds.) Sociology of the Maltese Islands. Malta: Miller Distributors.

Sammut, C., (2013) ‘Gender and political engagement: Assessing the role of the media in the Maltese Islands’ (pp 221–231). In F. Sadiqi (ed.). Women and Knowledge in the Mediterranean, Routledge: UK, USA, Canada.

Sammut, C. (2012), ‘Mintoff, l-Istampa u x-Xandir", (pp. 159–192). In S. Grech (Ed.). Duminku Mintoff: Bejn Storja u Miti. Horizons: Malta.

Sammut, C., (2011) ‘Producing News Texts in receiving countries: beyond journalists’ professional ideology and cultural explanations’, In I. Ureta Vaquero, (ed.). Media, Migration and Public Opinion: Myths, Prejudices and the Challenge of Attaining Mutual Understanding between Europe and North Africa, Peter Lang: Berne.

Sammut, C., (2009). ‘Partisan Media in Malta’, in Media in Malta. (pp 83–102). J. Borg, M.A. Lauri & A. Hillman. (eds.). Malta: Progress Press.

Sammut, C., (2009) ‘Reassessing the Maltese Media System’, in Malta and the Maltese., (eds.) G. Cassar & J. Cutajar. 2007.

Sammut, C. (2007), ‘The Ambiguous Borderline between Human Rights and National Security: The Journalist's Dilemma in the Reporting of Irregular Immigrants in Malta’, Global Media Journal: Mediterranean Edition, vol. 2, n.1.

Sammut, C., (2007). Media and Maltese Society, (Lexington Press, Lanham, USA)

Sammut C., (2007). ‘Il-Gurnalisti Professjonisti: Riflessjonijiet, Aspirazzjonijiet ghal status professjonali’. Malta Journalism Review vol. 1 (2).

Sammut C., (2006). ‘Reviewing a strategy aimed to improve the quality of Children's Programmes in Malta’, Conference proceeding on Quality Children's Programmes held on 8 June 2006. Malta: Broadcasting Authority.