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| Name | Sangeetha Unnithan |
| Qualification | Ph.D. in Communication and Journalism from University of Kerala, Master of Communication and Journalism (MCJ) from University of Kerala, Bachelor of Science (Physics) from University of Kerala |
| Contact No. | +91-731-2439487 |
| sangeethau@iimidr.ac.in | |
| Curriculum Vitae | Download |
- Brief Profile
- Research Publications
Dr Sangeetha Unnithan is a communication professional with over a decade of industry experience and a Doctor of Philosophy in Communication & Journalism from University of Kerala.
Dr Unnithan started her career as a journalist with The New Indian Express. She later worked as a Senior Reporter with The Hindu. As a journalist, she has reported extensively on topics ranging from Gender Issues, Civic Issues, Rural Development, Social Welfare, Local Self Governance, Education and Art & Culture. She later switched to Corporate Communications, working as Associate Manager in Internal Communication at IBS Software, a software product company based out of Technopark, Trivandrum. Later on, she headed the Corporate Communication team at Toonz Media Group, a leading global kids and family entertainment company and one of the pioneers in the field of animation in India. In this role she handled the entire gamut of corporate communications for the company including PR, media relations, social media and branding. Dr Unnithan also worked as Assistant Professor in English Journalism at the Kottayam branch of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
Dr Sangeetha Unnithan’s research area is Science Communication, a subset of Development Communication that focuses on the role of media in engaging its audiences with developments in the field of Science and Technology. It is an inter-disciplinary field that stems from the all-pervasive nature of Science and Technology (S&T) in modern life. Dr Unnithan’s PhD thesis sought to evaluate the prioritization of S&T news stories by the mainstream news media in India and the impact of media routines on the coverage of S&T news.
Ø December 4, 2021: Presented a paper at the Asia Media & Information Center (AMIC) International Conference titled ‘Mass Media Engagement of Health Experts & Frontline Health Workers in Kerala During The Covid-19 Pandemic’. The paper probed into how the frontline workers and health experts in Kerala engaged with the media during the Covid-19 pandemic by evaluating their media consumption patterns and informed views on pandemic mass communication and best practices.
Ø February 6, 2014: Presented a paper at the National Mass Communication Research Conference. The paper titled Science Communication through the Mainstream Media in India was done as a preliminary study for the PhD thesis. It analyzed the coverage of science and technology related stories on digital news media, by studying the home page of BBC World and NDTV 24x7.
Ø December 2014: Published the research paper ‘Science Communication through the Mainstream Media in India’ in Communication & Journalism Research, Vol 3, Issue 1 & 2; ISSN 2348-5663, based on the above-mentioned study.
Ø December 2014: Bagged a one-year research fellowship in Science Communication offered by Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), a Kerala Government organization.
Ø December 8, 2013: Made a presentation titled ‘Humour and News: An Analysis of Comedic Journalism Shows’ at Humour: Text & Contexts International Conference. The presentation was centered on the use of humour in news-based shows. It explored the blurring lines between news and entertainment, as news channels compete with entertainment channels and programmes for prime time audience attention. And how this shift has contributed to the rising popularity of satirical news programmes.
Ø December 2011: Published the research paper ‘Depiction of George W Bush in Indian Cartoons’ in Indian Journal of Communication, Vol 3, Oct – Dec 2011. Political cartoons in leading newspapers depicting George W Bush from February-March, 2006 were analyzed this study. This covered the period in which Mr Bush was on a state visit to India in March 2006 to sign a much-debated nuclear deal.