Valérie

Bélair-Gagnon

Ph.D. 

Originally from Montreal (Quebec, Canada), I now live and work in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. I am Assistant Professor of Journalism Studies at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Director of the Minnesota Journalism Center and Affiliated Faculty at the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. I am also an Affiliated Fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project.

Areas of Expertise

Media innovation, engagement, business models and the future of news

My research looks at how tech and digital media are transforming information cultures and journalism. I am the author of Social Media at BBC News (Routledge, 2015) and Journalism (Research) that Matters (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2021, with Nikki Usher). Generally, I use qualitative methods and use hybrid methodologies and theories at the intersection of the sociology of work and organizations, media management, and journalism studies. Some areas of current research include:

• Media innovation, business models and engagement

• Platforms, professional identity and digital work

• Social media, including misinformation and user-generated content

From 2014-16, I was Executive Director of the Yale Law School Information Society Project where I remain an Affiliated Fellow. In 2019, I was an OsloMet Digital Journalism Fellow and in 2016 I was a Tow Center for Digital Journalism Fellow. I completed my doctorate in in Sociology at City University of London.​ Outside of work, I love to hike/walk, enjoy nature, engage in winter sports (Minnesota oblige), and discover new places through traveling.

Contact Me

Murphy Hall

206 Church Street SE. 111

Minneapolis, MN 55410