Jairo Velásquez, a sixth and ninth grade social studies and history teacher, recently earned his PhD in journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. His thesis focused on media approaches to covering the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the result is very striking and thought-provoking.
Cerros is proud that our professor has obtained such an important degree that will undoubtedly have a very positive impact on the students' monographs and their professional development.
We talked to him about his experience and this is what he told us:
What motivated you to pursue a PhD in journalism?
The doctorate was a dream I had as a child when I saw my father get his, which I carried into my adulthood and adapted to my situation at each moment. However, it was not until I became a professor that I understood it not only as the culmination of academic training, but as the perfect tool to become the best educator I could.
What was your doctoral thesis about and what were the main findings?
In communication there is a theory called framing theory that seeks to test and understand how the media, or other broadcasters acting in society, create particular realities in their audiences. I did a research where I found the frames used by 18 media, from 9 countries, to report on the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In my thesis I was able to verify, among other things, that the media report on political processes as if it were a competition where the information focuses on the fights and the results of the competitions, and not on explaining proposals or developing democratic arguments in the voters.
Do you have any projects in mind that combine your recent professional degree with your activities in Cerros?
I am developing a proposal to strengthen the research processes in the school, both for students and teachers, and to see how to articulate them with the university.
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