I research the interplay between journalism and political and risk communication across 4 areas:

• Disinformation, misinformation, propaganda
• Emotional AI, profiling, surveillance, sousveillance
• Issues of trust, accuracy and credibility in journalism;
• The security state and public accountability.

Keywords

Emotional AI, strategic political communication, journalism, civil society, surveillance, sousveillance, social resistance,  trust,  risk communication, propaganda, persuasion, misinformation, disinformation

Research Monographs:

Bakir, V. and A. McStay, 2022. Optimising Emotions, Incubating Falsehoods. Palgrave-Macmillan/Springer. [open access]

Bakir, V. 2018.Intelligence Elites and Public Accountability: Relationships of Influence with Civil Society. London: Routledge.

Bakir, V. 2013. Torture, Intelligence and Sousveillance in the War on Terror: Agenda–Building Struggles. Routledge.

Bakir, V. 2010. Sousveillance, Media and Strategic Political Communication: Iraq, USA, UK. New York: Continuum.

Bakir, V. & D.Barlow, (eds.) 2007. Communication in the Age of Suspicion: Trust and the Media. Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan.

Research awards:

As an interdisciplinary scholar, I have won awards from diverse funding bodies e.g. AHRC, ESRC, EPSRC, NERC, Innovate UK, Arts Councils. A list of my funded projects are at: 0000-0002-6828-8384

Current grants comprise:

2023-2025: £364,000 FEC. Automated Empathy – Globalising International Standards (AEGIS): Japan and Ethically Aligned Regions. UKRI Technologies Mission Fund - Impact Accelerator. (PI Andrew McStay, Co-Is Vian Bakir, Phoebi Li (Univ of Sussex), Ben Bland (Chair of IEEE working group), Alexander Laffer Univ. of Winchester)

2023- . £38m. Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS) – Contribution to Sociology & Science and Technology Pathway (in the “Society and Wellbeing” cluster). 

2020 – 2023: £710,000 (comprising £497,710 FEC from ESRC, & 29,645,000 Yen from Japan Science & Technology funds). Part of UKRI-JST Joint Call on Artificial Intelligence and Society, our project is on Emotional AI in Cities: Cross Cultural Lessons from UK and Japan on Designing for An Ethical Life.  PI Andrew McStay. Co-I Vian Bakir. Other Investigators: Lachlan Urquhart (Edinburgh Univ.), Diana Miranda (Northumbria Univ.), Peter Mantello (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Univ.), Hiromi Tanaka (Meiji Univ.), Nader Ghotbi (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Univ.), Hiroshi Miyashita (Chuo Univ.). Grant ref. ES/T00696X/1.

Teaching and Supervision

Undergraduate modules taught:

• Issues in Media & Journalism
• Journalism and Risk Society
• Media, Politics & Society
• Digital Journalism & Society
• Dissertation in Journalism & Media Studies
• Dissertation in Politics
• MA Dissertation in Sociology
• MSc Dissertation in International Media Management

PhD and MRes students:

I am interested in supervising students in a wide range of areas including contemporary political communication, journalism, disinformation, deception, digital media, intelligence elites, discourse, accountability and power.

Current (1st supervisor)

• Gehad Ibrahim. PhD. Journalistic Documentary in Post-Truth Dictatorships
• Mashavu Mohamed. PhD. Social media and audiences in Zanzibar

Position: Professor of Journalism & Political Communication

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0) 1248 382751

Location: Main Arts

Personal website: Academia.edu   ResearchGate

Project Websites: DATA-PSST!   Intelligence Elites  Emotional AI

Current Administrative Responsibilities:

Co-Director of Network for Study of Media and Persuasive Communication.  

School of History, Law & Social Science Research Committee (grant leadership)