
Ricardo Ribeiro Ferreira
Job Title
PhD Candidate and Tutor

Background
I am a PhD candidate and a tutor (teaching assistant) at the University of Edinburgh School of Social and Political Science. My thesis aims to understand media capture in a condition of hybridity, examining journalists’ practices and role perceptions in recent de-de-democratisation processes within Brazil. Overall, my research has been shaped by my experience as a journalist, which includes 18 years as a reporter, editor and international correspondent for major Brazilian news outlets. I am particularly interested in the role of journalism in democracy, media capture, hybrid systems and disinformation campaigns.
PhD Project
Understanding the Roles of Journalists and News Organisations in the De-Democratisation of Brazil
Supervisor: Dr Kate Wright
Co-supervisors: Dr Benjamin Martill and Dr Jean-François Daoust
Peer-reviewed Publications
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(forthcoming). The Hate Office? Bolsonaro's Discourse and Covid-19 Online Disinformation. International Journal of Communication (co-authored with Juliana Alcantara).
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(2021). Liquid Disinformation Tactics: Overcoming Social Media Countermeasures Through Misleading Content. Journalism Practice, 16(8), 1537-1558,
DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2021.1914707. -
(2020). “Little flu” infodemic: an analysis on disinformation and coronavirus in Brazil. Chasqui Revista Latinoamericana de Comunicación, 1(145), 137-162, DOI: 10.16921/chasqui.v1i145.4315 (co-authored with Juliana Alcantara).
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(2018). Network of lies: the spread of fake news in the Brazilian presidential pre-campaign. Observatorio (OBS*), 12(5), 139-162, DOI: 10.15847/obsOBS12520181272.
Book
- (2022). Hijacked Democracy: How disinformation helped Bolsonaro become president of Brazil. Media XXI: Porto.
Reviews
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(2020). Review of Network propaganda: Manipulation, disinformation, and radicalization in American politics by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris and Hal Roberts. Mediapolis–Revista de Comunicação, Jornalismo e Espaço Público, (11), 103-105.
Conferences
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"The Precarity Trap: Modelling Non-democratic Journalistic Practices Beyond Media Capture" - 73rd Annual ICA Conference (International Communication Association), Toronto, May 27th, 2023.
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The Precarity Trap: Modelling Non-democratic Journalistic Practices Beyond Media Capture" - ICA PhD Colloquium - Journalism Studies Division, Toronto, May 25th, 2023.
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"The Precarity Trap: Modelling Non-democratic Journalistic Practices Beyond Media Capture" - JRP Between Ideals and Practices conference, Toronto, May 24th, 2023.
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“Understanding the Roles of Journalism in the De-Democratisation of Brazil” - Captured Media Researching. Media Systems in and after Transitions, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon, December 6th, 2022.
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“Understanding the Roles of Journalism in Brazil’s De-Democratisation” - 72nd Annual ICA Conference (International Communication Association), Paris, May 27th, 2022.
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“Public Health and Far-right: The Brazilian Case of Coronavirus Infodemic” - IAMCR conference (International Association for Media and Communication Research), Nairobi, July 11th, 2021 (co-authored with Juliana Alcantara).
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“Disinformation in Electoral Processes”- International seminar Rethinking Brazilian journalism in times of populism and disinformation. Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, January 13th, 2020.
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“Hijacked Democracy: Impacts of Disinformation on Social Media in the 2018 Brazilian Presidential Election” - VIII Oxbridge Conference on Brazilian Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, October 5th, 2019.
Qualifications
- Master of Arts (Journalism and Communication), University of Coimbra - 2017-2019
- Dissertation: “Disinformation in electoral processes: a case study of the 2018 Brazilian election”
- Visiting researcher (Erasmus Program), University of Ljubljana (1/9/2018 – 2/2/2019)
- Award: Honours (A) - Bachelor of Arts (Social Communication - Journalism), Catholic University of Santos - 2002-2005
- University Senate - student representative (2004, 2005)
- Award: Merit (B)
Teaching
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University of Edinburgh, Tutor (teaching assistant), 2021-Present
Comparative Politics (2022, 2023), Politics and International Relations 1B (2023, 2024), Contemporary Issues in Politics - Media and Politics (2022), Politics in a Changing World (2021) -
University of Strathclyde, MSc Dissertation Supervisor, 2023-Present
Politics, De-democratisation, Media and Democracy -
University of Edinburgh, Guest Lecturer, 2022-Present
Misinformation in non-western contexts (2022) -
University of Coimbra, Guest Lecturer, 2019-Present
Media Socio-economics (2019), Media, Gender and Representation (2020), Media Capture and Hybrid Journalistic Cultures (2022)
Memberships
- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), United Kingdom
- International Communication Association (ICA), Journalism Studies Division
- The University of Edinburgh Senatus Academicus (The Senate), elected member for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (2023 to 2025)
Peer-reviewer
- Journalism Practice (8/9/2021 – Present)
- International Journal of Communication (19/9/2022 – Present)
- ICA Conference (1/112021 – Present)
Awards
- University of Coimbra (11/12/2018)
- Diploma of Merit
- Best grades 1st-year master 2017/2018 - Department of Philosophy, Communication and Information Science
- Certificate and € 1.064
- University of Coimbra (10/9/2022)
- 3% Best Students Award 2018/2019
- Best grades in each department
- Certificate and € 500
- University of Coimbra (4/5/2022)
- Merit Board 2018/2019
- Best academic performance university-wide (Top 5% students)
- University Official Records
Grants
- Michael Haley Travel Grant 2023 (31/3/2023)
- Awarding body: International Communication Association (ICA)
- Amount: $ 500
- Purpose: travel to ICA 73rd annual conference in Toronto, Canada
- SPS Research Support Fund (3/2/2023)
- Awarding body: University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science (SPS)
- Amount: £ 500
- Purpose: conference expenses
- Michael Haley Travel Grant 2022 (17/3/2022)
- Awarding body: International Communication Association (ICA)
- Amount: $ 400
- Purpose: travel to ICA 72nd annual conference in Paris, France
- SPS Research Support Fund (1/11/2021)
- Awarding body: University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science (SPS)
- Amount: £ 500
- Purpose: conduct fieldwork in Brazil
Profiles
Orcid
Researchgate
CiênciaVittae (Portugal)
CnpqLattes (Brazil)
LinkedIn