Bastiaan Vanacker

Bastiaan Vanacker serves as Associate Professor and Program Director for the Center for Digital Ethics and Policy at Loyola University Chicago's School of Communication, a role he assumed in Summer 2012. He previously chaired AEJMC's Media Ethics Division and maintains active leadership in academic discourse on digital ethics.

His educational background spans multiple continents:

• PhD in Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Minnesota
• Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Minnesota
• Additional Program in Communication Sciences, Universiteit Antwerpen
• Master's in Philosophy, Universiteit Gent, Belgium

Vanacker's research critically examines media ethics, digital policy frameworks, and historical journalism standards, with particular focus on ethical challenges in converging media landscapes. His scholarly output includes three authored/co-edited books and publications in the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, Journalism Studies, and Ethics and Information Technology.

His contributions have earned significant recognition:

• Two Best Faculty Paper Awards at AEJMC annual conferences
• Numerous national conference honors for media ethics research

As Center Director, Vanacker authors policy analyses and spearheads the Annual Symposium on Digital Ethics and Policy, driving institutional engagement with emerging technological dilemmas. His work bridges academic research with practical ethical governance in digital communications.