James Stanyer

Professor James Stanyer is a Professor of Communication and Media Analysis at Loughborough University, where he also serves as Interim Head of Communication and Director of the Centre for Research in Communication & Culture (CRCC). He holds a PhD in Government from the London School of Economics (1999) and has held academic positions at Cambridge University, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Leicester before joining Loughborough in 2005.

His research focuses on national and transnational political communication, including misinformation dynamics, media effects on democracy, populism, and comparative media systems. He has led projects funded by the ESRC, BBC Trust, UK government, and third-sector organizations. His work explores how media consumption patterns, digital misinformation, and political communication strategies impact democratic processes.

Professor Stanyer’s recent articles analyze misinformation during crises (e.g., the Ukraine war and pandemic), the efficacy of fact-checking, and media diets across age cohorts. His findings highlight threats to democracy posed by news avoidance and misinformation. He is a member of multiple professional associations, including the American Political Science Association and European Communication Research and Education Association, and has served on editorial boards of key journals.

His career includes roles as a founder of COST Action IS1308 (Populist Political Communication in Europe) and as a principal investigator on projects addressing media coverage of political scandals and democratic transformations. His work bridges theoretical and applied research, emphasizing the societal implications of communication shifts in the digital age.