Jessica Stewart Roberts

Jessica Stewart Roberts is a Researcher at the Center for Communication and Culture Studies (CECC) of the Catholic University of Portugal. With a PhD in Journalism Studies from the University of Maryland and an MA in Journalism from the University of Southern California, her work focuses on journalism, media ethics, and the role of non-journalistic actors in public information ecosystems.

• Research Themes: Fake news, citizen journalism, social media ethics, and participatory media.
• Key Publications: Effective Journalism (2024), Attacks on the American Press (2021), American Journalism and 'Fake News' (2018).

Scientific Output Trends: Over the past decade, Roberts has published extensively on disinformation dynamics, ethical erosion in digital journalism, and the sociocultural implications of selfies as thirdspace. Her 2025 projects include studies on fact-checking precarity and global fact-checking epistemologies.

• Awards: Literati Award Outstanding Paper (2020), Second Place Best Faculty Research Paper (2023).
• Leadership: Principal Investigator for the Humans of New York project (2020-2026).

Conference Engagement: Active organizer of academic symposia including (Re)Imagining Journalism (2025) and Lisbon Winter School for Communication (2025), with speaking engagements on disinformation (2025) and work-life balance (2024).