Introducing Carolina Velloso, New President’s Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Carolina Velloso is at the forefront of studying journalism through the lenses of diversity, identity, and equality. Her scholarly work has received acclaim from prestigious media and communication associations, and she is excited to further delve into this topic to ensure more equitable reporting practices. She joined the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication in fall 2023.
What brought you to the University of Minnesota?
I came to the University of Minnesota to take a position as the President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Race, Journalism, Media, & Democracy. The PPF program enables fellows to dedicate their time solely to developing their research agendas before transitioning into faculty roles after two years. I am very grateful for this unique opportunity at such a fantastic institution!
What are your areas of specialty? How did you become interested in what you study and teach?
I research and teach on issues of diversity in media, specifically at the intersection of gender, race, and identity in journalism. I am particularly interested in media representations of women and minorities and the professional experiences of women and minority journalists.
I believe understanding why groups are represented in certain ways in media coverage, who is producing this coverage, and the larger implications of those items, are important and relevant areas of study in our contemporary society. My objective is to generate knowledge that aids in the production of journalism that is fairer and more accountable to the communities it serves.
What are you most excited about right now? What gets you up in the morning?
I am excited to continue exploring the Twin Cities! I am slowly making my way through as many museums, parks, breweries, restaurants, theaters, and sports games as I can. I’m also learning to play the guitar, so I’m excited to cultivate a new skill!
What projects are you working on right now?
I am currently working on several interesting projects, the largest of which is a book proposal based on my dissertation research. I theorize the concept of “connection-based reporting” as a crucial component of equitable and inclusive journalism.
Connection-based reporting involves the active incorporation of journalists’ identities and lived experiences into their reporting process. I show how journalists, in harnessing their personal standpoints in the reporting process, call into question the notion of objective, detached reporting as the gold standard in journalism.
I’m also working on a couple of article-length manuscripts, one of which is about media coverage of pay inequity in women’s sports, centered around Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia. Last year, I published two journal articles: one about coverage of "race films" in the Black press in the early 20th century, and one on media representations of Serena Williams as a mother. I also have a book chapter forthcoming in the edited volume Feminist Manifestos for Journalism and Communication about the state of women's sports journalism and women sports reporters.
This story was edited by an undergraduate student in CLA.
