The Paradox of Connection: Valérie Bélair-Gagnon on Her New Book

Digital media is such a rapidly changing landscape that we’re often left scrambling to catch up with its evolving technology. Perhaps no one faces and overcomes this challenge as frequently and dauntlessly as journalists do. 

In their new book, The Paradox of Connection: How Digital Media Is Transforming Journalistic Labor, published by the University of Illinois Press, Associate Professor Valérie Bélair-Gagnon with co-authors Diana Bossio, Avery E. Holton, and Logan Molyneux explore this topic in-depth. 

Today’s complex media landscape, with constant online engagement and disconnection, forces journalists to continually assess and establish their own ethical standards, a task that can be mentally exhausting. 

Through interviews, observations, and case studies, Bélair-Gagnon and her colleagues shed light on how the technological, social, and cultural aspects of social media environments have impacted both the audience and journalists’ professional identities. They have also uncovered potential solutions for journalists to navigate this challenge more easily. 

Dr. Valérie Bélair-Gagnon is an associate professor and Cowles Fellow in Media Management at the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication. She is also a Waldfogel Scholar of the College of Liberal Arts (2023-26) and McKnight Presidential Fellow (2022-2025) at the University of Minnesota. Her affiliations include the Department of Communication at Oslo Metropolitan University, the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, and the Yale Law School Information Society Project.

This story was edited by Anushka Raychaudhuri, an undergraduate student in CLA.