About

Jad Melki

Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies
Director, Institute of Media Research and Training

Jad Melki is an associate professor of journalism and media studies and director of the Institute of Media Research and Training at LAU. He is also a visiting faculty at the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change, an affiliated researcher with the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) at the University of Maryland (UMD), a Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University and an affiliated faculty at the Jordan Media Institute. Previously, Dr. Melki served as chairperson of the Department of Communication Arts at LAU, as research director of ICMPA at UMD and as founding director of the Media Studies Program at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where he received a service excellence award.

In 2020, he won the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers for his scholarship on the impact of social media in the Arab World, and in 2015 the UNESCO-UNAoC International Media and Information Literacy Award for advancing media literacy education in the Arab region through founding and directing the Media and Digital Literacy Academy of Beirut (MDLAB). Dr. Melki has taught at Johns Hopkins University, UMD, Towson University, Jordan Media Institute, AUB and LAU, where he received a teaching excellence award in 2018/19 and a research excellence award in 2021/22. Prior to academia, Dr. Melki was a broadcast and digital journalist and communication expert working with US and Arab media. He won a Webby Award and a National Press Club Award for covering the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. Dr. Melki received his PhD from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland in 2008.

Research Interests

Dr. Melki’s research is at the intersection of media literacy, journalism and oppression and draws on feminist theory, health communication, war journalism, and crisis communication, and focuses on Arab media and society.

Awards

  • Research Excellence Award, Lebanese American University, 2021-2022.
  • Research Excellence Award, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers, 2020.
  • Teaching Excellence Award, Lebanese American University, 2018-2019.
  • Teaching Contest Award for Research on Media and Genocide, International Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), 2019.
  • UNESCO-UNAoC International Media and Information Literacy Award, 2015.
  • Service Excellence Award, American University of Beirut, 2014.
  • Webby Award for coverage of the 2006 Lebanon war with Yahoo News Hot Zone team, 2006.
  • US National Press Club Award, 2006 war coverage with Yahoo News Hot Zone team, 2006.
  • Jack Shaheen Mass Communication Award for Arab-American Journalists, 2005.

Selected Publications

  1. Melki, J. (In press, 2024). Media Literacy of the Oppressed: An Emancipatory Pedagogy for/with the Marginalized. Routledge.
  2. Mellado, C., Hallin, D., … Melki, J. et al. (2024). The societal context of professional practice: Examining the impact of politics and economics on journalistic role performance across 37 countries. Journalism. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241229951
  3. Hallin, D. Mellado, C., … Melki, J. et al. (2023). Journalistic role performance in times of COVID. Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2023.2274584
  4. Melki, J. (2023). The effect of trust in media and information sources on coronavirus diseases 2019 prevention behaviors in Lebanon. Media International Australia. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X231214351
  5. El Mikati, I., Hoteit, R., Harb, T., El Zein, O., Piggott, T., Melki, J., Mustafa, R., Akl, E. (2023). Defining Misinformation and Related Terms in Health-Related Literature: Scoping Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25(e45731). https://doi.org/10.2196/45731
  6. Farhat, S. & Melki, J. (2023). Framing Revolution: Multiframe News Themes in Lebanon’s October 2019 Uprising. International Journal of Press/Politics. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19401612231187831   
  7. Melki, J., Hamzeh, D. Itani, J., Hariri, M., Daou, P., Al-Shami, A., El Bour, H., Khalifa Salim, S., Masharqa, S., Othman, S., & Durra, Y. (2023). The role of media literacy in mitigating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy theories. International Journal of Communication, 17, 4364–4386. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/20418
  8. Farhat, S. & Melki, J. (2023). Lebanon’s 2019 uprising: A feminist uprising or feminized media sensationalism? Howard Journal of Communications. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2023.2199691
  9. Melki, J., Gretchen King, Yasmeen Sakka, Rayan Haidar, Farah Saati, Nadine Mazloum. (2023). Gendered representations in Lebanese advertisements: flawless white femininity, heteronormative patriarchal masculinity, and the erasure of local diversity. Feminist Media Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2023.2194571
  10. Melki, J. (2023). Gender equity in Lebanon’s news industry: The chasm between management’s perspectives and women journalists’ experience. Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00102_1
  11. Melki, J. (2023). Knowledge Gap Hypothesis and Pandemics: COVID-19 Knowledge, Communication Inequality, Conflict, and Media Literacy in Lebanon. Media and Communication, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i1.5960
  12. Kozman, C., So, C., Khalifa, S., Movahedian, M., El Amin, J., Melki, J. (2022). Social media behavior during uprisings: selective sharing and avoidance in the China (Hong Kong), Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon protests. Online Media and Global Communication. https://doi.org/10.1515/omgc-2022-0053
  13. Melki, J., Kozman, C., Mellado, C., Elortegui, C., So, C., Movahedian, M., Khalifa, S., & Farhat, S. (2022). Selective exposure during uprisings: A comparative study of news uses in Chile, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. International Communication Gazette. https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485221144582
  14. Gerodimos, R., Balbin, C., Chan, C., Freundt-Thurne, U., Jose Gutierrz Atala, F., Nyaole-Kowuor, R. & Melki, J. (2022). Global citizenship in comparative perspective: Youth perceptions of global rights, responsibilities and efficacy across five continents. Observatorio, Special issue on media literacy and civic cultures, 20-41. https://obs.obercom.pt/index.php/obs/article/view/2177/188188204
  15. Kozman, C., & Melki, J. (2022). Selection bias of news on social media: The role of selective sharing and avoidance during the Lebanon uprising. International Journal of Communication, 16, 2864-2884. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18811
  16. Melki, J., Tamim, H., Hadid, D., Farhat, S., Makki, M. Gahndour, L. & Hitti, E. (2022). Media exposure and health behavior during pandemics: The mediating effect of perceived knowledge and fear on compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. Health Communication, 37(5), 586-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1858564
  17. Melki, J. (2022). Foreword. In Belinha De Abreu (Ed.), Media Literacy, Equity, and Justice. Routledge.
  18. Kozman, C., Tabbara, R. & Melki, J. (2021). The role of media and communication in reducing uncertainty during the Syria war. Media and Communication, 9(4), 297-308. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i4.4352
  19. Melki, J., Tamim, H., Hadid, D., Makki, M., El-Amin, J., & Hitti, E. (2021). Mitigating Infodemics: The relationship between news exposure and trust and belief in COVID-19 fake news and social media spreading. PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0252830. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252830
  20. Hitti, A., Melki, J., Sahakian, T., and Killen, M. (2021). Lebanese adolescents’ expectations about social inclusion of peers in intergroup contexts. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 39,424-441. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12372
  21. Hitti, E., Hadid, D., Melki, J., Kaddoura, R., & Alameddine, M. (2021). Mobile device use among emergency department healthcare professionals: prevalence, utilization and attitudes. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1917. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81278-5
  22. Melki, J. & Hitti, E. (2021). The domestic tethering of Lebanese and Arab women journalists and news managers. Journalism Practice, (15)3, 288-307. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2020.1715822
  23. Melki, J., & Kozman, C. (2021). Media dependency, selective exposure and trust during war: media sources and information needs of displaced and non-displaced Syrians. Media War and Conflict, 14(1), 93-113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635219861907
  24. Melki, J. King, G., Sakka, Y., Haidar, R., Saati, F., Karakira, A., Kassab, H., Kaskas, S., & Sfeir, M. (2021). Gendered Media: The (Mal)Representation of Women and Men in Lebanese Advertisements. National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) and Hivos. URL
  25. Melki, J. & Kozman, C. (2020). Selective exposure during uprisings: examining the public’s news consumption and sharing tendencies during the 2019 Lebanon protests. International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(4), 907-928. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220972892
  26. Melki, J., Abou Zeid, M., & El Takach, A. (2020). Lebanon: Coronavirus and the media. The European Journalism Observatory (EJO). Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. University of Oxford. URL
  27. Melki, J. Hitti, E., Abouzeid, M., El Takach, A., Hadid, D., Ghandour, L., Naamani, D., Karakira, A., Kassab, H.,  El Amin, J., Tabbara, R., & Farhat, S. (2020). Mitigating infodemics: A working paper on media and communication uses in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic. Media/Literacy Program. Institute of Media Research and Training, 1(2), Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon. URL
  28. Melki, J. (2020). Sharing information in the era of post-facts. The Peace Building in Lebanon. United Nations Development Program (UNDP). URL
  29. Melki, J. (2020). Le partage d’informations à l’ère post-vérité. La Consoliddation de la paix au Liban. United Nations Development Program (UNDP). URL
  30. Melki, J, & Kozman, C. (2020). Media uses and trust during protests: A working paper on the media uses of Lebanese during the 2019 uprising. Institute of Media Research and Training, 1(1). URL
  31. جاد ملكي، إفلين حتي، ميرنا أبوزيد، علي الطقش. (2020). الوباء المعلوماتي خلال جائحة كورونا في لبنان. منشورات وزارة الاعلام في لبنان بالتعاون مع وزارة الصحة العامة ووحدة إدارة الكوارث في لبنان. URL   
  32. جاد ملكي. (2020). تبادل المعلومات في عصر ما بعد الحقيق.  برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي في لبنان. ملحق بناء السلام. URL
  33. جاد ملكي. (2020). دعوة الاعلام إلى ثورة بيضاء لتبسيط اللغة العربية وتحديث مناهجها، أو تخصيص متاحف ومدافن حجَرية لها. تقرير حال اللغة العربية ومستقبلها، منشورات وزارة الثقافة والشباب، الإمارات العربية المتحدة.
  34. جاد ملكي، إفلين حتي، ميرنا أبوزيد، علي الطقش. (2020) مواجهة الوباء المعلوماتي: ورقة عمل حول استخدامات وسائل الإعلام والاتصال في لبنان خلال جائحة فيروس كورونا المستجدّ. مجلة الآداب، (حزيران).
  35. جاد مكلي. (2020). استخدامُ اللبنانيين للإعلام وثقتُهم به في زمن الثورة. مجلة الآداب، (أيار).
  36. Nasreddine, L., Taktouk, M., Dabbous M., and Melki, J. (2019). The extent, nature and nutritional quality of foods advertised to children in Lebanon: the first study to use the WHO nutrient profile model for the Eastern Mediterranean, Food and Nutrition Research, 63, 1604. http://dx.doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v63.1604
  37. Reese, S. and Melki, J. (2019). Genocide and the Mediation of Human Rights: Pedagogies of difficult stories. In Stephen Jukes & Karen Fowler-Watt (Eds.), New Journalisms: Rethinking Practice, Theory and Pedagogy, Routledge. (Won the AEJMC Award for Research on Media & Genocide)
  38. Melki, J. & Mallat, S. (2019). ­­When Arab women (and men) speak: Struggles of female journalists in a gendered news industry. In C. Carter, L. Steiner & S. Allan (Eds), Journalism, Gender and Power, Routledge.
  39. Melki, J. (2019). Media Education and Cultural Transformations. The Peace Building in Lebanon. United Nations Development Program (UNDP). URL
  40. Melki, J. (2019). Éducation aux médias et transformations culturelles. La Consoliddation de la paix au Liban. United Nations Development Program (UNDP). URL
  41. جاد ملكي. (2019). سياسة داعش الإعلامية، مجلة الآداب، العدد الخامس (مايو).
  42.  جاد ملكي. (2019). التربية الإعلامية والتحولات الثقافية.  برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي في لبنان. ملحق بناء السلام URL
  43. Melki, J. (2018). Editorial: Towards a media literacy of the oppressed. Media Education Research Journal, 8(1), 5-14. http://merj.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/MERJ_8.1_Editorial.pdf
  44. Kozman, C., & Melki, J. (2018). News media uses during war: The case of the Syrian conflict. Journalism Studies, 19(10), 1466-1488. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2017.1279564
  45. Palmer, L. & Melki, J. (2018). Shape shifting in the conflict zone: The strategic performance of gender in war and conflict reporting. Journalism Studies, 19(1), 126-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2016.1161494
  46. De Abreu, B., Mihailidis, P., Melki, J., Lee, A., and McDougall, J. (Eds). (2017). The International Handbook of Media Literacy. Routledge: New York.
  47. Melki, J., & Maaliki, L. (2017). Maneuvering entrenched structures of Arab education systems: The agency of Arab media literacy educators and activists. Journal of Media Literacy, 64(1 & 2), 56-60. https://aml.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/jml-agency.pdf
  48. Bou-Karroum, L.; El-Jardali, F.; Hemadi, N.; …; Darzi, A.; Ali, M.; Doumit, C.; Langlois, E.; Melki, J.; AbouHaidar, G.; and Akl, E. (2017). Using Media to Impact Health Policy-Making: An integrative systematic review. Implementation Science, 12(1), 52-76. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-017-0581-0
  49. Melki, J. (2017). Media, Youth, and Radicalization: The Role of Media and Digital Literacy in Countering Violent Extremism. Institute of Media Research and Training (IMRT). LAU.
  50. Mallat, S. & Melki, J. (2017). Lebanese news managers: A comparative study of gender in the workplace. KIP Project on Gender and Sexuality. URL
  51. جاد ملكي وعبادة كسر. (2017).  استخدام الشباب لوسائل الاعلام: كشف حضور التطرف. معهد البحوث والتدريب الإعلامي. الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية. 
  52. Fitzpatrick, C., Oghia, M., Melki, J., & Pagani, L. (2016). Early childhood exposure to media violence: What parents and policy makers ought to know. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 6(1), 2223-7674. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1186998.pdf  
  53. Melki, J., & Jabado, M. (2016). Mediated public diplomacy of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: The synergistic use of terrorism, social media and branding. Media and Communication, 4(2), 92-103. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v4i2.432
  54. Melki, J., and Mallat, S. (2016). Block her entry, keep her down, and push her out: gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the disenabling legal and social environments that face women journalists in the Arab world. Journalism Studies, 17(1), 57-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2014.962919
  55. Melki, J. & Maaliki, L. (2016). Helping Arab Digital and Media Literacy Blossom: Three years of the Media and Digital Literacy Academy of Beirut. UNESCO Yearbook, 41-47.
  56. Melki, J. & Al Masri, A. (2016). The Paris Attacks: Terror and Recruitment. In Countering Daesh Propaganda: Action-Oriented Research for Practical Policy Outcomes, The Carter Center, pp. 28-33.
  57. Melki, J. and Mallat, S. (2016). Lebanon: women struggle for gender equality and harassment-free newsrooms. In C.M. Byerly (Ed.), The Palgrave International Handbook on Women and Journalism. Palgrave Macmillan.
  58. Melki, J. Anke Fiedler, Bart Veenstra, D. Spilker (Eds.) (2016). Syria audience research: qualitative analysis (Part II). Free Press Unlimited & Global Forum for Media Development. URL
  59. Melki, J. Anke Fiedler, Bart Veenstra, Dirk Spilker (Eds.) (2016). Syria audience research: quantitative analysis (I). Free Press Unlimited (FPU) & Global Forum for Media Development. URL
  60. جاد ملكي وسارة ملاط. (2016). فعالية ام عبء النشاط الرقمي؟ حسنات ومساوئ الإعلام الرقمي والاجتماعي في النشاط المدني، المستقبل العربي، 432 (شباط).
  61. جاد ملكي وسارة ملاط. (2016). الإعلام الرقمي والاجتماعي في النشاط المدني: فعالية أم عبء؟ المستقبل العربي، 432 (شباط).
  62. Melki, J. (2015). Guiding digital and media literacy development in Arab curricula through understanding media uses of Arab youth. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 6(3), 14-28. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol6/iss3/2/s
  63. جاد ملكي. (2015). التوفيق بين التربية الاعلامية النقدية والتربية الاعلامية الرقمية في المناهج العربية من خلال الربط الفعال بين النقدية والرقمية، مجلة الاتصال والتنمية. 
  64. Melki, J., Hitti, Eveline, Oghia, Michael, and Mufarrij, Afif. (2015). Media Exposure, Mediated Social Comparison to Idealized Images of Muscularity, and Anabolic Steroid Use. Health Communication, 20(5), 473-484. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2013.867007
  65. Melki, J. (2015). Media Literacy Offers the Arab World a Way Forward. Al-Fanar. URL
  66. جاد ملكي. (2015). التربية الاعلامية تقدم فرصاً لتقدم العالم العربي. الفنار.URL
  67. Hitti, E., Melki, J., and Mufarrij, A. (2014). The Prevalence and Determinants of Anabolic Steroids Use among Fitness Center Attendees in Lebanon. International SportMed Journal, 15(4), 391-401. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC164099
  68. Melki, J. (2014). The interplay of politics, economics and culture in news framing of Middle East Wars. Media, War and Conflict, 7(2), 165-186. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635214537405
  69. Melki, J. and Mallat, Sarah. (2014). Digital Activism: Efficacies and burdens of digital and social media for civic activism. Arab Media and Society, 19(Fall). https://www.arabmediasociety.com/digital-activism-efficacies-and-burdens-of-social-media-for-civic-activism/
  70. Melki, J. & Farah, M. (2014). Educating media professionals with a gender and critical media literacy perspective: How to battle gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the media workplace. In Aimée Vega Montiel (Ed.), Media and Gender: A Scholarly Agenda for the Global Alliance on Media and Gender. Int’l Association for Media and Communication Researchers (IAMCR) and UNESCO.
  71. Melki, J. & Farah, M. (PIs.), Fiedler, Anke, Reimpell, Philippine, and Maul, Gunnar (Eds.) (2014). Syria Audience Research. Media in Cooperation & Transition (MiCT): Berlin, Germany. URL
  72. Melki, J. Fromm, Megan, and Mihailidis, Paul. (2013). Trauma Journalism Education: teaching merits, curricular challenges, and instructional approaches. Journalism Education, 2(2), 62-77. https://journalism-education.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/AJE-2.2-Trauma-Journalism-Education.pdf
  73. Melki, J. (2013). Incorporating In-Depth Research Methodologies and Digital Competencies with Media Literacy Pedagogies. In Paul Mihailidis (Ed.), News Literacy: Global Perspectives for the Newsroom and the Classroom (pp. 139-160). Mass Communication and Journalism series, Peter Lang.
  74. Melki, J. (2013). Sowing the seeds of digital & media literacy in Lebanon and the Arab World: The importance of a locally grown and sustainable curriculum. In Belinha De Abreu and Paul Mihailidis (Eds.), Media Literacy Education in Action: Theoretical and Pedagogical Perspectives. Routledge.
  75. Melki, J. (2013). Lebanon. In Freedom on the Net, Freedom House: Washington, DC. URL
  76. جاد ملكي وأمل ديب. (2013). تأطير الحرب: تغطية الإعلام المرئي العالمي لحرب العام 2006. المستقبل العربي، 413 (تموز)، 61-42.
  77. Melki, J. Dabous, Y., Nasser, K., and Mallat, S. (2012). Mapping Digital Media: Lebanon. In Mapping Digital Media, a multiple country study by the Open Society Foundations Media Program.
  78. Coombe, William, & Melki, J. (2011). Global Media & Brand Dubai. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 8(1), 58-71. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057/pb.2011.29.pdf
  79. Melki, J. (2011). Lebanon. In Carolyn Byerly (ed.). Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media. International Women’s Media Foundation: Washington, DC.
  80. Melki, J. (2011). The Plight of Media Education and Research in Arab Higher Education. In Chi-Kim Cheung (Ed.), Research in Media Education (pp. 83-108). New York: Nova Science.
  81. Melki, J. (2011). Lebanon. In: Susan Moeller (Ed). The World Unplugged, International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, College Park: USA. URL
  82. Melki, J. (2010). Media habits of MENA youth: A three-country survey. Issam Fares Institute Working Paper Series. Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy & International Affairs, AUB.
  83. Melki, J. (2009). Journalism and Media Studies in Lebanon. Journalism Studies, 10(5), 672-690. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700902920174
  84. Melki, J. (2009). Why Journalists Need to Learn About Trauma. Nieman Reports, (winter), Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. URL
  85. Melki, J. (2008). Television News & the State in Lebanon, UMD, Dissertation. URL
  86. Melki, J. & Moeller, Susan, and Mihailidis, Paul. (2007). The Summer 2006 Conflict Between Hezbollah and Israel, One Year Later. Al-Mashriq, 6(22), 13-34. URL
  87. Melki, J. & Moeller, Susan. (2007). Covering War. Analyzing coverage of the summer 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war, ICMPA, University of Maryland, July 30. URL
  88. Melki, J. & Moeller, Susan. (2007). Media Transparency, A Study of transparency in Global Media Outlets, ICMPA, University of Maryland, June 12. URL
  89. Melki, J. & Moeller, Susan. (2007). RSS, International News and Problems with the News Media’s RSS Feeds, ICMPA, University of Maryland, May 2. URL

Academic degrees

  • Certificate in Data Science, Johns Hopkins University/Coursera, USA, 2016.
  • PhD, Journalism & Media Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, USA, 2008.
  • Master of Arts, Journalism & Mass Communication, Kent State University, USA, 2001.
  • Certificate IV in Television & Video Production, Metro Screen, Australia, 1998.
  • Bachelor of Sciences, Computer Science, University of Balamand, Lebanon, 1996.