Waqas Ejaz is an OCJN Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). He earned his PhD at the Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany. His research interests include studying digital media effects, climate change, political, and computational communication.
In his doctoral thesis, Waqas has investigated how the consumption of political news impacts the collective sense of European identity among Europeans. In doing so, he employed quantitative methods to study Eurobarometer Surveys conducted between 2004 and 2017. His research concluded that positive news consumption does not affect one's European identity, however, the negative news tends to decrease the collective identity. Additionally, he also worked on understanding different effects such as media malaise, mobilization, and hostile media on European identity.
Since his doctorate, Waqas has been working as an Assistant Professor in Pakistan, where he has worked on published his work regarding climate change journalism, conspiracy theories related to COVID-19, and media representations. At RISJ, he is working on an international comparative survey to understand how people consume news on climate change and its impact on a range of different attitudes.
For more information about Waqas' work, see Waqas' Google Scholar page or follow Waqas on follow Waqas on Twitter.
Publications
Journal Articles
2024
Ejaz, W. et al. (2024) “Trust is key: Determinants of false beliefs about climate change in eight countries”, New Media & Society [Preprint].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241250302
2023
Altay, S. et al. (2023) “Conspiracy believers claim to be free thinkers but (Under)Use advice like everyone else”., The British journal of social psychology, 62(4), pp. 1782–1797.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12655
Azevedo, F. et al. (2023) “Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries”., Scientific data, 10(1), p. 272.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02080-8
Ejaz, W. and Najam, A. (2023) “The Global South and Climate Coverage: From News Taker to News Maker”, Social Media + Society, 9(2), p. 20563051231177904.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231177904
Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M. and Jamil, S. (2023) “Politics triumphs: a topic modeling approach of analyzing news media coverage of climate change in Pakistan”, Journal of Science Communication, 22(01), p. a02.
Available at https://doi.org/10.22323/2.22010202
Ittefaq, M. et al. (2023) “Discriminated in Society and Marginalized in Media: Social Representation of Christian Sanitary Workers in Pakistan”, Journalism Practice, 17(1), pp. 66–84.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1939103
Ittefaq, M. et al. (2023) “A Systematic Literature Review of Research From 2010 to 2020 Addressing User-Generated Online Comments Related to Health Issues and Recommendations for Future Research”, International Journal of Communication, 17, pp. 256–280.
Ejaz, W., Altay, S. and Naeem, G. (2023) “Smartphone use and well-being in Pakistan: Comparing the effect of self-reported and actual smartphone use”., Digital health, 9, p. 20552076231186075.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231186075
2022
Pavlović, T. et al. (2022) “Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning”., PNAS nexus, 1(3), p. pgac093.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac093
Van Bavel, J. et al. (2022) “Author Correction: National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic”., Nature communications, 13(1), p. 1949.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29658-x
Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M. and Arif, M. (2022) “Understanding Influences, Misinformation, and Fact-Checking Concerning Climate-Change Journalism in Pakistan”, Journalism Practice, 16(2-3), pp. 404–424.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1972029
Van Bavel, J. et al. (2022) “National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic”, Nature Communications, 13(1).
Available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9
Schumann, C. et al. (2022) “International perspectives on information avoidance during the coronavirus pandemic: Comparing media evaluations and media use in Pakistan, Germany, and Indonesia”, Studies in Communication and Media, 11(3), pp. 477–507.
Available at https://doi.org/10.5771/2192-4007-2022-3-477
2021
Ittefaq, M. et al. (2021) “Converged journalism: practices and influences in Pakistan”, Media International Australia, 181(1), pp. 167–182.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x211017329
Ejaz, W. et al. (2021) “Factors associated with the belief in COVID-19 related conspiracy theories in Pakistan”, Health Risk & Society, 23(3-4), pp. 162–178.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2021.1929865
Ejaz, W. (2021) “Traditional and Online Media: Relationship between Media Preference, Credibility Perceptions , Predispositions, and European Identity”, Central European Journal of Communication, 13(3(27), pp. 333–351.
Available at https://doi.org/10.51480/1899-5101.13.3(27).2
2020
Ejaz, W. and Ittefaq, M. (2020) “Data for understanding trust in varied information sources, use of news media, and perception of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan”., Data in brief, 32, p. 106091.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.106091
2017
Ejaz, W. (2017) “Analyzing Malaise and Mobilization: The Effects of Media on Political Support and European Identity in Old and New Member States”, Politics in Central Europe, 13(2-3), pp. 33–51.
Available at https://doi.org/10.1515/pce-2017-0002
Ejaz, W., Bräuer, M. and Wolling, J. (2017) “Subjective Evaluation of Media Content as a Moderator of Media Effects on European Identity: Mere Exposure and the Hostile Media Phenomenon”, Media and Communication, 5(2), pp. 41–52.
Available at https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v5i2.885
Chapters
2024
Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M. and Arif, M. (2024) “Understanding Influences, Misinformation, and Fact-Checking Concerning Climate-Change Journalism in Pakistan”, in Journalism and Reporting Synergistic Effects of Climate Change. Taylor & Francis, pp. 168–188.
Available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032627526-10
Conference Papers
2016
Ejaz, W. (2016) “Assessing Collective European Identity on the Regional Level A Secondary Data Analysis of Eurobarometer 2004-2012”, in IMAGES OF EUROPE PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE (ISSEI 2014), pp. 151–162.
preprint
2022
Altay, S. et al. (2022) “Conspiracy Believers Underuse Social Information (Like Everyone Else)”, PsyArXiv.
Available at https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/3xv8s
2020
Van Bavel, J. et al. (2020) “National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic”, PsyArXiv.
Available at https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ydt95
Ejaz, W., Altay, S. and Ittefaq, M. (no date) “How Effective Are Fact-checks in Pakistan and Who Engages with Them?”, PsyArXiv.
Available at https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/jwzyg
Reports
2023
Ejaz, W., Mukherjee, M. and Fletcher, R. (2023) Climate change news audiences: analysis of news use and attitudes in eight countries. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Available at https://doi.org/10.60625/risj-dt2t-dm19
2022
Ejaz, W. et al. (2022) How we follow climate change: climate news use and attitudes in eight countries. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Available at https://doi.org/10.60625/risj-89jy-c376
