Assistant Professor, Communication and Media Studies
Ph.D. School of Media and Communication, The University of Leeds, The United Kingdom
M.Sc. in Communication Sciences, Major in Media Management, USI Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland
B.A. Faculty of Education Sciences, Università di Torino, Italy
Office: Lowerre Academic Center, Office 10
Phone: +41 91 986 36 56
Email: amartinisi@fus.edu
AlessandroMartinisiis Assistant Professor of Media and Communication Studies. He holds a Ph.D. from the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds (UK), where his doctoral research examined the role of statistics in journalism practice and received special commendation for research excellence in 2018.
Balancing academic scholarship with professional experience,Martinisiis a member ofThe Chartered Institute of Journalists (UK) and the Italian Journalists Federation, grounding his research and teaching in the practical realities of journalism. Earlier in his career, he served as a Communication Officer in South America under projects of the UNDP – United Nations Development Program, contributing to international development initiatives aligned with the Millennium Development Goals, now reframed as the Sustainable Development Goals.
His research spans two principal strands. The first investigates the use of data in media storytelling and public discourse, with emphasis on data-driven journalism, science communication, and constructive journalism. The second examines how the field of media criticism can be broadened through the theoretical perspectives of De-Westernization. More recently, his publications have focused on Media Literacy and its strategic importance in the age of artificial intelligence, particularly as AI reshapes knowledge production.
Prof.Martinisihas helped universities place learning communities at thecenterof their educational vision. His teaching experience extends across Qatar, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Italy, and Switzerland.He has also been the recipient of grants from CONACYT (National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico), the British Council, and the Annenberg School of Communication.
He collaborated as co-investigator on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality projects with Samsung Nederland, exploring immersive technologies for media education and digital storytelling. In the Netherlands, he also contributed to Executive Education programs in Media Innovation at Media Park, Hilversum, working directly with media professionals in one of Europe’s most influential creative hubs. Prior to joining Franklin Switzerland, he served as a postdoctoral researcher and project coordinator on a UK-wide AHRC-funded initiativein partnership with Newsquest Media Group and Solutions Journalism Networkexamining howsolutions-orientedjournalism could support Covid-19 recovery across local and regional communities.
Professional Membership
- ECREA (European Communication Research Association)
- IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research)
- TCIJ (The Chartered Institute of Journalists) UK
- MEA (The Media Education Association) UK
- NAMLE (The National Association for Media Literacy Education) USA
Professional Experience
- Lecturer, USI – Università della SvizzeraItaliana, Switzerland
- Lecturer and Research Fellow, KTU – Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Lithuania
- Visiting Lecturer, Northwestern University in Qatar, Doha
- Lecturer in Media, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Academy for Digital Entertainment, The Netherlands
- Postdoctoral Researcher and Project Coordinator, Bournemouth University, Faculty of Communication and Journalism, United Kingdom
- Module Lead, School of Media and Communication, The University of Leeds, United Kingdom
- Module Lead, Department of Journalism Studies, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Areas of Research
His research focuses on emerging approaches to journalismand innovative forms of media storytelling that integrate empirical rigor with public value. His publications includeStatistics and the Quest for Quality Journalism: A Study in Quantitative ReportingԻOvercoming the Objectivity of the Senses: Enhancing Journalism Practice through Eastern Philosophies, reflecting his interest in expanding journalistic epistemologies through both quantitative andqualitativelenses.
More recently, he has also explored the growing relevance of Media Literacy in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing on his research and professional experience as a media practitioner, he teaches a variety of courses-includingdigitaljournalism, media strategies, and medialiteracy-grounded in contemporary theories and empirical research.
Books
Martinisi, A., & Lugo-Ocando, J. (2020). Statistics and the Quest for Quality Journalism: A Study in Quantitative Reporting. Anthem Press.
Book Chapters
Lugo-Ocando, J., &Martinisi, A. (2022). Lies, damned lies and disinformation in the Global South: examining the enduring legacy of statistics and misinformation, fakenewsand propaganda. In H. Wasserman (Ed.), Rumors, False News and Disinformation in the Global South. Wiley Blackwell.
Martinisi, A. (2017). Understandingqualityof statistics in news stories: A theoretical approach from the audience’s perspective. In Handbook of Research on Driving STEM Learning with Educational Technologies (pp. 485–505). IGI Global.
Peer-Reviewed Journals
Martinisi, A. (forthcoming 2026). Makingthe familiarstrange again: media effects and media literacy pedagogy. Journal of Media Literacy, Spring Issue “McLuhan Mosaic”.
Martinisi, A. (2025). Reconstructing reality: How radical constructivism unravels echo chambers in online platforms. Constructivist Foundations, 21(1), 41-49.
Martinisi, A. (2025). Author’s Response: Applying Radical Constructivism to the Study of Online Echo Chambers. Constructivist Foundations, 21(1), 75-79.
Martinisi, A.(2025)The Relationship between VilémFlusserand Günther Anders in Media Studies and Politics.FlusserStudies, 39, 1-9.
Martinisi, A. (2021). De-WesternisingCommunication Sciences: An essayin memoriamof Prof. Shelton Gunaratne (1949–2019). The Journal of Communication and Media Studies, 6(2), 13–18.
Weber, J.,Warmelink, H.,Martinisi, A.,Buijtenweg, T., & Mayer, I. S. (2019). Learning efficacy among executives and students of anorganisationalgrowth game. In Simulation and Gaming Toward Active Learning (pp. 129–136). Springer.
Martinisi, A., & Lugo-Ocando, J. (2015). Overcoming the objectivity of the senses: Enhancing journalism practice through Eastern philosophies. International Communication Gazette, 77(5), 439–455.
Preprints
Ghezzi, P.,Giglietto, F., &Martinisi, A. (2023). Political polarization in the frequency British newspapers mention scientists with different views on COVID-19. (Preprint on OSF.io)
Palatta, F., Macedo, A. C., Marcacci, F.,Martinisi, A., de Freitas Pereira AngeloDurço, D., Neto, R. C. B., & Ghezzi, P. (2023). Reporting on scientific studies in newspaper articles on COVID-19 in Italy and the US: missing citations and information bubbles. (Preprint on OSF.io)
Conference Proceedings (Peer-Reviewed)
Martinisi, A. (2018). Quality of statistics in the news. European ConferenceinQuality in Official Statistics. Eurostat & European Commission, Krakow.
Martinisi, A. (2013). Data journalism and its role in open government. In Challenges, Solutions, Knowledge Models in E-Governance. Technical University Sofia.
Conferences (Presentations, Talks, Media Appearances)
2025. WhyI keepMcLuhan alive in the classroom? Blog of the International Council for Media Literacy.
2022. Constructive journalism in times of social change. International Conference on Communication and Media, National University of Ireland, Galway (TBC).
2022. Fighting against the machine: The anatomy of asolutionsjournalism campaign across local news outlets in the UK. Political Studies Association (PSA) Conference, University of York (TBC).
2019. Journalism and the controversy on “quality statistics”. International Conference on Media and Communication, University of Bonn.
2016. The journalistic dimension of statistics: Reporting human development and its quantification. International Conference in Applied Statistics, Slovenia.
2014. The identity of the data-journalist between professionalism and professionalization. Statistics in Journalism Practice and Education, University of Sheffield.
2013. What qualityindata journalism? Assessing quality parameters in data-driven stories. 19th International Conference of the Spanish Society of Journalism, University Jaume I°,Castelló.
2013. The contribution of data journalism inrepresentingdissent: The case of the 2011 London riots. 5th Annual Conference, Department of Media and Communication, University of Westminster, London.
2013. Balancing risk and innovation in ‘datafying’ the news. 6th International Meeting on Research in Information and Communication,MediaLabPrado, Madrid.