I am a doctoral candidate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I also serve as the Assistant Director of the UW debate team.
My research interests are motivated by a desire to understand: (1) political information flows within and between media ecologies, (2) how messages are framed and processed by individuals and groups and, ultimately, (3) how these communication flows shape political belief systems and public opinion over time. My current research projects combine content-coded event data, news coverage, social media posts, and thematic discourse analysis to understand the implications of these media ecologies over time concerning politically contentious topics such as presidential debates, mass shootings, and conspiratorial belief systems broadly.
I’ve been a debate coach and instructor for over a decade at the high school level and an intercollegiate coach for over five years. After coaching high school national debate champions in 2010 and 2011, I was a full-time assistant coach at the University of Michigan before entering grad school. Each summer, I work as an instructor and lecturer at the 7-week seniors program at the University of Michigan National Debate Institutes.
PhD, Journalism and Mass Communication, expected 2020
University of Wisconsin-Madison
MA, Communication Studies, 2015
Wake Forest University
BS, Political Science, 2012
Missouri State University
Public-facing publications, media mentions, etc
CV Vitolo Haddad and Jordan M. Foley. “Understanding Through Debate” Capital Times, Madison, WI, December 28, 2016.
CV Vitolo Haddad and Jordan M. Foley. “Should Moderators Fact-Check the Presidential Debates? Yes, in Moderation” Center for Journalism Ethics, UW-Madison. October 9, 2016.
Academic talks, invited lectures, and other speaking engagements
Theory, Method, Law, and Practice
I’ve taught in a number of classroom settings since 2009, instructing and mentoring students as they learn how to become better researchers, writers, and advocates.
Wake Forest University:
University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Summer High School Debate Institutes