Václav Štětka is since 2026 Professor of Digital Political Communication at the European New School of Digital Studies, European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), and Visiting Professor of Media and Political Communication at the Department of Communication and Media, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University, where he was based between 2016-2025. Previously he has held research and academic posts at Masaryk University in Brno, Charles University in Prague, and the University of Oxford. In his research, Václav examines the relationship between media and communication technologies and the contemporary rise of illiberalism and the erosion of democracy, focusing particularly on the role of digital platforms and the region of Central and Eastern Europe. He is also interested in the state and challenges to media freedom and pluralism, as well as in the alternative communication ecosystems and proliferation and impact of disinformation. He has been actively contributing to various international research projects and networks, including Media Pluralism Monitor (European University Institute, Florence) or Digital News Report (Reuters Institute, University of Oxford). His monograph “The Illiberal Public Sphere: Media in Polarized Societies” (Palgrave, 2024, with S.Mihelj) won the 2025 Best Book Award by the American Political Science Association (APSA, Information Technology & Politics Section).
More information can be found on his website.
