Dr. Christopher T. Assaf

Dr. Christopher T. Assaf, focuses on the sociology of photojournalists, photographic journalism praxis, visual political communication, and journalism history. His research, which combines qualitative fieldwork and mixed methods research, seeks to significantly enhance the understanding of photojournalists, their practice, production, and the role of visual journalists in political discourse and democracy.

 

Dr. Assaf recently earned his doctorate from the School of Journalism & Media at The University of Texas at Austin. His dissertation, “Presidents, Photographers, & Proxies: Photojournalistic Practice and Stagecraft in the White House,” investigates the interinstitutional dynamics and power that impact news photographers’ embodied practice as political actors control access and protect the presidential image.

 

Before earning his graduate degrees, Dr. Assaf spent over two decades working for newspapers and magazines, specializing in photojournalism and editing, before transitioning to multimedia. During his tenure at The Baltimore Sun, he contributed in several roles to the team entry recognized as a  Pulitzer Prize finalist for its coverage of the death of Freddie Gray and the resulting unrest.