He holds a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom (2011), a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Illinois in Chicago, U.S.A. (2006), where he studied with a grant from the Fundación Pedro Barrié de la Maza. In addition he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Santiago de Compostela (2001). His scholarly interests include the role of journalism in liberal democracies, the idea of a European public sphere and the impact of the Internet on political participation. He has extensively published on these topics. Besides, Dr Francisco Seoane Pérez is an associate editor of the International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics.