Israel Campos

Profile

I am an Angolan journalist and writer. My PhD research examines the history of Angolan journalism during the one-party Marxist–Leninist period (1975–1991), with a particular focus on journalistic agency and the constraints faced by media practitioners within a state-controlled system. The project explores how journalists navigated political pressure, ideological frameworks, and institutional limitations in shaping public discourse in the post-independence era.

I have been working as a journalist for nearly a decade, with my work featured internationally in outlets such as Voice of America, BBC, Al Jazeera, and The Wall Street Journal, where I cover politics, climate change, and Angolan society. My work has been recognised with several awards, including the 2024 Press Freedom Award from the Angolan Journalists’ Union for my documentary Angola’s Widows of the Drought, as well as the European Union’s Best Climate Storytelling Award.

Alongside my academic and journalistic work, I have been developing a literary career focused on questions of memory, history, and childhood in contemporary Angola. I published my debut novel, E o Céu Mudou de Cor, in 2023, and my short fiction has received literary recognition, including the Prémio de Literatura Juvenil Ferreira de Castro 2025.

Research interests

My research focuses on:

• State-run media and journalistic agency under authoritarian regimes
• Media ownership, control, and capture in postcolonial contexts
• Media practices and strategies within competitive authoritarian or single-party systems
• The role of media in shaping collective memory and national narratives

My PhD project builds upon prior studies I have conducted on Angola’s media landscape, specifically examining its influence on public perceptions and behaviours toward the media. For my undergraduate dissertation at City, University of London, I explored “Impartiality or Endorsement: How Angola’s Leading Newspapers Represented the Ruling MPLA and the Main Opposition UNITA During the 2017 Election Coverage”, under the supervision of Dr. Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar. My MA dissertation examined the role of Facebook as a platform for revolutionary and reformist social movements in Angola. These research experiences, alongside my professional journalism background, have motivated my current project investigating state-run media under Angola’s one-party Marxist–Leninist period, with a particular focus on journalistic agency, the constraints faced by journalists, and the implications for public discourse and democratic engagement.

Selected Conference Papers (2025)

• Campos (2025). “Beyond Toeing the Party Line: A Historiography of Angola’s Marxist-Leninist One-Party State Press (1975–1991)”. School of Media & Communication PGR Symposium, Leeds, UK.
• Campos (2025). “Narrativas Contestadas: Os 40 anos de independência de Angola através dos olhos da imprensa local”. Seminário Como se constrói um país: diálogos interdisciplinares, Lisbon, Portugal.
• Campos (2025). “Covering a Contested Story: Angola's 40 Years of Independence Through the Eyes of the Newspapers”. Colóquio 50 anos de Dipanda. A Imprensa Africana e a Democracia, Luanda, Angola.
• Campos (2025). “Beyond Toeing the Party Line: A Historiography of Angola’s Marxist-Leninist One-Party State Press (1975–1991)”. 11th Journalism Studies PhD Colloquium, Denver, US.
• Campos (2025). “Beyond Toeing the Party Line: A Historiography of Angola’s Marxist-Leninist One-Party State Press (1975–1991)”. 5th Journalism Studies PhD Colloquium, Cardiff, UK.
• Campos (2025). “Beyond Toeing the Party Line: A Historiography of Angola’s Marxist-Leninist One-Party State Press (1975–1991)”. 6th Edition Lisbon Winter School, Lisbon, Portugal.

Invited Talks

• Campos (2025). “Beyond Toeing the Party Line: A History of Angola’s Postcolonial State Press (1975–1991)”, Namibian and Southern African Studies Research Colloquium, Basler Afrika Bibliographien, Basel, Switzerland (October 2025).

Academic and Professional Memberships

• PARSUK – Portuguese Association of Researchers and Students in the UK
• International Group for Studies of Colonial Periodical Press of the Portuguese Empire (IGSCP-PE)
• Leeds University Centre for African Studies (LUCAS)
• Angolan Journalists Union (SJA)

Qualifications

• PhD in Media and Communication (University of Leeds - ongoing)
• Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) in Crioulidades e o Atlântico (Universidade Nova de Lisboa - ongoing)
• Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) in Lusophone Journalism (Iscte University Institute of Lisbon)
• MA in Strategic Communication and Leadership (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
• BA in Journalism (City University of London)