Pilar Velasco

Pilar Velasco is a journalist, author, 2018 Yale World Fellow, and a Visiting Fellow at Macmillan Center and at the Yale Law School’s Information Society Project. Velasco is currently working at Cadena SER (Prisa Group), the radio network leader in Spain. She specializes in investigative journalism with a focus on exposing political and economic malpractices, and uncovering high profile international corruption cases. These reports have revealed unlawful and unethical activities of most powerful individuals that act against the general public interest.

She is the author of two books translated into multiple languages- one about social change in Spain, and one about the rise of the “indignados” (Occupy) movement. Velasco has also published two essays in Germany about the challenges of democracy in Europe in the context of economic crisis, and how new models of citizen participation are emerging. Velasco is a member of the Strategy Group ‘A soul of Europe’, a European Union initiative to strengthen and connect communities through different frames of discussion.

Pilar Velasco collaborates with several media. Her writings have been quoted in mainstream media such as Politico;Le Monde; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Der Spiegel; El País; or La Repubblica, among others. She teaches investigative and data journalism in Madrid (CUFVI University) and presents conferences across United States, Europe, and Latin America. She is also a co-founder of the Spanish Association of Investigative Journalism (API) and Advisory Board member of Journalismfund.eu.

Her main interests are investigative and data journalism, European politics, freedom of speech and the importance of building a trustful conversation on the public sphere to face polarization and tribalism, and the impact of digital technology on journalism and democracy.