Mark Hannah received his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. His research investigates the changing cultures of news production and consumption within in a global context. This encompasses various forms commercialization and professionalization, the increasing influence of user-generated content, and ​how these trends relate to the​  proliferation of certain political attitudes and beliefs (e.g., nationalism, populism, etc.) He previously studied  ​at the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.S.) ​

​An adjunct faculty member at New York University, he has also taught courses on media and politics at The New School and Queens College. ​ Before entering an academic career, he spent a decade working in ​professional politics and ​progressive advocacy. Formerly a staff member on two U.S. presidential campaigns and a public affairs strategist at a global PR firm, Dr. Hannah has written about media and politics for PBS.org, The Huffington Post, TIME.com, and Politico. He has been a regular commentator on cable news, and ​is the author of  a book about the legacy of the Obama administration, published by HarperCollins in 2016.

He has a longstanding interest in – and commitment to –  ​freedom of expression generally and media freedom ​specifically, and is currently at work on a book about the global ​diffusion of certain characteristics of the U.S. press. He is a member of PEN America, a partner at the Truman National Security Project, a former fellow of the Society for New Communications Research, and a former board member of the National Association for Media Literacy Education.