The People Behind Rihlah

Dr. Yousuf worked as a reporter and copy editor for news organizations, learning the discipline of verification that still shapes how Rihlah works. Journalism taught him the question that drives every engagement: where’s the evidence?

After earning his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, he taught for three years at OU’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication before joining the University of New Mexico’s Department of Communication & Journalism. He has taught courses in computational text analysis, quantitative research methods, data tools for media professionals, digital and social media, and web design. His research on misinformation, fact-checking, media sustainability, and computational methods has been cited more than 600 times and published in the field’s leading journals — and in elite computer-science venues including AAAI, CSCW, and The Web Conference. He served as president of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication, which honored him with its 2022 Educator Award, and headed the Media Management, Economics & Entrepreneurship Division at AEJMC.

He doesn’t just study technology — he builds it. He co-created BaitBuster, a machine-learning framework for detecting clickbait, and has shipped several full-stack applications, from research instruments to consumer products. When Rihlah recommends a system, it’s because we know — from building — what it takes.

Rihlah — the Arabic word for a journey in search of knowledge, inspired by the travels of Ibn Battuta — brings these careers to organizations that run on trust. Newsrooms, universities, public agencies, and businesses don’t need more hype about technology. They need someone who has worked all three careers — the newsroom, the academy, and the workshop.