Nikki Usher’s research focuses on journalism, political communication, and new technology. Dr. Usher's work examines the political economy of the news media, looking at concentrations of media power and the inequities and blind spots that emerge as a result. Dr. Usher is a leading media ethnographer whose fieldwork has focused on elite news organizations worldwide, from the BBC to The New York Times to NPR to Al Jazeera English, among others. Topics that concern and motivate their research include the rise of big technology and its impact on democratic life, especially access to news and information, as well as questions about the survival of local journalism and its consequences for democracy. Their work brings together media sociology, cultural and political geography, journalism studies, and political communication theories and methods. Dr. Usher is considered an influential voice in the future of news conversation and regularly engages with the popular press around these concerns.
