Jesse Holcomb

Academics team up to address the biggest challenges in local news research “A lot of people assume that there is some list somewhere of all the local news outlets in particular places. And that just doesn’t exist.”

"Local information ecosystems are changing faster than we can study them" www.niemanlab.org/2025/01/acad...

Universities are mapping where local news outlets are still thriving − and where gaps persist As local news outlets continue to close across the country, people’s news sources keep evolving.

theconversation.com/universities...

My book, "The Invented State: Misperceptions in the American Public" is out and available to order: www.amazon.com/Invented-Sta.... Here's the argument in a nutshell -- I'll use this thread to expand on each point.

Who is raising these questions? It's unclear. But also, why should we expect tax status or corporate structure to protect newsrooms from egos and questionable decision-making? I didn't realize that going 501c3 was supposed to solve THOSE problems.

More coverage of the Houston landing debacle, which is fine, but there are some big assumptions in the nut here that don't get explored or backed up. www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/...

“The Requesting of Good Things” | Nieman Reports I didn’t always know I wanted to be a reporter. I came at it sideways, in college, after deciding to major in creative writing. There’s no career path for writing majors, so I did what a lot of as...

One of my favorite parts of grading finals is when I assign students to read this @dustindwyer.bsky.social essay and to write their own version of it niemanreports.org/articles/the...

Idea of direct and powerful media effects has always been oversold, but there's maybe even less reason to lean on that explanation given the environment today.

Media Layoffs in New Year, Consumers Face ‘News Deserts’ Job cuts are up 48% from 2022 and advertising continues to decline, making public funding an urgent need, say experts

I spoke to The Wrap for this wide-ranging 'state of the industry' piece www.thewrap.com/media-layoff...

We find out how good (or bad) 21st-century polling really is "So much attention has (rightly) focused on local news gaps in recent years. But I think 2024 is a year when some of that attention — by funders, experts, industry leaders — will turn to the state...

I made predictions about polling, political coverage, streaming TV news, PEG stations, and the state of statewide news www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/we-f...

More Americans are turning to sites like TikTok for news. Is that a problem? - WWL First News with T... Tommy talks with Jesse Holcomb, Professor of journalism and communication at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also a former associate director of research at the Pew Research Center

Everybody's talking about
@pewresearch.org's TikTok news usage numbers (including me) omny.fm/shows/wwl-fi...

A Decongestant in Cold Medicines Doesn’t Work at All, an F.D.A. Panel Says The agency now must decide whether products containing the ingredient, like some Sudafed and NyQuil products, should no longer be sold.

I'm a parent and it's September, so of course I'm reading this story. But my main question is, how long has the NYT been structuring stories with headers like "News," "Why it matters," "Background," and "What's next"? www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/h....

Texas Tribune Layoffs Are Sobering Reminder of Nonprofit Journalism Business Model's Pitfalls “Smart nonprofits have a diversified fundraising base,” allowing them success in a fickle economic market for media one expert told TheWrap

Spoke to The Wrap for this story about the state of play in nonprofit journalism (note: paywall). www.thewrap.com/texas-tribun...

First week of classes, got an invite to this site from one of my students (thank you student!)