Our People » Nikki Usher
Nikki Usher, Ph.D., is a senior fellow at the Center for Journalism & Liberty at the Open Markets Institute. Previously a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, they join the faculty at the University of San Diego in August 2022 as an associate professor. Their research focuses on journalism in the changing digital environment, blending insights from media sociology and political communication. Dr. Usher’s policy interests include finding pragmatic approaches to reconciling the impact of platforms and big tech with sustainable news and information for communities. They have held fellowships with the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities, Columbia’s Tow Center and Missouri’s Reynolds Institute for Journalism. They are the author of three books: News for the Rich, White, and Blue (2021); Interactive Journalism: Hackers, Data, and Code (2016), and Making News at The New York Times (2014).
Dr. Usher received an AB from Harvard University and master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication. Follow at @nikkiusher.
Senior fellow Nikki Usher asked 18 public health officials in 29 nonurban Illinois counties about the platform’s pros and cons.