An abstract of a new journal article that concludes democratic society requires public funding for local journalism at scale.
Very excited about this new journal article with @davidberman.bsky.social and Aaron Hyzen that examines Pennsylvania's nonprofit news ecosystem and makes the distinction between journalism reforms that focus on restoration vs. transformation. Link to the PDF: victorpickard.com/wp-content/u...
@commscholar.bsky.social gave an excellent talk @asc.upenn.edu @miccenter.bsky.social about her new book Content Confusion (video coming soon). I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
Reminder to join us tomorrow at @asc.upenn.edu for a book talk with Michelle Amazeen (@commscholar.bsky.social)!
suuuuuper excited to have Lin here at @asc.upenn.edu. If you're around in philly, swing by!!
I’ll be speaking about my new book, #ContentConfusion (
@mitpress.bsky.social), at the Media, Inequality & Change Center (
@miccenter.bsky.social) at UPenn on Thu, Mar 26 at 12:00 PM. If you’re in Philly, I’d love to see you there!
Details & registration:
buff.ly/gN1TdYW
#booksky #commsky
ICE has detained yet another journalist, Estefany Rodríguez.
If you're a journalist reporting on ICE and want more information about how to protect against potential retaliation against you or your sources, listen back to our event from last year with leading journalists on the immigration beat.
Missed our recent book talk with @rodneybenson.bsky.social?
Catch the entire presentation on media ownership and its effects on news coverage here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdN3...
And check out the book How Media Ownership Matters here: buff.ly/ohm5pAH
Please join us and @commscholar.bsky.social on 3/26 @ 12pm in ASC Room 500 to discuss her newest book Content Confusion.
The book covers the practice of "native advertising" that blurs the line between journalism and ads, fueling disinformation and distrust.
Register here: buff.ly/gN1TdYW
Register now for CAMRA's 2026 Screening Scholarship Media Festival: Portals, on 3/27 and 3/28.
The theme encompasses a range of projects that explore the notion of portals across diverse media and disciplines, including panels such as AI, Algorithms, & Technological Afterlives.
Picture of Dr. Rodney Benson speaking about his new book.
Outstanding talk from @rodneybenson.bsky.social at the @miccenter.bsky.social today about his ever-so-timely and important new book, “How Media Ownership Matters.” (video forthcoming.) I urge everyone who cares about the future of media and democracy to read the book!
Next Wednesday @rodneybenson.bsky.social joins us to discuss his new book How Media Ownership Matters.
RSVP here: buff.ly/T4H1GhM
The polycrisis afflicting our media necessitates a political economic analysis that focuses on ownership, control, and market structure.
@victorpickard.bsky.social's newest essay for @lpeproject.bsky.social examines cascading layers of "media capture" and necessary policy interventions.
Excited for this upcoming virtual book salon, hosted by Penn! 7 authors gather to discuss their contributions to DECOLONIZING AFGHANISTAN Feb. 19th at 3pm ET. Register here: mec.sas.upenn.edu/events/2026/... @dukepress.bsky.social @annenbergcargc.bsky.social @ascmediarisk.org @miccenter.bsky.social
How Media Ownership Matters Book Talk with Rodney Benson, February 25, 2026, 12 - 1:15 PM, in ASC Room 500 in white text, headshot of Rodney Benson in front of a bookshelf, and QR code for registration over blue and pink paint streak background.
Join us on Wednesday, 2/25 @ 12 pm for a talk with @rodneybenson.bsky.social about his book How Media Ownership Matters, an analysis of different media ownership types and their effects on news coverage.
More info: buff.ly/QhfKafR
RSVP here: buff.ly/T4H1GhM
How Media Ownership Matters Book Talk with Rodney Benson, February 25, 2026, 12 - 1:15 PM, in ASC Room 500 in white text, headshot of Rodney Benson in front of a bookshelf, and QR code for registration over blue and pink paint streak background.
Join us on Wednesday, 2/25 @ 12 pm for a talk with @rodneybenson.bsky.social about his book How Media Ownership Matters, an analysis of different media ownership types and their effects on news coverage.
More info: buff.ly/QhfKafR
RSVP here: buff.ly/T4H1GhM
On the latest episode of Annenberg Conversations, Annenberg Professor @victorpickard.bsky.social, co-director of the @miccenter.bsky.social, explained how the loss of local journalism affects civic knowledge, political engagement, and our democracy as news deserts become more widespread.
Now accepting applications for the 2026 Milton Wolf Seminar's Emerging Scholars Program!
This year's theme is "Tech Juggernauts: AI, Freedom of Expression, and Shifting Geopolitical Alliances," and scholars in related fields are encouraged to apply by February 13.
Application instructions here:
We are now accepting applications for the 2026 COMPASS Summer Fellowship Program, which places PhD students with DC-based communication-related institutions to gain hands-on experience in communication policy.
Application letters and CVs are due no later than Jan 16, 2026.
More info here:
In his recent essay for @ccc-journal.bsky.social, @victorpickard.bsky.social analyzes the capitalist logics at the root of many media-related issues and provides a framework for shifting to a less capitalist, more democratic media system.
Read here: buff.ly/AYvibor
Fellows will participate in a weekly seminar in Washington, DC on the practice of communication policy.
The seminar will be taught by @gbsohn.bsky.social, a Benton Institute Senior Fellow and Public Advocate and the Executive Director of the American Association of Public Broadband.
We are now accepting applications for the 2026 COMPASS Summer Fellowship Program, which places PhD students with DC-based communication-related institutions to gain hands-on experience in communication policy.
Application letters and CVs are due no later than Jan 16, 2026.
More info here:
A new report from MIC Co-Director @victorpickard.bsky.social
as well as @shahrzadshams.bsky.social and @bilalb.bsky.social maps the political economy behind today’s media crisis and asks the urgent question:
What would a media system designed to strengthen democracy actually look like?
Promotional poster for the "Beyond Endurance: Reimagining Media Praxis" annual symposium, hosted by the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, scheduled for December 4–5. The design features a stylized vintage computer monitor with red tiles dispersing from the screen, symbolizing digital media. The poster highlights keynote speaker André de Quadros on December 4 and interactive panels with artists, journalists, and scholars on December 5. Names of participants and a registration link are included.
How do you center hope in your research, activism and media work?
Join our annual symposium in two weeks to imagine new possibilities for media research and practice at this time of profound upheaval.
Keynote: music educator, André de Quadros
Register: bit.ly/beyondendurance @asc.upenn.edu
Promotional poster for the "Beyond Endurance: Reimagining Media Praxis" annual symposium, hosted by the Center for Media at Risk at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, scheduled for December 4–5. The design features a stylized vintage computer monitor with red tiles dispersing from the screen, symbolizing digital media. The poster highlights keynote speaker André de Quadros on December 4 and interactive panels with artists, journalists, and scholars on December 5. Names of participants and a registration link are included.
There is hope, and we must use it! Join us at our annual symposium next month to envision new possibilities for media research and practice at this time of profound upheaval. Register here: bit.ly/beyondendurance @asc.upenn.edu
Was thrilled to help consult for this fantastic John Oliver segment on the tragic plight of U.S. public media and why, if we hope to be a democracy, we still need public media for so many things that commercial media will never provide. Deserves a wide viewership. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yknM...
🎉 Excited to share that Content Confusion publishes today! It dives into how news orgs & advertisers—including fossil fuels—blur journalism & ads, fueling disinfo & distrust. Available now! Use code MITP30 today for 30% off at MIT Press. Thanks for the support! 🙏
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255360...
Attacks on press freedom are devastating newsrooms and leaving communities without reliable local news.
Join @freepress.bsky.social on 11/13 for a conversation with FCC Commissioner @agomezfcc.bsky.social about the barriers to free speech and local news NJ residents are facing.
buff.ly/3njhEfG
By changing the way gun violence is covered, reporters can take an active role in minimizing harm to injured people, communities, and society—and even make an important contribution toward preventing gun violence.
ABSTRACT This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Using Philadelphia as our case study, we analyze municipal efforts to enroll low-income communities in low-cost commercial broadband plans supported by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Like many other U.S. cities in the neoliberal era, Philadelphia sought to organize its digital equity initiative as a decentralized network of public agencies, commercial broadband providers, and nonprofits. Drawing on expert interviews, focus groups with ACP-eligible subscribers, and policy documents, we find that despite the city’s goal of achieving universal service, the networked initiative ultimately advanced the economic interests and market position of Comcast, the city’s monopoly broadband provider – with only minimal gains in connectivity. We argue that the evolving relationship between Comcast and the city of Philadelphia exemplifies what we refer to as the dialectic of the network. While often assumed as opposing forms of economic and social organization, the monopoly – centralized, vertically organized, hierarchical – and the network – decentralized, horizontal, leaderless – actively reinforce and legitimize one another as part of the neoliberal conquest of America’s communication infrastructure.
🚨 New article out, great colab w/ @davidberman.bsky.social, assessing the primary U.S. response to the digital divide: the corporate subsidy. Using mixed methods, we show how networked "digital equity" reinforces network monopoly. @miccenter.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2BPFG...
