Victor Pickard | Nieman Journalism Lab

Articles by Victor Pickard

Media reform focuses on state and local initiatives

“Democrat-controlled state legislatures could redouble efforts toward working with grassroots groups to support local journalism initiatives. Even some Republican lawmakers might wish to salvage what’s left of rural and small-town newspapers.”

The news industry finally reckons with the political economy of journalism

“We can fight to ensure that our media embody the principles of participatory democracy and are dedicated to serving social needs, not private profits.”

The year journalism and capitalism finally divorce

“It is capitalism that incentivizes the degradation of our news media — disinvesting in local journalism, weaponizing social media to capture our attention and data, and devaluing media workers’ labor conditions.”

The local rise of Public Media Centers

“Journalism’s transitional moment could be transformational — but only if we reinvent our news media, not resuscitate failing commercial models.”

November 10, 2021

Public access television channels are an untapped resource for building local journalism

Instead of letting public access channels wither due to commercial market fluctuations, we should publicly fund and expand the precious communication infrastructure that access media offers.

The commercial era for local journalism is over

“The journalism crisis can’t be solved by individuals alone, whether average subscribers or rich benefactors. We’re facing a collective action problem that demands government intervention.”

We reclaim a public good

“By changing news media’s core structures of ownership and control, we will finally let journalists be journalists.”

We will finally confront systemic market failure

“Those unconstrained by market ideology might dare to consider what a new, truly public, digital media system could look like in the United States and beyond.”