Nikki Usher fellowship project 2014–2015

As a 2014-2015 Reynolds Fellow, Nikki Usher, assistant professor at The George Washington University, studied for-profit startups in journalism, specifically new digital news outlets, to determine if technology is making inroads to “reboot” journalism and provide new opportunities for citizens to consume news.

Nikki Usher

Nonresidential fellow

Nikki Usher is an assistant professor at The George Washington University studying for-profit startups in journalism. She was a 2014-2015 RJI Fellow.

Stories about Nikki Usher fellowship project 2014–2015

Demystifying venture capital and a guide to some of the top news companies
December 11, 2014
There is no cookie cutter way that a startup goes about raising money, but here is a quick guide to figuring out what all the terms from Angel to IPO actually mean.
11 ways to get your news startup funded
December 1, 2014
I've spent the past eight months or so talking to as many news startups as I can — 16 so far (from Buzzfeed to News Deeply to Medium).
The four main types of news startups
November 17, 2014
There are so many new startups that it becomes difficult to get a handle on the actual new companies being launched and what they hope to do. All are attracting investment — albeit for what I think are different reasons.
Ignoring investments in local news startups makes no sense
November 7, 2014
As part of my Reynolds Fellowship, RJI has asked me to write about lessons learned in the successes and failures of news startups.
When media companies invest in news startups: A growing trend
October 28, 2014
There's a new trend in our industry: Big media and tech companies are investing in news startups, pouring tons of money into all kinds of products such as aggregators, readers, content and social.
RJI in the news
Local Fix: Feedback Loops, Community Driven Revenue, and Hope for Local News
January 14, 2015
At the Reynolds Journalism Institute Nikki Usher argues that lack of hard numbers has led to a lack of investment in the sector. ?And yet it?s local news that is suffering most and in need of the attention of VCs and others who can rethink how to recharge the profit and product of local news. VCs need to start taking risks on local news, for the sake of all of us, but with the potential for high return.?
Are community news sites and investors ready for each other?
December 3, 2014
Why can't local news attract investment? journalism watcher Nikki Usher asks in a recent opinion piece for the Reynolds Journalism Institute, where she is a resident fellow.
RJI in the news
Enough with the manifestos about the future of news, let your product do the talking
October 10, 2014
I've worked on several projects and endeavors over the years. Some of them are now shut down, some of them like Circa are currently kicking butt. But all of them were manifestos. They were all applied critiques of the news process. Emphasis on "applied."
Startup site manifestos are press criticism
September 26, 2014
They all have mission statements speaking to what is missing from news and how they plan to fix it.
RJI announces 2014-2015 Reynolds Fellows
May 15, 2014
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute today awarded a record 13 fellowships for the 2014-2015 school year, including for the first time six institutional fellowships that will allow the institute to work directly with media organizations to address issues and challenges for the news industry.