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John Wihbey
Assistant Professor of Journalism and New Media

John Wihbey in the Press

John Wihbey for Northeastern Global News

Why did Ron DeSantis kick off his presidential campaign with Elon Musk and Twitter?
Ron DeSantis speaking at political event in front of a US flag

Why did Ron DeSantis kick off his presidential campaign with Elon Musk and Twitter?

Ron DeSantis is announcing his candidacy in an unconventional way: on Twitter. Is it a strategic move or a misstep?
Is NPR really ‘US state-affiliated’ media?
NPR headquarters building

Is NPR really ‘US state-affiliated’ media?

NPR has been affixed with a “US state-affiliated media” label on Twitter, a move that prompted swift condemnation from outlets and experts.
The Bloomberg memes say he’s got enough money to take risks. But what do they say about democracy?

The Bloomberg memes say he’s got enough money to take risks. But what do they say about democracy?

Since entering the presidential race in November, Michael Bloomberg’s campaign has poured tens of millions of dollars into a media blitz to promote his candidacy. Northeastern professor John Wihbey says that while the candidate's strategy may be placing him in an unfavorable light from an optics standpoint, he has the financial wherewithal to experiment with different modes of advertising.
Race, gender, shape high school students’ support for First Amendment protections

Race, gender, shape high school students’ support for First Amendment protections

Boys and white students are less inclined than girls and students of color to agree with the statement: “The First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees,” researchers at Northeastern and the Knight Foundation found.
To fight misinformation and fake news in the 2020 US presidential election, the news media needs to be reinvented

To fight misinformation and fake news in the 2020 US presidential election, the news media needs to be reinvented

Journalists need to provide their audience with more context for stories in order to fight misinformation and fake news.
Media coverage of the New Zealand mosque shooting needs scrutiny, Northeastern professor says

Media coverage of the New Zealand mosque shooting needs scrutiny, Northeastern professor says

The nonstop, global coverage of every facet of the attack in New Zealand that left 50 people dead has created a media narrative that only serves to reinforce such violence, says John Wihbey, an assistant professor at Northeastern whose research focuses on the intersection of news and social media.
Northeastern professors are trying to get local TV news to improve 2020 election coverage

Northeastern professors are trying to get local TV news to improve 2020 election coverage

Journalists and the public criticized the way news outlets covered the 2016 election, and they sought to fix coverage problems for 2020.
The United States isn’t quite a melting pot, this data visualization artist says. It’s more like a tree.

The United States isn’t quite a melting pot, this data visualization artist says. It’s more like a tree.

Pedro Cruz thinks of the United States as a tree. Specifically, as a tree trunk, with its concentric rings demarking growth throughout the years. As the Northeastern professor imagines it, each ring, instead of being formed by the birth and death of new plant cells, is formed by the flow of new immigrants arriving to the country.
How to get science research covered in the press

How to get science research covered in the press

Researchers found that that media coverage of science is often determined more by the subject matter than by its scientific importance.
Foundation funding helps keep journalism alive—but most money goes to a select few nonprofit media outlets

Foundation funding helps keep journalism alive—but most money goes to a select few nonprofit media outlets

Funding for the nonprofit news sector is highly concentrated among a few dozen outlets and provided by a handful of huge grants.