April Lindgren is the founder and co-director of the Local News Research Project at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism. Her research focuses on local news poverty, a term she uses to describe situations where the critical information needs of communities are not being addressed by local media. She spearheaded creation of the crowd-sourced Local News Map, an ongoing project that tracks the launch – and loss – of local news organizations in Canada.
Dr. Nicole Blanchett is an associate professor in Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism and co-director of the Local News Research Project. Her research focuses on journalistic role performance, the use of audience data in newsrooms, and the changing boundaries and definitions of journalism, as seen in papers published in Journalism Practice and Digital Journalism. She previously worked as a news producer and writer at Citytv in Toronto.
Angela Misri is an assistant professor in TMU’s School of Journalism and a co-director of the Local News Research Project. Her research focuses on the use of AI to create content, including journalism products. Her academic work has been published in Facts & Frictions and AI & Society. She worked for 14 years at CBC Radio, and another five years as the digital director of The Walrus.
Jon Corbett is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, the director of the SpICE Lab (Spatial Information for Community Engagement) and all round map geek. All aspects of his research include a core community element; this means that the research is of tangible benefit for the communities with whom he works and that those communities feel a strong sense of ownership over the research process.
Jaigris Hodson is the program lead of the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. Her research focuses on the ways social media can help and hinder democratic communication efforts in Canada.
Christina Wong is the data analyst, GIS technician and website administrator for the Local News Research Project and the Local News Data Hub. She is a graduate of the Geographic Analysis program at Toronto Metropolitan University.
To contact the Local News Research Project, click here.