LNIC’s working group on the Economic Impact of Local News is seeking one or more research assistants to join a project investigating the tangible economic value of local news ecosystems. This work goes beyond traditional civic metrics to build an overarching framework for understanding how the presence or absence of local journalism shapes local economies.
The hiring institution will be University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where this project is housed.
The working group examines whether strong local news ecosystems benefit communities at two levels: local businesses and the broader community. At the business level, we ask whether association with a local news outlet provides economic value compared to platform-based alternatives. At the community level, we explore how local news contributes to a community’s identity, visibility, and reputation, tentatively called local “soft power.”
We are seeking one or more Research Assistant(s) to support two primary workstreams: In-Depth Interviewing and Case Studies (Qualitative) and Secondary Data Analysis (Quantitative). Please apply through this form.
What you’ll work on
Research assistants will support two primary workstreams:
1) In-depth Interviews & Case Studies: Qualitative research exploring how communities experience the economic effects of local news. Core responsibilities include:
- Stakeholder Interviews: Conduct semi-structured interviews with newsroom editors, community navigators (legal aid, patient advocates), and institutional actors (hospital administrators, local officials).
- Site Profiles: Develop deep-dive “community health” profiles for select illustrative communities .
- Transcription & Analysis: Manage transcription workflows and use qualitative software (NVivo, Dedoose, etc.) to code for themes related to the “Mobilization Gap.”
- Project Management: Manage the timeline for qualitative data collection and analysis for select case study communities, ensuring milestones for regional data collection and case study completion are met.
- Writing & Editing Assistance: Assist in drafting summaries and progress reports for public-facing outputs from the project.
2) Secondary Data Analysis: Quantitative analysis drawing on existing datasets to document and measure economic impact. Core responsibilities include:
- Causal Inference: Apply advanced econometric methods—specifically Difference-in-Differences (DID), Regression Discontinuity (RDD), and Time Series analysis—to measure the impact of newspaper closures on local economic indicators.
- Data Integration: Clean and merge disparate datasets, including Medill newsroom census data, Urban Institute debt data, and SEC disclosure filings.
- Visualization: Create high-impact charts and maps that illustrate the “News-to-Debt” or “News-to-Market-Volatility” correlations for white papers and presentations.
- Project Management: Manage the timeline for quantitative data collection and analysis, ensuring milestones are met.
- Writing & Editing Assistance: Assist in drafting summaries and progress reports for public-facing outputs from the project.
Qualifications
Required for both workstreams:
- Current graduate student (MA or PhD preferred) in Journalism, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, or a related field.
- Strong interest in the intersection of media health and economic development.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred experience for each workstream:
- For Qualitative workstream: Experience in semi-structured interviewing and qualitative coding.
- For Quantitative workstream: Proficiency in R, Stata, or Python. Specific experience with observational data analysis and causal inference frameworks.
To Apply
Please upload a copy of your CV along with a cover letter indicating your interest in the position and which of the two areas (qualitative or quantitative) best aligns with your skills. We are accepting applications through this form.
