AUTHOR. JOURNALISM SCHOLAR. PROFESSOR.

bio.

Dr. Allissa V. Richardson is an Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School. She researches how African Americans use mobile and social media to produce innovative forms of journalism — especially in times of crisis. Dr. Richardson is the author of Bearing Witness While Black: African Americans, Smartphones and the New Protest #Journalism (Oxford University Press, 2020). The prize-winning book explores the lives of 15 mobile journalist-activists who documented the Black Lives Matter movement using only their smartphones and Twitter, from 2014 to 2018.

Dr. Richardson’s research is informed by her award-winning work as an instructor and journalist. She is considered a pioneer in mobile journalism (MOJO), having launched the first smartphone-only college newsroom in 2010. The MOJO Lab, based on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, was the only American college to boast such a program at the time. 

Dr. Richardson expanded the MOJO Lab curriculum throughout the continent of Africa, creating classes for allied nonprofit organizations in Morocco and South Africa. The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) said Richardson empowered her students around the globe “to speak truth to power using new media.” NABJ recognized her as its 2012 Journalism Educator of the Year for her international work. Apple, Inc. inducted Dr. Richardson into its elite Distinguished Educator program for her innovative uses of its products the following year. She is also a recipient of three prestigious Harvard University posts: the Carr Center’s Visiting Fellowship, Nieman Foundation’s Visiting Journalism Fellowship and the Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society Fellowship.

Dr. Richardson’s research has been published in Journal of Communication, Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies, The Black Scholar and many other venues. She has lectured to diverse and wide-ranging audiences around the world—from SXSW to SnapChat, Microsoft and the NFL. Her expertise in mobile media activism has made her a frequent commentator for news outlets such as ABC, BBC, CBC, Columbia Journalism Review, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, NPR, Teen Vogue and Vox. Dr. Richardson is also a sought-after educational technology consultant who has designed courses for Google, YouTube and PBS.

Dr. Richardson serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal for Press/Politics, Digital Journalism, Journalism Studies and the International Journal of Communication. She is an affiliated researcher with New York University’s Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies (CR + DS) and Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism also.

Dr. Richardson holds a Ph.D. in Journalism Studies from the University of Maryland College Park; a Master's Degree in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University's Medill School; and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she was named a “Top 40 Under 40” alumna.

— AWARDS AND HONORS —

Dr. Betty Shabazz Changemaker Award - The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center (2024)
MIT Press Grant Program for Diverse Voices - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (2023)
Book of the Year Award - American Sociological Association, CITAMS Division (2022)
Dorothy Lee Award for Outstanding Book in the Ecology of Culture - Media Ecology Association (2022)
Visiting Fellowship - Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School (2022)
Tankard Book of the Year Award - Assoc. for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (2021)
Hazel Gaudet-Erskine Best Book Award - International Communication Association (2021)  
The frank Prize in Public Interest Research - Univ. of Florida (2021)
USC Libraries Floyd Covington Fellowship - University of Southern California (2021)
Kappa Tau Alpha/Frank Luther Mott Book of the Year Award - Assoc. for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (2020)
Outstanding Book Award - National Association of Black Journalists (2020)
Knight Innovation Fellowship at Tow Center for Digital Journalism - Columbia Univ. (2020)
Berkman Klein Center for Internet + Society Fellowship - Harvard Law School (2020)
NewsPro Top 10 U.S. Journalism Educator - Crain Communications (2020)
Africana Digital Humanities Institute Fellowship - Univ. of Arizona (2019)
Spencer Award for Excellence in Graduate Achievement - Univ. of Maryland (2016)
Global Apple Distinguished Educator - Apple, Inc. (2016)
Nieman Foundation Journalism Fellowship - Harvard University (2014)
Named “Top 40 Under 40” Alumna - Xavier University of Louisiana (2014)
Baltimore Proclamation of Excellence - County Executive’s Office (2013)
Outstanding Junior Faculty Award - Bowie State University (2013)
Apple Distinguished Educator - Apple, Inc. (2013)
Journalism Educator of the Year - National Association of Black Journalists (2012)
Top 100 Women in Digital - Digital Sisterhood Network (2012)
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching - Morgan State University (2007)
Weinstein-Luby Outstanding Young Journalist - Medill School of Journalism (2003)
Freedom Forum Chips Quinn Scholar - Gannett Company (2002)