Allissa V. Richardson

Dr. Allissa V. Richardson is an Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. She is the founding director of the Charlotta Bass Journalism & Justice Lab, which archives and studies Black media history. Her research focuses on how marginalized communities use mobile and social media to document injustice, particularly police brutality. She holds a PhD in Journalism Studies from the University of Maryland, a master’s in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University, and a BS in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana.

Her landmark book Bearing Witness While Black (Oxford, 2020) explores African American smartphone journalism during Black Lives Matter. She has held prestigious fellowships at Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, Berkman Klein Center, and Kennedy School. Richardson’s work has appeared in Journal of Communication, Digital Journalism, and media outlets like The Atlantic and NPR. She teaches courses like Reporting on Race and Justice and collaborates with global institutions to advance media justice.

• Labs/Teams: Charlotta Bass Lab, Institute for Difference and Empowerment in the Arts, Center on Communication Leadership and Policy
• Grants/Funding: Multiple Harvard University fellowships, USC research grants