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Dr. Russell Newman is an Associate Professor in Digital Media and Culture at Emerson College’s Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies. He is also President of the Emerson College chapter of the American Association of University Professors and Co-Coordinator of the Union for Democratic Communications.

His work explores the intersections of the political economies of media and surveillance, neoliberalism, the epistemological foundations of media policymaking, and activism surrounding communications policy. He is the author of “The Paradoxes of Network Neutralities"" (MIT Press, 2019) which explores the deep connections of open access and network neutrality debates with neoliberalism and draws lessons for activism in future such debates. While serving as Faculty Associate, Dr. Newman will be examining the foundations of modern-day logistical and supply chain processes of which media are increasingly a significant part. Those concerned with communications policy must think beyond its classically liberal aspects as production and dissemination of content. He will explore the political economy of the logistics of the circulation of our ‘data exhaust’ and their epistemic underpinnings, tracing paths amongst advertisers, marketers, and financial and industrial concerns. 

Dr. Newman earned his Ph.D. at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Previously to joining the academy, he served as Research and Campaign Director for the national nonprofit advocacy group Free Press. With Robert McChesney and Ben Scott, he co-edited The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century (Seven Stories Press, 2005), named as one of Working Assets' Recommended Reads for July 2005. He worked as a Telecommunications Fellow for Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois in 2007. He spent several years as a freelance multimedia designer and as a production designer for a number of independent films; he was also active in noncommercial radio in Boston for nearly a decade.


Community

Jacobin

The US Government Should Be Bold in Regulating AI and Data Collection

Russell Newman, Nick Couldry, Velislava Hillman, Mitzi László and Gregory Narr discuss the comments to the US Federal Trade Commission's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on…

Sep 18, 2023
Medium

4 Ways the New EU Digital Acts Fall Short and How to Remedy It

BKC associates delve into the shortcomings of EU’s legislation addressing digital giants. “The gaps we see in these new regulations are less matters of language than a…

Jul 5, 2022
New Books in Technology Podcast

The Paradoxes of Network Neutralities

Russell Newman joins Jasmine McNealy to dicuss his book, “The Paradoxes of Network Neutralities”

Feb 3, 2020

Events

Mar 28, 2023 @ 12:00 PM

The Challenge of Next-Generation AI

Russell Neuman will address practical issues of human-centered AI design as well as broader questions of privacy and public policy.