Jesse Holcomb

Jesse Holcomb is an associate professor of journalism and communication at Calvin University, where he is also faculty adviser to Chimes, the university’s award-winning student news organization. Holcomb’s scholarly and applied research focuses on local news, public opinion and civic life.

A mixed-methods researcher, Holcomb has worked with the Institute for Nonprofit News since 2018 as a co-author of the Institute’s annual survey of nonprofit news organizations, the most comprehensive study of the field in North America. From 2019-2023, he served as principal advisor to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s research initiative on Trust, Media, and Democracy. As a fellow at Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism in 2019-2022, Holcomb authored a study on digital transformation in the local news industry. Prior to joining the faculty at Calvin, Holcomb spent a decade at the Pew Research Center, where, as associate director of research, he helped lead a sweeping agenda on the state of the news industry, public attitudes about the news, and civic engagement. While at Pew, his team’s work was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi research award.

Throughout his career, Holcomb has oriented his research for public impact. He speaks regularly to industry and academic audiences. He has briefed the White House, the Pentagon, international diplomatic delegations, newsroom executives and trade groups about trends in the media. He has been quoted widely in the news media including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and BBC, and has published commentary and analysis in industry publications including Columbia Journalism Review and Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab. Holcomb’s current research interests include K-12 education and local news, a project funded through a $350,000 research grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In addition, he is studying the relationship between geography, community typologies, and local news. He currently leads a working group focused on local news audience research measurement, part of the Local News Impact Consortium.

Holcomb lives in Grand Rapids, where he has served as a board member of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center since 2019. In his role at the GRCMS, he led a working group to launch a Documenters program that now trains and places community members in civic reporting roles at all levels of city government. He holds a master’s degree in media and public affairs from George Washington University.