Tyler Nagel
I am a full-time instructor in the journalism program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta. I also teach as an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Media Studies at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. The description of my PhD project is onlined at the Research School for Media Studies.
Teaching
The focus of my teaching is online journalism, where I work with students to transition traditional journalism skills into an online context, while preserving the nature, spirit, and ethics of the journalism profession. I also teach professional communications, with a focus on online communication and social media. I’ve worked in the media industry for most of my adult life and have a profound respect for the journalists and media organizations that form an important part of our cultural context. I hold an MBA from Royal Roads University, and completed my capstone project on sustainability models for traditional print media in online spaces.
Research
Community news media in Canada is in a state of crisis. Since 2008, more than 300 local news outlets in 214 Canadian communities have closed. Other local media outlets are merging with geographic neighbours, reducing staff, and reducing or eliminating print publications. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have further contributed to this decline.
The goal of my research work is to explore the effects of the closure of local news organizations in many communities in Canada. Such closures disproportionately affect remote regions, leaving many communities with limited local media, and in some cases, no local media whatsoever – “news deserts”. Although local media’s challenges have received scholarly attention elsewhere in North America and globally, there remains much to understand about Canadian news media and the communities they serve. The objective of my work is to shine a light on this blind spot.
My research will cohesively examine producer, content, and audience, aiming to provide new insights into shrinking local media in Canada and form a baseline for future work in this rapidly changing environment. Increased understanding of the dynamics and effects of a shrinking local media ecosystem can help news organizations to adapt and will advance academic scholarship on the topic of journalism in Canada.
You can find my online profiles here:
You can find my research publications on my research profile at the University of Groningen. I would be glad to send you a copy of any of the papers I've written if you can't access them.

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