Affiliations
Department of African American Studies, UW–Madison
Center for Critical Race and Digital Studies
Education
Ph.D. Northwestern University, 2019
M.A. Emerson College, 2012
B.A. University of Southern California, 2008
Areas of Research
Journalism, Black press, digital media, social media, audience studies
Research Impact
Dr. Miya Williams Fayne’s research is situated in journalism studies and investigates the Black press and Black news audiences in the new media age. She uses qualitative methodology, such as interviews, focus groups, content analysis and analysis of web metrics, to examine digital journalism production and consumption practices. Williams Fayne’s scholarship analyzes how news content circulates in the digital Black public sphere and highlights the Black press’ sociopolitical role in public discourse.
Her three core strands of research are:
- Redefining the Black press,
- Differentiating the Black press from mainstream media, and
- Centering the Black audience.
Her research finds that the digital Black press maintains some of the tenets of legacy Black press outlets while also adapting to meet the present moment. Additionally, she argues that the Black press fills gaps in mainstream media news coverage and provides counternarratives to mainstream’s inaccurate coverage of African Americans. Williams Fayne also studies Black adults’ overall news diets, including consumption of both Black press and mainstream news outlets, adding to scholarship on news avoidance and media repertoires.
Her research has been published in top journals such as Digital Journalism, The International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism Studies, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism, and Mass Communication and Society. Williams Fayne’s book, The Blackish Press: Content, Ownership, and Audience of Digital Black News Outlets, was published by Oxford University Press in 2026. One reviewer noted, “The Blackish Press is a sorely needed addition to scholarship on how Black journalism continues to evolve over the ages” and another said, “Anyone interested in the past, present, and future of the Black press will be rewarded by reading this excellent book.”
Recent Publications
2026. The Blackish Press: Content, Ownership, and Audience of Digital Black News Outlets. Oxford University Press.
2026. “Black Press #HashtagActivism: Examining Digital Black News Outlets’ Social Media Coverage of Black Lives Matter.” Journalism Studies.
2026. “#JournalismStudiesSoWhite: Evidence of Epistemological Bias and Gatekeeping of Scholars of Color in Journalism Studies.” Journalism.
2025. “Unique Practices of the Underserved: Exploring Repertoire, Self-Identified and Topical News Avoidance Among Black Adults.” Mass Communication and Society.
2023. “News Coping and Resistance: An Examination of Entertainment as Self-Care in the Digital Black Press.” Journalism Studies.
Recent Awards and Honors
Top Paper Award, Minorities and Communication Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Top Paper Award, African American Communication & Culture Division, National Communication Association
Recent Grants
Columbia University Tow Center for Digital Journalism Knight News Innovation Fellowship
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications Research Grant from the Newspaper and Online News Division
Courses
J562: Mass Media and Racial Diversity
J669: Literary Aspects of Journalism
J824: Race, Ethnicity and Media
Advising
The Black Voice, faculty advisor
Professional Service
Executive Board Member, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) Minorities and Communication Division