Simona Bisiani
@simonabisiani.bsky.social
Doctoral Researcher at the Institute for People-Centred AI, University of Surrey. Local Media research through text mining.
Community, I need your help! I'm looking for software / python or R package to parse digitised newspapers and automatically detect / segment & extract articles (pictures not so important). does anyone have any tips? please reshare with your network if you have access to the wide CH/CSS community!
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Community, I need your help! I'm looking for software / python or R package to parse digitised newspapers and automatically detect / segment & extract articles (pictures not so important). does anyone have any tips? please reshare with your network if you have access to the wide CH/CSS community!
The 2025 English Indices of Multiple Deprivation came out today! Updating all my models on the relationship between local news provision and the various dimensions of deprivation. Meanwhile, here's some viz for the nerds: www.datawrapper.de/_/AW9I8/
www.datawrapper.de/_/lNZMS/
www.datawrapper.de/_/lNZMS/
October 30, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The 2025 English Indices of Multiple Deprivation came out today! Updating all my models on the relationship between local news provision and the various dimensions of deprivation. Meanwhile, here's some viz for the nerds: www.datawrapper.de/_/AW9I8/
www.datawrapper.de/_/lNZMS/
www.datawrapper.de/_/lNZMS/
Next year I will finish my phd. I’m looking for perspectives on what paths people take afterwards within academia. What did you get up to after the phd? Do you have any tips for finding and applying to positions in Europe and North America (as a European?) I am also keen on writing grant proposals.
October 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Next year I will finish my phd. I’m looking for perspectives on what paths people take afterwards within academia. What did you get up to after the phd? Do you have any tips for finding and applying to positions in Europe and North America (as a European?) I am also keen on writing grant proposals.
Are you interested in local journalism research? Next Friday we are having a free online webinar bringing together a premium selection of UK-based industry leaders, policymakers, journalists, and academics to explore how research can shape the future of local media. Check the link for more!
Select tickets – Bridging the Gap – Local News Research Meets Practice – Teams
Bridging the Gap – Local News Research Meets Practice – Teams, Fri 17 Oct 2025 - Bridging the Gap – Local News Research Meets Practice
Hosted by: MeCCSA Local and Community Media (LCM) Section
Join us...
www.tickettailor.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Are you interested in local journalism research? Next Friday we are having a free online webinar bringing together a premium selection of UK-based industry leaders, policymakers, journalists, and academics to explore how research can shape the future of local media. Check the link for more!
Reposted by Simona Bisiani
83% of local nonprofit news organizations have increased revenue growth by at least 10% over the last three years, compared to 71% of state and regional publications and 76% of national and global outlets.
Nonprofit news is growing strong — especially local nonprofit news, a new report shows
Nonprofit news outlets of all types are enjoying revenue growth — but those that focus specifically on local news, rather than state, national, or global news, are doing especially well, according to…
www.niemanlab.org
October 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM
83% of local nonprofit news organizations have increased revenue growth by at least 10% over the last three years, compared to 71% of state and regional publications and 76% of national and global outlets.
Professor Agnes Gulyas approached me to work on a report drawing from academic research on local media to signpost priority directions for industry and policymakers working to make this industry sustainable and protect the value it brings to communities and society.
Report is out!
Report is out!
Challenges and opportunities for UK local media: Insights from academic research : CCCU Research Space Repository
https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/9w1yz/challenges-and-opportunities-for-uk-local-media-insights-from-academic-research
repository.canterbury.ac.uk
October 2, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Professor Agnes Gulyas approached me to work on a report drawing from academic research on local media to signpost priority directions for industry and policymakers working to make this industry sustainable and protect the value it brings to communities and society.
Report is out!
Report is out!
i've written a short blog about how to quickly prototype prompts in openai and use them programmatically. used this workflow today to speedup a manual research task.
I Spent $11 to Hire an AI model as a Researcher Digging into Newspaper Buyouts
Here's how I did it, and what I found
open.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 11:08 PM
i've written a short blog about how to quickly prototype prompts in openai and use them programmatically. used this workflow today to speedup a manual research task.
Late night tales from your one and only.
How Local Is Local News? And Does it Matter?
I'm asking you.
open.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Late night tales from your one and only.
academic dopamine hit: two papers accepted by @comphumresearch.bsky.social this week 📚
journal article on LLMs for toponym resolution and conference paper on deriving a typology of subnational media based on coverage spatial properties. off to Luxembourg in December to present :) links to come!
journal article on LLMs for toponym resolution and conference paper on deriving a typology of subnational media based on coverage spatial properties. off to Luxembourg in December to present :) links to come!
September 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
academic dopamine hit: two papers accepted by @comphumresearch.bsky.social this week 📚
journal article on LLMs for toponym resolution and conference paper on deriving a typology of subnational media based on coverage spatial properties. off to Luxembourg in December to present :) links to come!
journal article on LLMs for toponym resolution and conference paper on deriving a typology of subnational media based on coverage spatial properties. off to Luxembourg in December to present :) links to come!
Last night, I wrote on The Local News Cartographer about my early phd work on building a database of all local news outlets in the UK. One year of research inside a 10(?) minute read. Learn the perks and pain of gathering your own phd data.
How I accidentally spent one year building a database about local news outlets
The PhD detour that might help track Britain's local news crisis?
open.substack.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Last night, I wrote on The Local News Cartographer about my early phd work on building a database of all local news outlets in the UK. One year of research inside a 10(?) minute read. Learn the perks and pain of gathering your own phd data.
incredible dry humour by AI summarising what it’s like to end up in a local news merger operation.
August 28, 2025 at 6:10 PM
incredible dry humour by AI summarising what it’s like to end up in a local news merger operation.
Yep, I'm on Substack: to make my research accessible and useful, I'll translate my work into digestible posts that explain how I study the local news market at scale, through text mining, to ask questions about media ownership, news deserts, and democracy: shorturl.at/q3VKI
August 28, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Yep, I'm on Substack: to make my research accessible and useful, I'll translate my work into digestible posts that explain how I study the local news market at scale, through text mining, to ask questions about media ownership, news deserts, and democracy: shorturl.at/q3VKI
Mobility and Urban Science 2 chaired by the one and only @lecoursonnais.bsky.social. #ic2s2 is off to a great start.
July 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Mobility and Urban Science 2 chaired by the one and only @lecoursonnais.bsky.social. #ic2s2 is off to a great start.
What an awesome past few days attending @dh2025lisbon.bsky.social and getting to see *oh so beautiful* Lisbon at the same time. Still on a high from @icwsm.bsky.social, I feel honoured and humbled to having the chance to be in the room with scholars I admire and learn from. @ic2s2.bsky.social next!
July 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
What an awesome past few days attending @dh2025lisbon.bsky.social and getting to see *oh so beautiful* Lisbon at the same time. Still on a high from @icwsm.bsky.social, I feel honoured and humbled to having the chance to be in the room with scholars I admire and learn from. @ic2s2.bsky.social next!
don’t these look pretty? when I did my MSc at @iasliu.bsky.social’s then-just-begun CSS program many of these early graduates were our (very friendly and patient) TAs. Nice to see what they were up to beyond dealing with us, and the pool of graduates from IAS growing.
July 2, 2025 at 11:43 AM
don’t these look pretty? when I did my MSc at @iasliu.bsky.social’s then-just-begun CSS program many of these early graduates were our (very friendly and patient) TAs. Nice to see what they were up to beyond dealing with us, and the pool of graduates from IAS growing.
To all my newfound connections at @icwsm.bsky.social coming to @ic2s2.bsky.social in beautiful Norrköping (p.s. I'll be around, hit me up to see the best bar + city gems), the wonderful @hendrik-erz.de at @iasliu.bsky.social has built a tool to get you on top of things when it comes to schedule!
+++ NEW ARTICLE +++
I built an interactive schedule for my field's largest conference and, if you'd like to, yours, too!
www.hendrik-erz.de/post/i-built...
I built an interactive schedule for my field's largest conference and, if you'd like to, yours, too!
www.hendrik-erz.de/post/i-built...
I Built an Interactive Schedule for my Field's Largest Conference (and yours, too)
How do you communicate the what and where of various events at large conferences? This seems to be still a relatively unsolved problem, at least in …
www.hendrik-erz.de
June 27, 2025 at 10:47 AM
To all my newfound connections at @icwsm.bsky.social coming to @ic2s2.bsky.social in beautiful Norrköping (p.s. I'll be around, hit me up to see the best bar + city gems), the wonderful @hendrik-erz.de at @iasliu.bsky.social has built a tool to get you on top of things when it comes to schedule!
So fulfilling to see the database I have built at the @publicinterestnews.org.uk being leveraged by @mediareformuk.bsky.social and the fantastic Tom Chivers for the 2025 edition of "Who Owns the UK Media?"
To know more: www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/local-news-m...
To know more: www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/local-news-m...
🏚️ Decades of cuts, closures & corporate consolidation have left the UK's local media in ruins
3 publishers, Newsquest, National World & Reach, control 51% of local newspapers. These corporate giants also hold 8/10 of the publicly funded Local Democracy Reporter contracts
3 publishers, Newsquest, National World & Reach, control 51% of local newspapers. These corporate giants also hold 8/10 of the publicly funded Local Democracy Reporter contracts
June 27, 2025 at 10:32 AM
So fulfilling to see the database I have built at the @publicinterestnews.org.uk being leveraged by @mediareformuk.bsky.social and the fantastic Tom Chivers for the 2025 edition of "Who Owns the UK Media?"
To know more: www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/local-news-m...
To know more: www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/local-news-m...
So excited to hit @icwsm.bsky.social conference with a dataset paper from my PhD research at @peoplecentredai.bsky.social. I will present tomorrow at @aau.dk in cyclist-friendly Copenhagen! Find me at the poster madness session in the afternoon!
June 24, 2025 at 7:40 PM
So excited to hit @icwsm.bsky.social conference with a dataset paper from my PhD research at @peoplecentredai.bsky.social. I will present tomorrow at @aau.dk in cyclist-friendly Copenhagen! Find me at the poster madness session in the afternoon!
Reposted by Simona Bisiani
🚨We’re hiring postdocs in Computational Social Science!
📍The Swedish Excellence Centre for Computational Social Science (SweCSS)
📅 Apply by June 3
🔗 liu.se/en/work-at-l...
📍The Swedish Excellence Centre for Computational Social Science (SweCSS)
📅 Apply by June 3
🔗 liu.se/en/work-at-l...
We are hiring postdocs in Computational Social Science
📍SweCSS, Norrköping, Sweden
⏰Deadline June 3
🔗https://liu.se/en/work-at-liu/vacancies/26854
Please apply // help us spread the word
📍SweCSS, Norrköping, Sweden
⏰Deadline June 3
🔗https://liu.se/en/work-at-liu/vacancies/26854
Please apply // help us spread the word
May 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
🚨We’re hiring postdocs in Computational Social Science!
📍The Swedish Excellence Centre for Computational Social Science (SweCSS)
📅 Apply by June 3
🔗 liu.se/en/work-at-l...
📍The Swedish Excellence Centre for Computational Social Science (SweCSS)
📅 Apply by June 3
🔗 liu.se/en/work-at-l...
Thrilled to announce my submission was accepted for the Local News Researchers Workshop 2025 at @uncchapelhill.bsky.social! Excited for my 1st ever U.S. trip and connect with global researchers in this domain. I will share insights on large-scale local news text analysis. Event: shorturl.at/OSRRn
Local News Researchers Workshop
tarheels.live
February 2, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Thrilled to announce my submission was accepted for the Local News Researchers Workshop 2025 at @uncchapelhill.bsky.social! Excited for my 1st ever U.S. trip and connect with global researchers in this domain. I will share insights on large-scale local news text analysis. Event: shorturl.at/OSRRn