Nolan Higdon

Expertise

Critical Media Literacy, Propaganda, Politics, News, Nationalism, History, English, Communication

Biography

Dr. Nolan Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies. Higdon’s areas of concentration include youth culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. He sits on the boards of the Action Coalition for Media Education and Northwest Alliance For Alternative Media And Education. His most recent publications include The Anatomy of Fake News from University of California Press (2020) and United States of Distraction with Mickey Huff from City Lights Publishers. He is co-host of the Along the Line podcast with “Dr. Dreadlocks” Nicholas Baham III, and a longtime contributor to Project Censored’s annual book, Censored. In addition, he has been a contributor to Truthout and Counter-punch; and a guest commentator for The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous television news outlets.

In The News

• Protesters Escalate Stakes, Traffic Impacts With Shutdown of Bay Bridge During Apec Summit (Mercury News)

  History professor Nolan Higdon speaks about the protests causing Bay Bridge shutdown.

  November 17, 2023

• How Did a Relatively Unknown Candidate Become House Speaker? (KCBS Radio)

  In this podcast episode, history professor Nolan Higdon talks about new House speaker Mike Johnson.

  October 25, 2023

• What Does Laphonza Butler Appointment Mean To Race for Dianne Feinstein’s Vacant Senate Seat? (Mercury News)

  Communication professor Nolan Higdon says Butler's entry may lead to private discussions among Democratic party leaders.

  October 2, 2023

• Social Media Platform X Could Implement Monthly Fee (NBC Bay Area)

  Communication professor Nolan Higdon says it may be too late for social media platforms to successfully implement subscription models.

  September 18, 2023

• President Biden Impeachment Inquiry: A Distraction From Effective Lawmaking? (KCBS Radio)

  Communication professor Nolan Higdon shares his opinions and insight on President Biden's impeachment inquiry.

  September 12, 2023

• Elon Musk Reveals New ‘X’ Logo To Replace Twitter’s Blue Bird (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon gives his opinion on Elon's decision to rebrand.

  July 24, 2023

• Alameda County D.A. Price Defends Record Amid Recall Attempt (KRON 4)

  Professor Nolan Higdon gives perspective on what appears to be a rise in public officials facing recalls in the Bay Area.

  July 20, 2023

• California Congressmembers Weigh In on Trump Being Target in 2020 Election Probe (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon speaks on partisan politics taking a backseat to facts within the system.

  July 18, 2023

• What To Expect Following Trump’s Indictment (CBS)

  Professor Nolan Higdon speaks on the historic nature of the case and how this could impact the presidential race.

  June 1, 2023

• The Firings of Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson Doesn’t Mean the End of Hyperpartisan Cable News Networks (SF Chronicle)

  In his article, professor Nolan Higdon gives insight on the firings of Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson.

  May 4, 2023

• Twitter Removes Legacy Checkmarks (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon speaks on the removal of legacy checkmarks and what it means in terms of misinformation.

  April 20, 2023

• Newsom: California Won't Be Doing Business With Walgreens Over Abortion Pills (NBC Bay Area)

  History and Communication Professor Nolan Higdon says Governor Newsom's move may be a reflection of his political aspirations.

  March 6, 2023

• Santa Clara Co. Sheriff's Office Deletes Valentine's Day Tweet, Apologizes After Backlash (ABC-7)

  Communications professor Nolan Higdon shares his thoughts about Santa Clara sheriff's tweet.

  February 15, 2023

• San Francisco Mayor Encourages Laid Off Workers Apply for City Jobs (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon shares his thoughts on why workers might be open to new opportunities.

  November 3, 2022

• Looming Staff Cuts Create Tense Atmosphere Around Twitter HQ (CBS Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon speaks on how the tech industry is not immune to layoffs.

  November 3, 2022

• Hate Speech on Twitter Jumps 500% in First 12 Hours of Elon Musk Takeover (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon suggests providing education on hate speech in classrooms will be more effective than relying on company moderation.

  October 31, 2022

• Speaker Pelosi Says Husband Paul 'Continues to Improve' after Attacked with Hammer at Home Friday (ABC-7)

  Professor Nolan Higdon comments on the escalation of political violence in the last decade.

  October 29, 2022

• Legendary Bay Area Radio Station KGO 810 Goes Off the Air Ahead of Format Change (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon comments on the changes in the news industry over time.

  October 6, 2022

• Sports Betting in California: Yes on Prop 27 Campaign Cuts Majority of TV Ads After Recent Poll (News Net Daily)

  Professor Nolan Higdon weighs in on what pulling ads could mean for the campaign.

  September 21, 2022

• One in Five TikTok Videos Contain Misinformation (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon advises that everyone, regardless of age, should be on guard about misinformation. 

  September 15, 2022

• The Case Against NewsGuard (Project Uncensored)

  Professor Nolan Higdon co-authored an opinion piece arguing that NewsGuard is not the good way to train students to identify misinformation and fake news.

  July 19, 2022

• The Political Power of Pro-Choice Protests (Yes Magazine)

  Professor Nolan Higdon co-authored an article about political activism in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

  July 19, 2022

• Elon Musk Backs Out of Twitter Deal (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon discusses why Elon Musk pulled out of a deal to buy Twitter.

  July 9, 2022

• Looking Ahead: Will VP Kamala Harris Run for President in 2024? (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon addressed the topic of whether VP Kamala Harris will run for president.

  June 29, 2022

• Racism in the Age of Social Media (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon spoke about how social media perpetuates racist ideas, such as the Great Replacement Theory.

  May 17, 2022

• Dan O'Dowd Senate campaign targeting Tesla's self-driving cars (CBS)

  Professor Nolan Higdon weighs in on strange campaign ads from O’Dowd.

  May 14, 2022

• CNN+ was just the latest failed attempt of the cable news trailblazer to remain relevant (The Conversation)

  History and media studies professor Nolan Higdon is the author of a piece about the fall of CNN+ and legacy media.

  May 3, 2022

• Elon Musk and the oligarchs of the 'Second Gilded Age' can not only sway the public -- they can exploit their data, too (Yahoo)

  Professor Nolan Higdon writes an opinion piece on the implications of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter.

  April 27, 2022

• CSU professor: Twitter acquisition ‘could threaten democracy’

  Professor Nolan Higdon discusses the implications of Elon Musk’s purchase of the social media platform Twitter.

  April 22, 2022

• A Closer Look: Elon Musk's $43 Billion Buyout Offer (NBC Bay Area)

  Professor Nolan Higdon discusses Elon Musk’s desire to buy the social media platform Twitter.

  April 15, 2022

• Our Broken Media and What to Do About It (Mint Press News)

  Higdon, Huff and MacLeod talk about censorship, fake news, disinformation and the prevalence of conspiracy theories in this free-flowing discussion.

  October 29, 2021

• A Closer Look at Facebook Whistleblower's Testimony (NBC Bay Area)

  Lecturer of history and media studies Nolan Higdon gives expert opinion on the significance and ramifications of Frances Haugen's testimony to Congress about Facebook algorithm and privacy concerns.

  October 5, 2021