124 Judy Sturgis Hill Building
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
734.487.3130
Associate Professor of Journalism
School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts
121 Judy Sturgis Hill Building
Dr. You Li is an Associate Professor of Journalism at Eastern Michigan University. Her research interests
include media history, media sociology, and media management. Her research traces the historical and
contemporary evolvement of journalism with a particular emphasis toward the tension between the
autonomous and heteronomous forces that shape and challenge journalism. Dr. Li’s research draws
theories from sociology, management, and journalism, and uses both qualitative and quantitative
methods. Her current projects examine how the integration of new editorial and business practices in the
field of journalism, such as the rise of native advertising and participatory culture, may have affected
journalistic autonomy and further blurred the boundaries between journalism and other social institutions.
With these projects, Dr. Li hopes to help preserve the public service mission of quality journalism in the
digital age.
Before coming to Eastern, Dr. Li worked at the newsrooms of The Columbia Missourian in Columbia,
M.O., the Fortune magazine in New York City, and the Shanghai Media Group in China.