Joshua Benton (born January 1, 1975) is an American journalist and writer specializing in digital media trends and the future of journalism. With a background in early web development—building his first websites in 1994 and launching a blog in 1999—he spent a decade working in newspapers, primarily as an investigative reporter and columnist for The Dallas Morning News, and earlier as a staff writer for The Toledo Blade. As a 2008 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, he founded the Nieman Journalism Lab that year, serving as its director until 2020, after which he transitioned to the role of senior writer. Currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Benton continues to contribute to the Nieman Journalism Lab, analyzing the evolving media landscape through his writing and commentary, with a focus on innovation in journalism amid technological disruption.