He received his doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and he received a bachelor’s degree in production design from the University of Southern California School of Theatre. He has worked as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines as well as a production designer, audio technician, documentary filmmaker, and musician. His research interests include media literacy, sociology, history and policy, with a focus on the role of news media in a democracy. His academic work has been published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education and Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism.