About/Vitae
Work
Since 1996, I have been a journalist, writing for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Madison Magazine, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Newsday, Wisconsin State Journal, La Crosse Tribune and other publications. In late 2009, I co-founded The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, one year after I helped launch the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. Both are non-partisan, non-profit news outlets that produce online, new media journalism.
I am thankful that others have given me the opportunities to write pretty much about anything while building skills, making mistakes and learning along the way. The support I have received from others drives my passion for working in journalism education and helping my students find opportunities of their own.
Research
After more than a dozen years as a reporter, I entered my doctoral studies interested in the sociology of newsrooms. I found myself drawn to the journalists’ decision-making process, how they deal with ethics, time constraints, and social control. This introduction to the sociological nature of news fueled my transition into exploring yet another level of understanding journalism, that of its cultural meaning. Much of my research deals with the way news demarcates spaces through the use of mythical narratives.
Research that I have presented and published thus far attempts to move theory in new directions and to make the research accessible so that it is easily translated into the classroom and community.
Teaching
Research, often times absent in the classroom, provides an introduction into the meanings of news and the purpose of journalism to help students make meaning of what they are studying. In my teaching, bringing in my own research of the sociology of newswork and cultural elements of news is an important component. For instance, my classes study through lecture, readings, and group discussions how news media demarcate and create urban space, represent race and other social constructions through the news. Students are expected through reading, writing, and discussion with peers to explore how these topics may connect to their own life experiences. These connections help prepare them to be critical newsworkers and news-users in a new media age.
Service
At each institution I have studied or worked at, I have found opportunities to volunteer and to join committees or programs. Experiences such as being an English tutor for international business students, serving on campus committees, and working with student groups as an advisor or speaker have helped me merge my own research with the larger community and broaden my outlets for teaching.
Most recently at Iowa, I have served as a board member for the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism and in June 2011 become Book Reviews Editor, an elected, volunteer position, for the peer-reviewed Journal of Communication Inquiry, which will last for one year. Also in Spring 2011, I helped launch CrossingBorders.us, a civically engaged storytelling project that looks at issues of diaspora and migration from Chicago to Iowa City.
Transparency
I believe in the importance of personal transparency. In the past year, in addition to the fees necessary for professional affiliations, I have contributed financially to the following charities: The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, The Washington Center for Politics and Journalism, Blackhawk (Evangelical Free) Church, and Iowa Public Radio.
I am currently employed by The University of Iowa as a teaching assistant and have been paid as an adjunct instructor. My tuition and salary are covered, in a large part, by scholarships and grants, much of which is funded by the university itself, and, in turn, by those who support public education.
Family
I am originally from New England and was raised in Wisconsin. My wife and I have a small dog, Sam. I enjoy reading, cycling, graphic novels as literature and an instrument of social change, as well as novels surrounding aspects of social realism and social reform.
