
Hi, I'm Sidney.
I am a digital journalist with experience in audience growth and development, multimedia news production, and political reporting. My professional work and academic research are focused on promoting civic engagement and education by building relationships with local communities, as well as examining the effects of media bias.
Master of Arts in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University
Over the last half-century, the Republican Party has won the hearts and minds of the rural midwest with its emphasis on social and cultural issues and working-class values. The movement known as the Great Backlash has been characterized by an emphasis on social issues, which it has tied to pro-business economic policies through elaborate association in mass media. My thesis takes an in-depth look at the process through which national ideology becomes hegemonic as it is disseminated to local communities, looking specifically at radio broadcasting in rural Missouri. Taking a Production of Culture perspective, my thesis shows how the industry structures of broadcast radio have tied conservative talk radio to local news and country music stations in rural communities, and how these formats work together to subtly disseminate conservative ideology into the common sense of rural Missourians. Using content analysis and audience interviews, I examine the messages in radio broadcasts and how they are received by people in rural communities to find common themes at play in both music and talk formats. Overall, this paper shows one of the ways that hegemony is created in local communities through the elaborate and consistent penetration of conservative ideology into the lives of everyday people.
Read my thesis, "What's the Matter with Missouri: Talk Radio and Conservative Culture in Rural Missouri."

The Missouri Method
The Missouri Method is the University of Missouri School of Journalism’s real-world approach to journalism education — learning by doing. As a part of my coursework, I worked as a news reporter and producer for the Columbia Missourian and KBIA, the local NPR-affiliate station. Below is a selection of my published work.

Intersection: Reps. Stevens and Kendrick on Serving in a Superminority, KBIA News, Nov. 11, 2019
Talking Politics: Ayanna Shivers Is Making History as Mayor of Mexico, MO, KBIA News, May 1, 2019
FACT CHECK: Schroer wrong about deaths from legal abortions, PolitiFact Missouri, April 25, 2019
Missouri House votes in favor of major limitation to state open records law, The Columbia Missourian, Feb. 4, 2019
Freelance Publications
Olathe brothers opening vintage clothing storefront; next-generation founder eyes serial entrepreneurship, Startland News, Oct. 12, 2023
‘Follow the smoke and look for the Ferris wheel’: Chef J BBQ set to join Pennway Point (and Arrowhead), Startland News, Aug. 25, 2023
Young Kansans could prove to be a powerful voting bloc on Election Day, The Kansas City Beacon, Oct. 21, 2020.