I am a Professor in the Department of Media Studies and Production at Temple University. In my book Fissures in the Mediascape: An International Study of Citizens’ Media (2001), I developed the concept of "citizens' media," a groundbreaking theoretical approach to understanding the role of community/alternative media in our societies. More recently, and based on fieldwork in regions of Colombia where leftist guerillas, right-wing paramilitary groups, the army, and drug traffickers make their presence felt in the lives of unarmed civilians I wrote Citizens' Media Against Armed Conflict: Disrupting Violence in Colombia (University of Minnesota Press, 2011). In this book I explored how people living in the shadow of armed groups use community radio, television, video, digital photography, and the Internet to shield their communities from the negative impacts of armed violence. Currently I divide my time between Colombia and Philadelphia. In Colombia, my research centers on citizens’ media in post-conflict Colombia, with a new focus on environmental communication and how grassroots communities address the climate crisis with media and communication. In Philadelphia I explore the rich history and development of local community media, activist media, and youth initiatives that involve media, arts, and digital platforms. I teach in the areas of media studies, communication and social change, and media in Latin America.