Dr. Amy Reynolds is dean of the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University.Reynolds earned her Ph.D. in mass communication at the University of Texas, her master's degree in journalism at Indiana University, and her bachelor's degree in English from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.Aside from her academic training, Reynolds has worked as a journalist, editor and producer at newspapers and television stations (both commercial and public).Broadly speaking, Reynolds' research and writing focuses on the role of the media in a democracy. Her books and articles have examined a variety of topics, including media law; the future of print journalism in a digital world; how breaking news on television shrinks public debate by excluding dissenting opinions and ideas; the relationship between the press and terrorism; how law and social science can work together to produce more useful research; how the Northern press reported on the Civil War; and, how early 20th century press criticism helps us better understand today's media.