Following a full-time, 17-year, award-winning commercial and public broadcast news career in medium and large media markets, she completed graduate work focusing on critical media theory and mass media law (Master’s in Mass Communication University of Florida, Ph.D. Mass Media Bowling Green State University, J.D. The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL). Barr is editor in chief of Communications and the Law and serves on editorial boards for Journal of Communication Inquiry and Mass Media Annual Editions.