Sybert graduation
Jeanna Sybert, of Middlesex Township, recently earned her doctoral degree in communication from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Sybert holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetoric and political science from the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2018. She also earned a master’s degree in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania.
She is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Media at Risk at the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn.
Her research explores the intersections of labor, precarity and identity within journalism and popular culture.
Sybert's work has been published in leading academic journals including Journalism, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice, and New Media & Society, as well as public-facing outlets like The Conversation.
Her scholarship on journalism and social media platforms has received Top Paper Awards from the International Communication Association.
In her doctoral dissertation, she examines how U.S. journalists navigate simultaneous crises and risks within an increasingly precarious occupation. Focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, and the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the project investigates the impacts of these evolving challenges on the people, practices and institution of journalism.
Beyond her research, Sybert is deeply committed to her role as an educator. In 2022, she was honored with the James D. Woods Award for outstanding graduate teaching.
A 2014 graduate of Mars Area High School, she is the daughter of Donna and Steven Sybert of Middlesex Township.
