My Story

Meet the visionary behind Mind Over Media, bringing a unique set of skills and expertise to our mission to revolutionize education.​ Mind Over Media is led by David Barney, a communications professional who has spent a career moving between the newsroom, the boardroom, and the classroom. With experience in corporate media relations, strategic communications, and higher education, Mind Over Media brings a rare combination of real‑world media expertise and research‑informed teaching to every partnership.​

As an assistant professor of communications and media literacy, this work has focused on helping students and educators understand how messages are crafted, framed, and circulated—and how those messages shape what we believe about ourselves and each other.  That same commitment now drives Mind Over Media’s work with K–12 schools, districts, and communities across the country.​

Media literacy is not just an academic interest; it is a calling rooted in a deep concern about how people and marginalized communities are represented in news, entertainment, and social media.  Mind Over Media exists to give educators and families practical tools to confront propaganda, challenge harmful narratives, and help young people become critical, confident media users.

Mind Over Media combines professionalism, classroom-tested strategies, and a passion for equity to design programs that fit real schools and real schedules. Whether supporting a single teacher, a whole district, or a community coalition, the goal is always the same: to transform media literacy from a buzzword into a daily practice that empowers the next generation.