Matt Barcaro, also known as Professor Barcaro, lives a double life as an adjunct journalism professor at Elizabethtown College and a morning news anchor at WGAL. Barcaro has led the production of several documentaries with emphases on underrepresented populations, such as homeless youths, juvenile lifers and Native Americans forced into boarding schools. With almost two decades of journalism under his belt, his recent transition into being a professor is a new development in his professional life. 

Currently, Barcaro teaches Intro to Communications, in which he encourages students to think critically about the media they consume. His passion for teaching is deeply personal. 

“I had wonderful professors… who really helped to shape my understanding of media,” he said “I thought if I ever had the chance to be able to kind of give back in that way, then I would love to try.” Though his career as a professor has just begun, the future looks very bright, particularly because of his sincerity and desire to give back. 

Barcaro’s lessons on critically evaluating media are more important than ever in a day and age where AI, deepfakes and other forms of misinformation are becoming more and more accessible to the public. One of the most important skills he teaches is lateral reading, a process through which you check the credibility and biases of an author and/or source by reading other sources about the same topic.

On the topic of credibility, Barcaro has an impressive portfolio of work that shows his experience in the field of journalism. “The bulk of our stories are daily stories…it’s always a very quick turn,” he said “But I really enjoy more long-form storytelling where it takes days, weeks, months to put a story together.” 

With his motivation to make long-form content and desire to cover overlooked stories, Barcaro has made several documentaries such as “Bring Them Home” and “The Lost Children of Carlisle,” both of which cast a heartwrenching but necessary spotlight on the Native American children who were forced into the Carlisle Indian School to assimilate into white culture. 

His work on “Bring Them Home” started with curiosity over Carlisle’s graveyard. When he “heard that the army was going to start disinterring the remains of some of the (Native American) children who are buried there, I wanted to be there for that historic moment.” Barcaro was deeply touched by his experiences while making the documentary. “It was a profound moment, for me in my career, to be able to tell that kind of story that was not told before,” he said. His work inspired a ravenous appetite across the country for similar stories, prompting him to create a second documentary on the topic. 

His second documentary, “The Lost Children of Carlisle,” further details the journey of Native Americans who are trying to find their lost loved ones in an unmarked federal graveyard. The project won a national Telly Award, which, “annually showcases the best work created within television and across video” (Telly Awards).

Although he has produced remarkable documentarial work, some of the proudest moments of his career came from his coverage of the Pennsylvania Farm Show. His primary goal when covering the event was “to help celebrate and respect the farmer and not treat them as a tourist attraction or something to make fun of.” His respect for the farmers’ passion for agriculture is evident in how he portrayed them on camera. 

“We had fun with it, but at the end of the day, it was to highlight the importance of the farmers,” he said. “I always want to treat everyone’s stories with respect.” Barcaro is deeply committed to representing stories with integrity while ensuring his subjects are treated with dignity.

Professor Barcaro’s work, both inside and outside the classroom, reflects a passion for journalism rarely found in today’s media landscape. He shines a much-needed light on important stories that the public may have overlooked. In addition, Etown is fortunate to have a professor who challenges students to evaluate the media that they consume. His career at Etown is just beginning, and it looks bright.