Monthly Archives: March 2020

Teaching Contest Features Original and Tested Transformative Pedagogies

By Teaching Standards Chairs Kristin L. Gustafson, University of Washington Bothell, and Lori Amber Roessner, University of Tennessee

Five scholars will share their mini, hands-on teaching modules featuring original and tested transformative teaching ideas and practices that address pedagogies of diversity, collaboration, community, and/or justice in August. These ideas include carefully curated student learning experiences, an online platform that tracks research data, and a program-wide course redesign that centers on who tells our stories. Come ready to learn more about how each teaching practice might be transferred to your institution or classes and what evidence points to marked changes for students.

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Generations of Scholars: Mike Martinez Looks Beyond the Lens

By Lexie Little, M.A. student at the University of Georgia

Michael T. Martinez, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, spent 26 years contributing to the “first draft of history” as a professional photojournalist, graphics editor and web producer for The Associated Press, the Louisville Courier-Journal, The Detroit News, The Cincinnati Enquirer and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before entering the academy. He earned his bachelor’s at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before completing his master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Now he reminds students and fellow scholars about the importance of digging into the past to understand the future through lenses of media history and law.

Michael Martinez
As a professional photojournalist, Dr. Michael Martinez served as president of the National Press Photographers Association in 1990 and covered two Olympics for The Associated Press in Lillehammer (1994) and Atlanta (1996). He also worked on four Olympic Organizing Committees for Sydney (2000), Salt Lake City (2002), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008).

His research interests include media law, specifically media and the courts, the history of journalistic practices and political coverage in visual communication. His research endeavors have largely explored the public’s memory of U.S. presidents – from Kennedy to Trump –  through the lenses of official White House photographers.

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AEJMC History Division Names Next Journalism History Editor

The History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is pleased to announce that Pam Parry will be the next editor of its journal, Journalism History.

Pam Parry

The History Division officers unanimously voted to accept the Publications Committee’s recommendation to select Parry, a professor of public relations at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, where she teaches media history.

“Dr. Parry is well qualified to perform the duties of editor in managing the journal and maintaining relationships with the publisher, editors, reviewers, contributors and potential contributors,” said Terry Lueck, chairwoman of the division’s Publications Committee. “We consider Dr. Parry an excellent match for the position and someone who is well qualified to lead Journalism History into a distinguished future.”

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Book Q&A with David E. Sumner

By Rachel Grant, Membership Co-Chair, University of Florida, rgrant@jou.ufl.edu

Dr. David E. Sumner, a professor emeritus of journalism at Ball State (1990-2015), is currently a full-time author and working on his eight book. He recently wrote Fumbled Call: The Bear Bryant-Wally Butts Football Scandal that Split the Supreme Court and Changed American Libel Law.

Q: Describe the focus of your book. 

A: Using a narrative structure, the book tells, first, what happened behind the scenes preceding Butts v. Curtis Publishing  libel trial against the Saturday Evening Post in 1963 by Wally Butts, the ex-coach of the University of Georgia football team. The case is historically significant because the Post appealed the case to the Supreme Court in 1967, which redefined and expanded the definition of “public figure” in a 5-4 divided decision.

The Post article “The Story of a College Football Fix” accused Butts of giving away inside team information to Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant in a telephone conversation to help Alabama win 35-0 in the season’s opener. (Bryant filed a separate libel lawsuit and settled out of court after the Butts trial.) The University of Georgia president, two assistant coaches, and four faculty members of the Athletic Board testified against Butts. The book presents several facts that suggest perjury by the coaches to cover up what they said in their telephone conversation. Butts could have been motivated by revenge because he had been fired as coach but remained athletic director with access to team information.  The first eight chapters tell how the story originated, and the last eight chapters give a day-by-day account of arguments and witness testimonies.

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AEJMC History Division Announces Second Annual Teaching-Idea Contest Winners

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication History Division awarded five winners for the second annual Transformative Teaching of Media and Journalism History teaching-idea competition, renamed the Jinx Coleman Broussard Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Media History in late 2019. The recipients were:

  • Lisa M. Burns, Quinnipiac University
  • Elisabeth Fondren, St. John’s University
  • Andrew Offenburger, Miami University
  • Joe Saltzman, USC Annenberg
  • Pamela E. Walck, Duquesne University

The competition featured original and tested transformative teaching ideas and practices that address pedagogies of diversity, collaboration, community, and/or justice.

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