The History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) has selected Dr. Matthew Pressman as the winner of its Book Award honoring the best journalism and mass communication history book published in 2018. The author of On Press: The Liberal Values That Shaped the News (Harvard University Press), Pressman is an assistant professor of journalism in the College of Communication and the Arts at Seton Hall University where he teaches courses in journalism history, journalistic practice, and writing. Prior to earning his Ph.D. in History from Boston University, Pressman worked for eight years as an assistant editor and online columnist at Vanity Fair magazine.

A panel of three distinguished media historians chose On Press from a field of 22 entries. One judge noted, “With so many outstanding entries this year, judging was particularly challenging. Even though journalism is under intense criticism from some quarters, its history is rich with reminders of its importance to society.”

On Press explains revolutionary transformations in the practice of American journalism in the recent past: the rise of interpretation, explanation, and analysis in American journalism from the 1960s to the present, the causes, and the surprising consequences. Pressman argues that the press did not become more politically liberal, as right-wing critics have long claimed. Rather, the press embraced liberal values—an interest in the rights and representation of women and minorities, a desire to hold big business and government accountable to the public, and a commitment to providing important context to help readers make sense of complex issues and events. According to one of the judges, “On Press is impressively researched, engagingly written, and persuasively argued. And it helps us understand what is at stake for journalism and the public good in our own historical moment when the press is viciously attacked by some of the most powerful people in the country.”

Pressman will receive a plaque and cash prize during the division’s awards gala Aug. 6 at the AEJMC National Convention in Toronto. He will also be interviewed live during the event for an episode of the Journalism History podcast.