The AEJMC Southeast Colloquium serves as one of the oldest regional gatherings of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The event provides a collegial and supportive environment for the exchange of research, feedback and ideas across AEJMC divisions, interest groups and commissions.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Jonathan Anderson
Award Call: Best Journalism and Mass Communication History Book
The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s History Division is soliciting entries for its annual award for the best journalism and mass communication history book. The winning author will receive a plaque and a $500 prize at the August 2026 AEJMC conference in New Orleans. Attendance at the conference is encouraged as the winner will be honored at a History Division awards event.
Book authorship is defined as the person or persons who wrote a book. Edited collections with substantial chapter contributions by the editors may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Continue readingPaper Call: Journalism History – 2025-26 Essay Competition
The colonial-era US printer Benjamin Franklin is credited with responding to a question about what the Constitutional Convention of 1787 had produced by saying, “A republic – if you can keep it.”1 The convention was the United States’ second attempt to form a national government after its revolutionary break from Britain – a break that was codified by the signatures of Franklin and fifty-five fellow delegates on July 4, 1776.
Of course, Franklin and his contemporaries’ vision of a democratic republic for propertied white men was significantly narrower than what most people in the US conceive today. That original vision of representative democracy was transformed by President Abraham Lincoln’s rhetorical reframing during the Civil War and subsequent constitutional amendments granting citizenship and basic rights to formerly enslaved people.2 The vision was further expanded by the nineteenth amendment granting women the vote in the early twentieth century and by the civil rights laws of the 1960s that added enforcement mechanisms to the amendments passed a hundred years earlier. By the turn of this century, many US institutions had, at least rhetorically, embraced the notion of working toward a truly pluralistic multiracial democracy.
Continue readingA Word from the Chair: September 2025
First off, thanks to all of you for an engaging and successful annual conference in San Francisco. Thanks to everyone who attended, who reviewed, who submitted, who volunteered to organize a panel, and who served in some capacity to the division throughout the year. So many smiles, so many great conversations, and so much learning. It has been a great year, and a lot of that is due to engagement from membership across the division.
As I type out this final column, I am reminded that the work of the division continues year-round. Caitlin Cieslik-Miskimen is set to take over leadership and has a many great initiatives planned, as well as a leadership team squarely focused on the important role history plays in the discipline and the value of our members within AEJMC. This is a team with great ideas for the growth of the discipline and the value of membership, and I think we all will benefit from their tenure.
Continue readingPanel Proposals for AEJMC 2026 Due Oct. 3
Panel proposals for the 2026 AEJMC conference are due to the History Division Friday, Oct. 3, and the submission form is now open.
Division members are encouraged to develop panel proposals that thoughtfully engage historical topics on several fronts, including research, teaching, and professional freedom and responsibility (PF&R). Strong panel proposals should include a diverse representation of scholars and media professionals, not just in terms of race, ethnicity and gender, but also career stage, type of institution, and research approach.
Continue readingPlan Your AEJMC Conference with the History Division Schedule
Click here to download the History Division’s schedule for the AEJMC 108th Annual Conference in San Francisco, California. Regular conference events run Aug. 7-10, 2025, with pre-conference events set for Aug. 6.
Note that the History Division Awards Gala will be held Aug. 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. This gathering recognizes our top award winners of the year and celebrates the importance of journalism history. Pre-registration is required.
Continue readingA Word from the Chair: July 2025
Colleagues, I hope your summers have been restful and regenerative. It is hard to believe that we are just weeks away from the annual conference in San Francisco. There is a spectacular history program planned, and all my gratitude to Caitlin Cieslick-Miskimen (Idaho) and Jason Guthrie (Clayton State) for the tireless work they’ve put into this program over the past several months. The state of the division is strong, thanks in no small part to the service of this leadership team and the exceptional quality of contributions to research, teaching, and PF&R demonstrated across the program.
As you finalize your schedule for the conference, please make plans to join us for the Division’s awards gala on Wednesday, August 6, at 7: 30 p.m. to mingle and to celebrate this year’s award winners. We will also take time to commemorate and honor the memory of our dear friend and former Journalism History editor Pam Perry. The fellowship of the gala is one my favorite parts of AEJMC, and it sets a great tone of community and connection felt during the rest of the conference.
Continue readingMember Q+A: Josie Vine
Name: Josie Vine, Ph.D.
University Affiliation: Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Position: Senior Lecturer, School of Media & Communication, Journalism Program
1. In her book, Thinking About History, historian Sarah Maza describes history as a multifaceted concept, and one of the definitions she provides is that history is “what the present needs to know about the past.” How do you define history?
I think I would define history as the stories we remember and tell each other, which, in an allegorical sense, guide our collective values and beliefs, norms and practices. But we can also question and interrogate these stories—look for other interpretations of the same event—so we can question and interrogate the appropriateness of our own ways of seeing and ways-of-doing.
This then means that we each have a duty to record and reflect upon current events, so they evolve into the history of the future.
Continue readingA Word from the Graduate Student Liaison
Graduate Students: Welcome!
Looking over the History Division report for this year, one statistic stands out: fourteen graduate students will present at AEJMC 2025 in San Francisco, a significant increase in participation from emerging scholars. I cannot think of a better time to welcome new thinkers to the crucial work of history than in this precarious moment for higher education, mass communication, and democracy. So, to our new (and returning) graduate student members: Welcome! We’re particularly glad you’re here.
This summer, I’ve reflected on my time as a student and experiences with AEJMC following recent admission to doctoral candidacy. (Sort of without a choice), Dr. Amber Roessner took on an ambitious twenty-something as a mentee when I blew into her Journalism as Literature course at the University of Tennessee nearly a decade ago. She quickly perceived my interest in historical research and continuing my studies at some point in my career, encouraging my decision to apply for graduate programs. Her first piece of advice: go work with this year’s Donald L. Shaw Senior Scholar Award winner Dr. Janice Hume. An important second piece of advice: check out the History Division of AEJMC.
Continue readingHistory Division Mentorship Program – Deadline June 15
The AEJMC History Division is pleased to once again offer its mentorship program this year and we’re seeking participants. Prior mentors and mentees have found the program highly beneficial, with many choosing to continue their relationships informally after their year has ended. The program is very loosely structured. It’s up to the mentee and mentor to determine what works best for them.
If you’re looking for help with your teaching (ex: assignment ideas, classroom management tips, prepping a new class), research (ex: what journals/conferences to target, feedback on a potential journal/conference submission), or career (ex: tenure & promotion, searching for jobs, work/life balance), sign up as a mentee. Whether you’re a grad student, assistant professor, associate professor, or other, our division’s mentorship program is open to you.
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