By Brian Creech, Temple University, Joint Journalism & Communication History Conference, tuf31190@temple.edu
The annual Joint Journalism and Communication Historians Conference met at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute on Saturday, March 9, 2019. This year’s conference featured a number of first-time presenters: undergraduates, graduate students, and several international presenters.
The day was marked by collegiality and the exchange of ideas, and ended with a special screening of the documentary Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, featuring a panel discussion, moderated by Wayne Dawkins of Morgan State University, about Pulitzer with both filmmakers and several expert historians featured in the film, including Andie Tucher of Columbia University and Chris Daly of Boston University.
Nearly 60 works in progress were presented, including a mix of full papers and research-in-progress submissions, as well as pre-constituted panels and workshops.
This year’s conference also featured the presentation of the inaugural Elliot King Research-In-Progress award. Top contenders for the Elliot King Research-In-Progress award presented in a session moderated by Prof. King, and were selected based on nomination and overall reviewer score. The top papers were:
- “Tracking Down the Enigmatic Avvisi: The Genesis of the Earliest Known News Networks in Early Modern Europe,” Juraj Kittler, St. Lawrence University;
- “Alternative Facts and the 1971 Attica Prison Uprising,” Anne Lee & Richard Lee, St. Bonaventure University;
- “Computational Analysis of Historical Hebrew Newspapers: Affordances and Restrictions,” Zef Segal, Vered Silber-Varod, Nurit Greidingher & Oren Soffer, Open University of Israel;
- “’Is the newspaper office the place for a girl?’: The U.S. Press Class-Action Sexual Discrimination Lawsuits of the 1970-1980s,”Ashley Walter, Pennsylvania State University
Competition was stiff, but Kittler’s manuscript was named top paper. Featuring an analysis of medieval Italian merchant routes and communication networks, Kittler follows the emergence of the “avvissi” or a mode of correspondence that most resembles what our modern eye might call news. This work pushes news’ emergence back nearly a century and connects it to the rise of commercial networks around the Mediterranean, complicating news’ origin story as a communication form related to the information needs of governments.
During the conference’s luncheon, Eliot King was presented with an award and plaque commemorating his decades of service spent organizing the JJCHC. The surprise award prompted a standing ovation. The luncheon also featured a keynote by William Patterson University’s Nick Hershon, based on his book We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders, a history of the rebranding of the Long Island-based hockey team, the New York Islanders.
The day ended with a screening of the documentary Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, directed by Oren Rudavsky and premiering on PBS’s American Masters series on April 12. Most attendees stayed for the documentary, which led to a robust discussion about the historical nature of fake news and disinformation, as well as the highly visual nature of Pulitzer’s New York World. The screening was advertised to the surrounding academic community, and individuals not registered for the JJCHC, but interested in attending, were asked to RSVP through EventBrite.
This year’s planning committee was led by Pamela Walck of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Penn. Brian Creech of Temple University, Philadelphia, Penn., served as research co-chair. Carrie Teresa, of Niagara University, Buffalo, N.Y., served as the conference’s event planner and Casey Myers of Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va., served as information specialist.
To stay on top of happenings with the JJCHC, check out the website, http://www.journalismhistorians.org, as well as our Facebook and Twitter channels, @JJCHCNYC