A Word from the the PF&R Committee: What do we as media historians owe the current moment?

“It’s tricky to point at a lack. But in journalism, what’s left unsaid — whether it was overlooked or ignored — can be as corrosive as a falsehood.”

A searing truth written by Brendan Kiley as part of the The Seattle Times’ A1 Revisited Project which seeks to reexamine the paper’s past coverage of historical events to address harm caused by how some events were covered.

In this case, Kiley is writing about the paper’s coverage of Native American protests at Fort Lawton in March 1970. Kiley informs today’s readers that there was a profound disconnect between the newspaper and the community it was trying to cover, “In missing the context, we missed the story.”

I think about the New York Times’ 1619 Project which sought to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” This project was criticized by some historians who argued it put ideology before historical understanding and accuracy.

Author Q&A: Will Mari, Newsrooms and the Disruption of the Internet

Newsrooms and the Disruption of the Internet: A Short History of Disruptive Technologies, 1990 – 2010 (Routledge, 2022).

Describe the focus of your book.

It is a (very brief) history of the impact of the internet on the news industry and on news workers. It is a sequel to my earlier book on the history of newsroom computerization, A Short History of Disruptive Journalism Technologies: 1960-1990, which was published in 2019.

How did you come across this subject? Why did it interest you?

Toward the end of my research for my first book for Routledge, I read a number of reports in trade publications such as Editor & Publisher, some of them breathlessly optimistic, others more circumspect, on the arrival of the civilian internet in the early 1990s. The promise and peril of that moment inspired me to write a follow-on book to my newsroom-computerization history, and Bob Franklin, my generous editor for the “Disruptions” series, encouraged me to do so.

Membership Q&A: Robin Sundaramoorthy

Where you are currently getting your Ph.D.?
Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland (UMD)

What brought you into grad school?
I’ve always wanted to get my Ph.D. in journalism. I seriously considered getting it immediately after I completed my master’s degree at Michigan State University, but I was offered a job at a local TV station and decided to pursue a career instead. I spent 20 amazing years working in TV news, and when it was time to move on, I didn’t think twice about applying to UMD. I want to teach and conduct research, and my professional experiences have taught me some valuable lessons that I can share with others.

Award Call: Donald L. Shaw Senior Scholar Award

Nominations are open for the AEJMC History Division’s 2023 Donald L. Shaw Senior Scholar Award. This division honor will recognize an individual for excellence in journalism history research who has a minimum 15-year academic career and a record of division membership.

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Award Call: Hazel Dicken-Garcia Outstanding Master’s Thesis in Journalism and Mass Communication History

The History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication will present its award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis in journalism and mass communication history in 2023, recognizing the outstanding mass communication history thesis completed during the 2022 calendar year.

The award will be presented during the member awards gala at the 2023 AEJMC conference in Washington, D.C.

Any master’s thesis on a topic in mass communication history will be considered, regardless of research method. Submissions must be in English. The thesis must have been submitted, defended, and filed in final form to the author’s degree-granting university between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Membership in the AEJMC History Division is not required to submit.

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Award Call: Jinx C. Broussard Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Media History

This award is presented to the winners of the AEJMC History Division’s teaching competition. Members may submit an innovative teaching technique to the contest, which is judged by a committee each spring.

Teaching ideas should be original, tested, and creative techniques used by the author in teaching media history and could be used by other instructors or institutions. The competition welcomes a variety of teaching ideas, including those taught across a quarter/semester or taught as a module within an individual course. Of particular interest are teaching ideas that help instructors address one or more of these pedagogies: diversity, collaboration, community, or justice. The 2023 deadline for submissions is January 15.

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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 2023 AEJMC conference in Washington, D.C. Attendance at the conference is encouraged as the author will be invited to be a guest for a live taping of the Journalism History podcast during the History Division awards event.

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Remembering Owen V. Johnson

Owen V. Johnson, associate professor emeritus at Indiana University and longtime member of the History Division, died on August 6, 2022 at the age of 76. He was an expert on World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, as well as Russian and East European mass media and Czech and Slovak history.

In 2020, he joined the Journalism History podcast to talk about his edited collection of Pyle’s columns, At Home With Ernie Pyle.

Johnson’s friend and former colleague, professor emeritus Steven Raymer of the Indiana University Media School, delivered the eulogy at Johnson’s funeral. Here is an excerpt.

“With his intellect and humanity, Owen made the bedrock values of journalism — independence, truthfulness, accuracy, fairness to the facts, holding the powerful accountable, and building an informed citizenry — come to life in his classes, his scholarly writing, and his own journalism and broadcasting. And I might add, these same ideals were often the topic of our frequent conversations in the corridors of Ernie Pyle Hall — Owen with his coffee cup and impish smile often one step ahead of me in discussing the day’s news. I am still wresting with what Owen might have said at lunch today on the one-year anniversary of the Fall of Kabul, the Afghan capital. Surely he would have an opinion on America’s longest war, just as surely as he knew the menus from memory at our favorite pubs.

Journalism History Podcast Spotlight

Each issue, Clio highlights the latest episode of the Journalism History podcast and recommend a set of episodes from the archives. The podcasts — available on the website and through many podcast players — are excellent teaching tools, easy to add to your syllabi. Transcripts of each episode are available online.

This issue we highlight the origins of the paparazzi, celebrity journalism, and the college cover girls on Life magazine.

Summary of the 2022 History Division Business Meeting

The virtual AEJMC history division meeting in late July included a summary of the division’s activities during 2021-22, membership, leadership voting, transitions and information, and a presentation of the success of Journalism History and its affiliated activities. More details, including a review of the meeting minutes, follows below.

2021-2022 Year In Review

Cayce Myers (Virginia Tech), discussed the History Division’s year. The History Division continued a number of successful initiatives. Research initiatives: Journalism History increased reviewer pool, including more international reviewers. We also ran two research paper competitions. JJCHC was held virtually while Southeast Colloquium was in-person.