This book examines the history of the Irish American press from the Early National period to the Kennedy presidency. We look at individual journalists who created the Irish American press, the journalists that constituted it, and, most importantly, the transnational nature of that particular press genre.
How did you come across this subject? Why did it interest you?
Editors Debra Reddin van Tuyll and Mark O’Brien met a decade or more ago at the annual meeting of the Newspapers and Periodicals History Forum of Ireland. During the conference, they began a discussion of how similarly, yet how differently, historians from different parts of the world told the stories of the Irish and the Irish diaspora presses and also how, together, they all seemed to constitute on continuous story. Or maybe a story on a continuum is more accurate. Van Tuyll and O’Brien believed they had an insight into a useful new way to frame journalism history stories, to both deepen and broaden understanding of how a diaspora press is connected to its home and vice versa. They thought this idea might be worth exploring with other historians in a couple of academic gatherings, though they didn’t have a name for it initially.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Where did you get your Ph.D.?
Princeton University
What’s your current favorite class?
History of U.S. Media. We analyze a primary source together in every lecture, and I love puzzling through sources with students seeing them for the first time.
Dr. Lisa Burns (Quinnipiac) is in charge of the 2022-23 History Division mentorship program.
Dr. Lisa Burns (Quinnipiac) is taking over the History Division’s mentorship program. This marks the fourth year of this highly successful program that was started by Dr. Erika Pribanic-Smith.
If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still time. The division is looking for both mentors and mentees. Prior participants have found their relationship highly beneficial, and many have chosen to continue informally after their year has ended. The sign-up deadline is Sept. 18 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. Apply now at https://forms.gle/CczeAi1cpWZ3Y37m9.
Pairings will be notified via email by early October. The partnerships officially last through August 2023. For questions about the program, please email Lisa Burns at Lisa.Burns@quinnipiac.edu.
While I write this, I am still reflecting on how great the Detroit conference was. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing people in person again. There’s a certain positive energy that happens when we get together. Our gala event was terrific and so were the research paper and panel sessions. That feeling of “too many great sessions and not enough time to be at them all” was back. There were COVID concerns, but we were masked and together again. That was the best part – being together.
As I begin my year as chair of the History Division, I have been thinking about my personal experiences with this division. And the one thing I keep coming back to is its people. The past chairs have been terrific, and I have big shoes to fill. The executive team puts in countless hours behind the scenes, working for everyone’s benefit. The general membership steps up to help when needed. That is especially evident when we do the call for reviewers each year.
It’s time for the History Division’s mentorship program for 2022-23. Prior mentors and mentees alike have found their relationships highly beneficial. Many have chosen to continue informally after their year has ended.
Sharon Bramlett-Solomon, an associate professor in the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, is the 2022 recipient of the Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education. The award is presented annually by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and supported by the Minorities and Communication (MAC) Division and the Commission on the Status of Minorities (CSMN). Dr. Bramlett-Solomon will be honored at the MAC Awards and Social on Aug. 4 during the 2022 AEJMC Conference in Detroit.
Janice Hume, the Carolyn McKenzie and Donald E. Carter Chair for Excellence in Journalism at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named the college’s associate dean of academic affairs.
Brian Creech has been named Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Temple University’s Lew Klein College of Media and Communication.
Ross F. Collins, professor of communication at North Dakota State University, Fargo, has published a 420-page book entitled Chocolate: A Cultural Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2022). As an academic history it is fully referenced, includes a timeline and bibliography. Collins explained that while he has primarily published in journalism history, this book gave him an opportunity to work in his original discipline of cultural history. The book emphasizes economic, colonial, military, social and medical history of chocolate over 500 years. Collins has been a member of AEJMC’s history division since 1990 and is a former president of the American Journalism Historians Association.
Kristin Gustafson was promoted from Associate Teaching Professor to Teaching Professor at the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington, Bothell. Gustafson is entering her third year on the AEJMC Teaching Committee.
“Acadian Airwaves: A History of Cajun Radio” by Noah Arceneaux, a professor at San Diego State University, has been accepted for publication at the Journal of Radio Studies and Audio Media. Thanks to some family connections, Arceneaux has also been invited to present this material at the Grand Reveil Acadien, a festival to celebrate Cajun culture that happens every five years. In October 2022, he’ll be traveling to Lafayette, Louisiana to speak at the event, and most likely do more research for future extensions of the project.
Joe Campbell, a professor at American University, participated in a discussion about myths and counter-narratives of the Watergate scandal in the run-up in June to the 50th anniversary of the break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters that set off the scandal. Joe described why the “heroic-journalist” myth has become, and remains, Watergate’s dominant popular narrative. The two-day online conference was organized by Shane O’Sullivan of the Kingston School of Art in London and included presentations and reminiscences by Watergate prosecutors, lawyers, and FBI agents. Joe, a former History Division chair, also discussed Watergate mythology in a pre-anniversary essay for the Conversation.
Amber Roessner has been promoted to full professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media.
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 summer we highlight U.S. presidents and the media.
Episode 18: Wars on the Press by Richard Nixon and Donald Trump Professor Mark Feldstein discusses the contentious relationships between U.S. presidents and the American press, including the extreme measures Richard Nixon went to in order to silence Jack Anderson, the most famous investigative journalist of the era.
Episode 43: Jimmy Carter and the Media Professor Amber Roessner joins the podcast to talk about her book that covers the astonishing Carter presidential campaign. Roessner focuses on the construction of a political image that beat the odds and signaled a new chapter for American political campaigns.
Episode 75: Nixon’s War on TelevisionPresident Richard Nixon’s press management strategies are the focus of another podcast episode, this one discussing the relationship between the Nixon Administration and ABC News. Dale Cressman details what happened to that relationship in the wake of Vice President Agnew’s attack on television journalists.
BONUS EPISODE: Front Row at the Trump Show Podcast host Teri Finneman speaks with Jonathan Karl about his book Front Row at the Trump Show. Karl is the ABC News Chief Washington correspondent and co-anchor of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” He is also the former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
And one more for the road:
Episode 69: Coverage of Detroit’s 12th Street Riot For those of you interested in learning more about Detroit newspapers and the city’s history before AEJMC in a few weeks, check out the episode discussing newspaper coverage of the July 1967 Detroit riots. Brandon Storlie joins the podcast to explain how and why the reporting was so problematic and how that connects to current issues in media coverage.
Patrick File, associate professor at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
Where you work: Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno
Where you got your Ph.D.: University of Minnesota
Current favorite class: This is like asking to pick a favorite child! I’m certainly feeling the gravity of teaching our required First Amendment class these days. I also teach a fun class on using FOIA and public records laws in reporting.
Current research project: A book project on the early legal problems encountered in the incorporation of photography into journalism, circa 1880-1920.
Fun fact about yourself: I’m a twin! My twin sister is a high school music teacher.
It’s hard to believe that we are just two weeks away from meeting in Detroit for our annual AEJMC conference. Even more difficult to believe is that the last time we met was in 2019 in Toronto, Canada. Our excellent leadership team, Maddie Liseblad (California State, Long Beach) and Rachel Grant (Florida), are excited to see everyone in person. As I have said before, AEJMC is not designed to be a virtual organization. The friendships and connections made at the annual convention are a big part of what the History Division as an organization does. In many ways, those friendships, collaborations, and mentorship are the heart of what our division does best.
There are many things that have changed in the past two years with AEJMC, and our leadership team has worked hard to facilitate the familiar and the new. One familiar aspect that we are excited about is the annual division Gala, which will be held on August 2nd at 7:30 p.m. CST. The Gala is where we plan to give our annual awards. The cost for attendance is $5.
A new aspect of our annual conference is the virtual business meeting scheduled for July 28th at 1 p.m. EST. The business meeting is being held on Zoom and will be facilitated by AEJMC through a Zoom link sent directly to members. A meeting agenda and annual division report was sent to members on the division’s listserv on June 26th. If you did not receive the information for the business meeting, please email me directly at mcmyers@vt.edu.
The virtual business meeting will serve as our only business meeting for the conference, so there will not be a separate meeting in Detroit. At the meeting we will cover the traditional agenda, and elect the new Second Vice Chair/Research Chair for 2022-2023. On the agenda are also some voting items, so please plan to attend even if you are unable to join us in person in Detroit.
I want to thank the leadership of the History Division for their hard work during unprecedented times. The quality of what our division provides members is the product of many hours of work from many dedicated members. I also want to take this opportunity in my final Clio letter to thank Maddie Liseblad (California State, Long Beach) and Rachel Grant (Florida) for their amazing work this past year. The Division is stronger for their leadership. I also want to note that my role as chair would not be possible without the help and dedication of my immediate predecessors, Will Mari (Louisiana State) and Teri Finneman (Kansas), who were always there for guidance and support.
Finally, I want to thank our members for all that they have done to make this year a tremendous success. I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve as the History Division Chair, and am excited about the division’s future.-
The Journal of 20th Century Media History, a new peer reviewed online academic journal, is soliciting original scholarly article manuscripts for its first issue. The journal is designed to be broadly interdisciplinary and address current scholarship across a wide range of subject areas. As the title suggests, we are looking to publish historical work about topics that, in the main, focus on people, events, ideas, and practices from the 20th century. Article submissions that make use of innovative research techniques and methodologies are highly encouraged, as is research that draws attention to previously marginalized or under-represented groups or forms of media practice. The journal can be found at https://mds.marshall.edu/j20thcenturymediahistory/
