By: Ashley Walter

As the spring semester comes to a close, so many of us hang our heavy doctoral regalia in the back of our closets and start packing for research trips. It might be summer “break,” but for most of us, it’s no break at all.

Thanks to the American Journalism Historians Association, Joseph McKerns Research Grant, and the Hazel Dicken-Garcia Research Grant, I was able to visit the Library of Congress this past May. Specifically, I worked with the Washington Post Historical Collection, which spans from 1877 to 2015. 

This research trip helped to support my manuscript tentatively titled Settling: Women Who Sued the News, which is contracted with the University of Massachusetts Press Journalism and Democracy book series. Stemming from my doctoral dissertation, the book examines sex discrimination lawsuits at major U.S. national press organizations during the 1970s.

In response to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which banned sex and race discrimination in the workplace, U.S. women working at print news organizations sued for equal rights throughout the decade. My research traces the history of class-action sex discrimination suits against news organizations at some of the most prestigious news outlets in America. Women sued the news at the Washington Post, Associated Press, New York Times, Register Publishing Co., Detroit News, Reader’s Digest, Time, Life, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek.

I’ve spent the last seven years visiting archives and conducting oral history interviews for my book. While I was able to capture the oral histories of several women who worked at and sued the Washington Post for sex discrimination, I was hopeful that the archive would include legal documents and pay wage data.

Unfortunately, I came across many “archival silences” at the Library of Congress. The Washington Post Collection generally focused on men, who for decades ran and operated the newspaper. For example, I was thrilled to find a folder in the archive vaguely titled, “Lawsuits.” But the lawsuits in the box contained information on Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, and defamation suits. Indubitably, these are important historical documents, and I am very glad that they are housed in an archive. But where are the women, I kept asking myself. I was grateful to access a few key lawsuit documents. But the most information I found about a woman’s life was about a Washington Post newswoman who won a beauty contest called the Front Page Girl in 1943. 

To be sure, I left the archive with threads for future media history projects as well. But I am reminded of the importance of oral history interviewing to help overcome stories that are missing from traditional brick and mortar archives.

Logistics and Reading Room Reservations:

If you plan to visit the Library of Congress, you might be disappointed to learn that you won’t be in the picturesque “main library” officially known as the Thomas Jefferson Building. Rather, you will be down the street at the Manuscript Reading Room inside of the James Madison Memorial Building. Be sure to arrive early to file paperwork and request a library card, which you need to access the Reading Room. 

Additionally, if you are interested in accessing the Washington Post Historical Collection, it’s important to note that most of the materials in the collection are stored offsite. This means, a Library of Congress archivist told me, you’ll want to request materials at least two weeks in advance of your visit.

Image: The front of the Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building, which houses the Manuscript Reading Room.

Ashley Walter is an assistant professor of journalism and media at Saint Louis University.

By: Ryan Busillo

Attending last year's convention in Pittsburgh was invaluable to my professional development. Academic conferences are simply the best way to engage with colleagues and fellow students outside of your typical department bubble. The paper I presented in Pittsburgh blended archival research and theory, demonstrating how the ideology of two social movement organizations influenced their communication strategy. It was my first foray into novel academic writing. The project's supervisor, Dr. Lisa Burns, professor of media studies at Quinnipiac University, recommended the American Journalism Historians Association’s 2024 convention as an excellent place to submit. I couldn't have attended without the support provided through the Michael S. Sweeney Graduate Student Travel Stipend. 

Having the opportunity to present my research to a supportive community of scholars was a big step towards crafting meaningful research. The suggestions and critique I received were helpful in understanding where to take this article next. Notably, I had the opportunity to discuss the paper with Aniko Bodroghkozy, whose book Groove Tube: Sixties Television and the Youth Rebellion (2016) served as a major source. Beyond my own presentation, attending other panels exposed me areas of history I had never explored in my own work but now want to interrogate.

The AJHA has cultivated a uniquely welcoming atmosphere for emerging scholars. This spirit of generosity, which should not surprise anyone who has attended an AJHA convention, is felt by every graduate student I spoke to in Pittsburgh last year. The best way to keep the AJHA and its convention a welcoming space for graduate students is to support the Sweeney Travel Stipend by participating in the annual auction.

Despite the importance of attending academic conferences during graduate school, financial realities make that a challenge. The rising cost of tuition, coupled with the nil to paltry compensation graduate student labor receives from universities, has deepened the precarity we study in. The travel expenses, hotel costs, and registration fees associated with academic conference travel compound this. Recognizing this is particularly important as the academy becomes more sensitive to the way these structural realities disincentivize career development of rising academics from disadvantaged communities. Financial assistance can be the difference between a graduate student attending a conference or not. Conference participation often requires choosing between professional development and financial stability, especially if you live in a city with high cost of living as I do.

A cash-strapped graduate student myself, the Sweeney Travel Stipend made traveling to the convention a far easier decision. The stipend covered my hotel stay at the conference venue, allowing me to fully participate in both scheduled sessions and valuable informal discussions with peers. The auction that funds the Sweeney Travel Stipend provides a direct way to address these challenges and supports emerging scholars.

The annual AJHA auction is an investment in the future of journalism history scholarship. Every vintage publication, piece of memorabilia, or regional gift basket donated and bid on opens the door for another graduate student to join our scholarly community. Your participation in the auction directly supports the next generation of researchers through the Michael S. Sweeney Graduate Student Travel Stipend, ensuring our field remains vibrant and accessible to all.

Ryan Busillo is a graduate student at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He serves on the AJHA public relations committee.

How did you become involved with AJHA?

I attended my first AJHA meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1987 and my second in Lawrence, Kansas five years later, but I became a regular after Roanoke, Virginia in 1994. When I saw the call for the convention at the Roanoke Airport Marriott, I remember thinking, “Either these folks are clueless, or they care more about their papers than their location.” Wanting to find out, I went. And I wasn’t disappointed. I met Maurine Beasley, Janice Hume, and Steve Knowlton there. It didn’t hurt that the bus returning us from our excursion to Thomas Jefferson’s retreat, Poplar Forest, just happened to break down at a roadside bar with a nice selection of draft beers.

How do your undergraduate and master’s degrees in religion shape your understanding of journalism and/or film history?

Communication and religion are inseparable. Religion is always mediated by communication. Oral storytelling, exhortation, and suggestion helped tribes find cohesion. Print added the dimensions of documentation and permanence, creating the idea of “going by the book.” And electronic media foster a compelling sense of immediacy. In so many ways, my study of media shapes my understanding of religion. Along this line, I have to recommend Dennis Ford’s illuminating 2016 book, A Theology for a Mediated God: How Media Shapes our Notions about Divinity. His subtitle says it all.

But the opposite is also true. Among its many features, religious faith is a way of valuing intensely. As Kierkegaard understood, religion reminds us of the enduring subjectivity of human experience. So my study of religion tells me that all communication, journalism included, is subjective.

How have your experiences holding visiting teaching and research positions outside of the US informed your teaching or research at the University of Louisville?

When I joined the University of Louisville as an assistant professor, I had briefly visited just two other countries: Canada and Mexico. Since then, I have had the good fortune to give papers in Europe, South America, and Asia, to serve on the ecumenical jury at the Montreal World Film Festival, and to participate in a faculty development seminar in Jerusalem and the West Bank offered by the Palestinian American Research Center. I have also taken students overseas, most recently 18 honors students who studied Irish Tourism and Identity here on campus and then accompanied me to Ireland.

The effect, I hope, is to make me less provincial. I like the title of the PBS documentary series, "The American Experience." My teaching and research focus on American experiences, appreciating that we live in an interconnected world. My Faith and Film course, which examines the history of the most significant films about religion from the silent era to today, includes movies from Italy, Sweden, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Poland. I hope my teaching helps to mitigate xenophobia in my corner of the globe.

How have you seen your field change since you started?

I contribute to two subfields of media studies—media ethics and religion and media—and they have developed in parallel ways since I joined the faculty of the University of Louisville in 1985. First, each professionalized. The Journal of Mass Media Ethics (now the Journal of Media Ethics) started publication in 1985, and Media Ethics became a division of AEJMC in 1999. Similarly, Religion and Media became an interest group of AEJMC in 1996, and the Journal of Media and Religion began in 2002. Both journals are now Taylor & Francis publications. Both subfields increasingly focus on digital media and embrace publications from scholars across the globe.

The gender composition of the journals’ editorial advisory boards differs, though. Volume 1:1 of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics listed an editorial advisory board that was 84% male and 16% female. Today’s board is nearly equal: 51% male and 49% female. By contrast, volume 1:1 of the Journal of Media and Religion listed an editorial advisory board that was 78% male and 22% female. Today’s board shows a similar imbalance at 76% male and 24% female. The Journal of Media and Religion is currently in the process of “repopulating” its board, presumably to correct this imbalance.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia?

I’ve loved music at least since I watched the Beatles play on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964. My taste ranges from rock to symphonic. These days I sing bass in a church choir directed by a Ph.D. in musicology who treats us like session musicians.

I also enjoy cooking, especially when I have fresh vegetables from my garden. And then there’s travel—mostly to see my children and grandchildren, but sometimes to international destinations. In another life, I’d be Phil Rosenthal, creating season after Netflix season of "Somebody Feed Phil."

John Ferré is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Louisville where he teaches courses on media history, media ethics, and religious media.

Our election this year will be a little unusual.  Pamela Walck, who has two years remaining on her board term, is the lone nominee for second vice president. If she is elected, we will have four open board seats.

Four members were nominated for the board of directors: Karlin Andersen Tuttle, George Daniels, Melissa Greene-Blye, and Susan Swanberg. Members will vote for three board members as usual; the one that receives the least votes will take over Walck's partial term if she is elected second vice president.

Additionally, the membership will vote on whether to confirm the appointment of Erin Coyle, whom the board of directors appointed to second vice president upon the passing of Pam Parry. Coyle has been serving in that role since February. Per the AJHA Constitution and Bylaws, the Board is tasked with appointing officers to vacated positions, subject to confirmation by the AJHA membership at the next election. If confirmed, Coyle will ascend to first vice president. 

The 2nd VP, under normal circumstances, rises to the presidency in two years, then serves on the board as ex-officio for an additional two years. Board members serve for three years and are expected to attend board meetings at the annual convention.  

The election will be conducted via online survey, distributed in early September. A write-in option will be available for each position.  

Below are brief bios for each nominee. 

Second Vice President

Pamela Walck, an associate professor at Duquesne University, has been nominated for the position of second vice president. Walck has been a member of AJHA since she was in grad school at Ohio University (2013) and has attended every year—including the online days of COVID. 

Walck wrote that she joined AJHA because Mike Sweeney told her she should. “But in all seriousness, it only took one conference for me to see the immense benefit of being a part of AJHA,” she wrote. “From the beginning, I found a group of scholars who were incredibly passionate about media history AND building up new scholars. That forward focus is what keeps me coming back each year – and bringing grad students along from time to time.” 

Thanks to her membership in AJHA, Walck has been able to become friends with scholars across the globe in research areas that run the gamut. They have challenged her to look at her own research in new ways and have inspired her with their work.

“I have also found a community that is passionate about preserving the past – in an era where many wish to rewrite history to reflect what they wished it to be, rather than the reality of what it was,” she wrote. “That unblinking gaze into the past is critical to understanding tomorrow – and the AJHA membership understands that and stands up for that.” 

Walck started out as a member of the Oral History Committee and eventually became the chairperson of the group. In 2020, she became editor of American Journalism, AJHA’s flagship publication. She served in that position until 2024, when she joined the AJHA board of directors. 

Walck wrote that she feels like she is a strong collaborator – probably a result of her time in the newsroom. “I am also a good communicator and enjoy working with others to accomplish common goals,” she wrote. “I am getting better at understanding that conflict is not a bad thing – and trying to tackle disagreement with clarity and precision. I am fairly organized and definitely understand the importance of a deadline. I am open-minded and willing to hear multiple sides of an argument in a way that feels increasingly rare these days. And I value the importance of bringing and engaging journalism students (undergrad and grad) into our community of scholars.” 

Board of Directors

The nominees for the board of directors are Karlin Andersen Tuttle, George Daniels, Melissa Greene-Blye, and Susan Swanberg.

Karlin Andersen Tuttle, an adjunct instructor at Penn State University and journals production editor at the American Academy of Pediatrics, has been a member of AJHA since 2020.  

She joined because she was excited to join a community of support, mentorship, and shared enthusiasm for journalism and media history. “My research is interdisciplinary, but AJHA members welcomed my interests and helped me create a growing network of religious media historians,” Andersen Tuttle wrote. 

She stated that benefits of AJHA include meeting faculty and graduate students from around the country who are also passionate about journalism history and the vital role it plays in a well-rounded undergraduate education in mass communications. She also benefited from the travel support AJHA offered while she was a graduate student to attend the annual convention and the encouragement she received as she found her research focus. 

Andersen Tuttle currently serves as editor of the Intelligencer and co-chair of the AJHA Auction supporting the Michael S. Sweeney Graduate Student Travel Fund. She was a member of the Auction Committee for the 2024 conference. 

"Serving on the Auction Committee over the last year gives me insights into some of the Board’s functions and processes,” she wrote. “Additionally, editing the Intelligencer has increased and strengthened my connections to many AJHA members from graduate students to retired faculty. Those two existing roles will help me more easily take on this position and understand how to best serve fellow members.”

George L. Daniels, an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at The University of Alabama, has been a member of AJHA since the 2009 convention in Birmingham, Alabama.  

Daniels said he joined AJHA because "I was amazed at how one could write and do study on a topic that is of great interest—the way media were produced in the past and how that understanding informs the present. I’m working on several research projects that involve media history. I need AJHA to help ensure I’m on the right track with the way I’m contextualizing, analyzing and interpreting lots of historical data.”    

Daniels described the benefits AJHA membership as being associated with like-minded, supportive colleagues who can mentor and challenge you as you strengthen your skills as a researcher. He also enjoys receiving American Journalism several times a year. 

Daniels’ service to AJHA has included reviewing AJHA research papers for the past three years. He has been actively involved in other journalism organizations, so he is familiar with how to liaison. He wrote that he gets things done when it involves collaborating with others. 

Daniels stated, “I would like to learn more about the inner workings of the organization, especially as it relates to getting more journalism/media history into one’s general media course requirements.” 

Melissa Greene-Blye, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, is an assistant professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, where she is also affiliated faculty in the Indigenous Studies Program.  

Greene-Blye has been a member of AJHA since 2016, encouraged to join by Amber Roessner, who assured the then-graduate student that she would find a supportive space to present research on Indigenous issues and representation in media as well as a welcoming community of like-minded scholars. Greene-Blye certainly has found AJHA to be exactly that—a very warm, welcoming space where she has been able to connect with other scholars for research and presentation collaborations as well as mentorship during those challenging pre-tenure years. She points to the networking and social connections and opportunities as some of the "gravy on top" benefits to being part of the association.  

Greene-Blye has served on the graduate student and membership committees during her time with AJHA, stepping in to chair the membership committee when there was a need for an interim leader in that position.  

Greene-Blye brings a unique perspective to the purpose and mission of the association. Her ability to build bridges and create collaboration opportunities with other organizations such as the Indigenous Journalists Association and IndiJ Public Media ensure she would continue to make a strong contribution to helping build a strong future for AJHA, supporting the work already being done and helping to raise up a new generation of scholars who are committed to continuing the important work of our discipline, connecting the past with the present to reinforce the critical role media and journalism have played and continue to play in the stories we tell. 

Susan Elizabeth Swanberg, associate professor at the University of Arizona School of Journalism, has been a member of AJHA since 2016. 

She was recruited by Ross Collins at an AEJMC meeting. “AEJMC seemed large and impersonal, and all the AJHA people I'd met seemed friendly and helpful,” Swanberg wrote. “Since I am a science journalism historian, joining AJHA seemed to be a good fit. I have enjoyed immensely my affiliation with AJHA.” 

Swanberg is in her third year as research panels chair. She also has judged Blanchard award and book award entries.   

Swanberg stated that she has been a member of AJHA long enough to have an appreciation of the organization, its goals and processes. She has a legal background, which helps her understand the workings of bylaws, policies, and guidelines. She also is a multidisciplinary researcher (science journalism history, law, and the natural sciences). 

Swanberg wrote that she enjoys giving back to the organization that has provided her with a lot of support, including the 2018 Rising Scholar Award that helped fund a research trip to the Smithsonian Archives. She is interested in recruiting more AJHA members, including students. 

How did you become involved with AJHA?

The 2007 Joint Journalism Historians Conference in New York City (held that year at NYU’s refurbished Kimball Hall on Greene Street) was one of the first conferences I attended after starting my faculty position at Slippery Rock University (SRU). I was still completing my dissertation and trying to balance a four-course teaching load with three young children, so a one-day conference within driving distance seemed to be just the ticket.

Little did I know that the conference would be a turning point. While I had been an “outlier” in my graduate program by studying historical media as narrative, at AJHA and the Joint AJHA-AEJMC History Division conferences, I found researchers who shared similar interests and research. They provided meaningful feedback and encouragement just when I needed it.

Presentations at the joint conference also led to other opportunities. For example, a number of AJHA attendees encouraged me to also present at the Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War and Free Expression in Chattanooga—another supportive forum for collaboration, generating ideas, and finding inspiration.

Finally, in 2024, Dr. Pamela Walck of Duquesne University invited me to join her on the local planning committee for the AJHA convention in Pittsburgh. It was great to see many newer faculty in attendance and to feel like my participation had come full circle.

How does your industry experience in public affairs with the USDA Food & Nutrition Service inform your teaching?

I had a fantastic eight years working with the USDA Food & Nutrition Service, the agency that administers the nation’s domestic food assistance programs like food stamps and school meals. The agency is a heavy-hitter, serving one in four Americans each year with an annual budget of more than $160 billion—the largest single agency within the USDA.

Little of that money was at the disposal of the public affairs staff, however, and we “did it all.” Like the table of contents in a PR textbook, my role included media relations; collaborative programming with corporate, nonprofit, congressional and governmental entities; advertising and publications; communication around policy and programming initiatives; advance work for political appointees; issues management; and a focus on diverse populations. It taught me that one must be nimble, creative, and collaborative, and that textbook scenarios of PR campaigns with “a year to plan” and a “million-dollar budget” are not always what you find in the “real world.”

Although that experience has helped me immensely in preparing students, it was sobering to realize that my career with USDA came to a close before they were even born. We worked in a now-unfamiliar pre-website, pre-social-media, pre-digital-cameras world.

To update my skills, I completed two projects during a sabbatical this past year. The first project took me into the newsroom of the Butler Eagle in Butler, Pennsylvania, where I worked several days a week on reporting, editing, design and photo management for print and digital editions.

A second sabbatical project included collaboration with my former colleagues at the USDA and PR work with an environmental action group, Groundwork USA. I also connected with policy and programming figures at the state and federal level to learn more about the state of legislative affairs and policy action.

You advise a student organization, College Dress Relief (CDR), at Slippery Rock that helps students prepare for careers in social media communication and marketing. What are some tips or resources you can share with others who help students enter an industry that continually shifts and adapts to digital trends and technology?

My suggestion is to find topics that motivate students and let them “run with it.” I’m not particularly knowledgeable about fashion, for example, but, like sports and entertainment, it’s one of the topics that generates excitement and productivity. There’s also room in this type of organization for many types of students, from PR and integrated marketing to digital media and journalism—and even dance, English, and art majors.

CDR members put their classroom skills into action by writing fashion-oriented blogs, taking photos and videos, writing a monthly column for the campus newspaper, learning about social media management and analytics, branding, updating the website, and managing social media campaigns and in-person events. They also engage with broader issues like sustainability, diversity, and wellness. Their work with CDR builds up-to-date skills that translate into any field.

What makes you excited about your current research?

My newest projects have a bit of sentimental value for me as I’m taking a look at 19th and early 20th century reporting on industrial America—coal mines, steel mills, railroads, and so on. How did the local press represent these industries, with their promise and their dangers, within the community? The project taps into my previous research into 19th century reporting on American national identity, disaster and breaking news reporting, and journalism in the Gilded Age. Plus it’s a new opportunity to work with local historical societies and to remember the experience of my coal-mining, steel-working, railroading Pennsylvania ancestors.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia?

I am a piano player, former church organist, and lover of old stuff. I also love to travel. My three boys—who came to SRU with me in kindergarten and first grade—were subject to years of vacations to Civil War battlefields, museums, ghost towns, historic newspapers, etc., where mom was on the lookout for the precise location of the Frank Leslie’s illustrator or Mark Twain’s Virginia City, Nevada, writing desk. Now that they are on their own, I’ve spent quite a bit of time helping them move in and back out of dorm rooms, apartments, new jobs, a house, etc. Lucky for me, those trips have taken me down Historic Route 66, to historic cemeteries and churches, to incredible national parks and monuments, and to coffee houses on many adorable—and historic—Main Streets across the country.

Katrina Jesick Quinn is a professor and former chair of the Department of Strategic Communication and Media at Slippery Rock University. She teaches courses in public relations, news and media writing, advanced reporting, and publication design.

The American Journalism Historians Association is seeking nominations for three board positions and second vice president.

Board members serve for three years. The second vice president will ascend to first vice president after one year and then to president the following year. Board members and officers are expected to attend board meetings at the annual convention.

A nominee to the Board of Directors or to any officer position must be a member of the AJHA for at least one calendar year immediately preceding the date of the election. No more than one person from an institution can serve on the Board at one time.

To make nominations and to vote in an election, an individual must be a member of AJHA.

Those who wish to nominate candidates may do so by sending an email with the nominee's name, contact information, and affiliation to Election and Nominations Committee Chair Cathy M. Jackson, cmjackson@nsu.edu. Self-nominations are accepted.

Please confirm the candidate's willingness to be nominated before sending the name to Cathy.

You should send a brief bio and photo of the nominee along with a statement of why the person wants to serve. 

To standardize bios, the bios should contain statements and answers to the following questions. Answers may be obtained from the candidate or their vitae.

• Candidate’s name, title, university affiliation
• How long has the candidate been a member of AJHA?
• Why did they join AJHA?
• Benefits of their AJHA membership
• Roles and duties the candidate performed for AJHA
• Strengths and qualities the candidate possesses for the office

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. ET, August 1, 2025.

This year, voting will occur electronically, which means members do not have to come to the convention to vote. A write-in option will be available.

The American Journalism Historians Association Service Awards Committee selected Patrick Cox, Ph.D. as the 2025 recipient of the Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement, AJHA’s highest honor.

Cox is retired from the University of Texas at Austin where he was associate director of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History and taught at the UT Austin College of Journalism. He is a Distinguished Alum of Texas State University. Prior to his academic career, he was an award-winning journalist at The Wimberley View newspaper in Wimberley, Texas. Currently, he is the president of Patrick Cox Consultants, LLC. 

He is the author and editor of 10 books, including The First Texas News Barons, Picturing Texas History and Ralph W. Yarborough - the People’s Senator. He was a finalist for the Robert F. Kennedy National Book Award, the Western Writer’s Association Book Award, the Texas Philosophical Society Book Award and many others. Cox has also served two terms on AJHA’s Board of Directors, was the association’s convention sites chair for 12 years, and has received two President’s Awards for Distinguished Service to AJHA.

"Dr. Cox has contributed so much to the field of media history and AJHA. His scholarly work, especially in the area of Texas history, is strong, and his work through the Briscoe Center at the University of Texas opened numerous doors for other scholars. We are delighted to celebrate such a wonderful career in Long Beach later this year," said Willie Tubbs, chair of the selection committee.

First awarded in 1986, the Kobre Award recognizes individuals with an exemplary record of sustained achievement in journalism history through teaching, research, professional activities, or other contributions to the field of journalism history. Cox will receive the award at the AJHA's 44th annual convention to be held Sept. 25-27 in Long Beach, California.

“I am very grateful and honored to be the AJHA Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement recipient for 2025. We have a very distinguished group of recipients in the history of the Kobre Award, many of whom I had the pleasure to know and work with over the years,” said Cox. “As a journalist, historian, author, and active participant in AJHA since 1998 (going way back in the 20th century), I value all of the professional support, camaraderie, and lasting friendships I have made.”

Letters of support for Cox lauded his work as a storyteller and historian, as well as his years of service as AJHA’s convention sites chair.

“Patrick is a terrific, award-winning historian and a long-time supporter of AJHA, and I can think of no one more worthy of this award,” wrote Janice Hume of the University of Georgia. “When I think of Patrick, it’s “storyteller” that comes to mind. His history credentials are strong, his research methodology impeccable, and his productivity admirable, but he just knows how to weave good stories about politics, journalism and life in Texas. That storytelling trait spills over to his involvement with AJHA. He has been a wonderful colleague making many members, including new graduate students, feel welcome and a part of the AJHA community. That, too, is an important contribution to journalism history.”

“New to the role last year, I have such an appreciation for the hard work that Patrick did to make our annual conferences so impactful,” wrote Aimee Edmondson of Ohio University. “Few people know how much goes into choosing our convention city and hotel as well as guiding the local hosts in planning the historic tour, gala and so forth. Patrick wrote the book on AJHA conferencing in modern times. His work has helped create the AJHA faithful, historians who agreed this conference was not to be missed, and that is no small feat.”

“His work with AJHA is legendary,” wrote Mike Conway of Indiana University. “Patrick was more than a convention planner. He worked with the AJHA leadership on various issue throughout the years and made it a personal mission to make people, especially graduate students, welcome at our conferences.”

“For many years, it was Patrick to the rescue when it came to our annual convention. He is well deserving of the Kobre Award for ALL his key involvement in making sure our convention got off the ground, ran smoothly, and then weren’t saddled with fines,” wrote Julie Hedgepeth Williams of Samford University. “I admire Patrick’s take-charge, commanding presence that inspires so much confidence.”

Cox received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a sixth generation Texan and lives in Wimberley, Texas with his wife, Brenda.

How did you become involved with AJHA?

I cannot remember exactly when I became a member of AJHA, but I am sure it was when I was a graduate student in the mid-1990s. Most likely that would have been when I presented my first paper ever at an academic conference at AJHA’s annual convention in Mobile, Alabama, 1997. That would be the first time when I would be surrounded by like-minded journalism historians who were doing all sorts of interesting research and who seemed to be interested in what I was doing. (I learned something else at that conference. I learned that Mobile had a legitimate claim to hosting the first Mardi Gras celebrations in what became the United States and not New Orleans.)

After a career in broadcast television, what drew you to studying the nineteenth century press?

While I knew that I wanted to pursue a graduate degree, I had no intention of going any further than completing an M.A. and planned to stay in TV news. Yet, I was always curious how the press reported events because I worked in the news media and understood that our choices affected what people learned about their world and the people in it. I knew that the 19th-century press told us much about our cultural, social, and political past. I also had a topic I had always wanted to explore: The Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. My program at Minnesota gave me methodological tools and theoretical connections to develop that idea. Plus, I had an amazing advisor, Hazel Dicken-Garcia who gave me the encouragement to pursue my research interests.

After completing the M.A., I realized my desire to explore the 19th-century press had only heightened, so I made the commitment to enter a Ph.D. program and to continue working with my advisor. I eventually turned my attention to the press and slavery in the antebellum years. I do not regret that decision.

Journalists are curious people and so are historians. Plus, the ethos of journalism demands that all questions are addressed as fully as possible for a story. The same holds for historical research. The digging goes on until all (or as many as possible) questions are answered.

What topics or questions are you pursuing in your current research?

I am still very much interested in how 19th century ideas found expression in those old newspapers and how they continue to resurface in contemporary media. Pick up any major newspaper after John Brown’s 1859 raid, and it is easy to draw comparisons between the political vitriol appearing in newspapers with what can be found in today’s splintered and divisive media environment. For example, I cannot help but see similarities in the dangerous and destabilizing rhetoric of Southern fire eaters who wanted to silence speech about slavery or dissolve the Union over it with today’s politicians who label their opponents enemies and create chilling effects on the press or to silence the speech of those who disagree with them.

I continue work on a media discourse I call “Manifest Destiny North.” This 19th-century discourse is a corollary to “Manifest Destiny.” Instead of westward expansion, it looks northward, suggesting that Canada should be a part of the United States. Some of America’s most powerful 19th-century editors thought it was a good idea and said so. (Thus, the current president’s rhetoric about annexing Canada is nothing new.) Importantly, Canada became Canada as a direct result of the U.S. Civil War and to resist potential American aggression in the post-Civil War years.

What advice would you offer a recently retired or emeritus faculty about making the transition away from full-time academia?

I cannot say that I am fully retired yet. I just finished teaching a media law class this spring at my alma matter, the University of Minnesota. I contribute news stories and features to a local newspaper. Plus, I work on my research projects. By the time this reaches AJHA readers, I will have made two presentations at the International Association of Literary Journalism’s annual conference in May. My other work includes a book chapter about Montréal literary journalism for the proposed book Charting the Global: Urban Literary Journalism, and I recently contributed a chapter about the 19th-century press and the Ghost Dance Movement to a proposed book on the press and 19th-century spiritualism.

Still, I would urge anyone who has retired recently to stay engaged with your local community, however defined, and your academic community. This is essential, in my view, and worked for me. Plus, I don’t believe scholars ever retire, really.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia?

The usual: walking, bicycling, going t the gym. I love to read poetry (and at my age, I finally understand it). I do volunteer work at the county history museum and at a small science museum for children. Plus, once a week, to work with patrons at the Hennepin County (Minneapolis) Central Public library as a computer tutor. Go figure.

Brian Gabrial is professor emeritus of journalism at Concordia University Montreal where he taught since 2004. He currently teachings at the University of Minnesota and researches the intersection of nationalism, race, and gender in the 19th century press.

The American Journalism Historians Association has announced Robin Sundaramoorthy as the winner of the 2025 Margaret A. Blanchard Dissertation Prize.

The Blanchard Prize, awarded first in 1997, recognizes the best doctoral dissertation dealing with mass communication history. Three other scholars received honorable mentions for their dissertation work from the AJHA Blanchard Prize Committee.

Sundaramoorthy’s dissertation, "Black Radio Ownership and the FCC's Failed Attempt to Diversify the Airwaves," was completed under the direction of Linda Steiner at the University of Maryland.

"This year's nominees included a competitive group of scholars and an interesting selection of topics. On behalf of the AJHA Blanchard Prize Committee, I congratulate this year's winner and finalists—the best of the group,” said committee chair Pete Smith. “We look forward to seeing their research presentations at the AJHA conference in Long Beach.”

“I am incredibly honored that my dissertation won the AJHA Margaret A. Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize. Radio has been called 'the background sound of our lives,' but for far too long, African Americans and other marginalized groups of people were denied the chance to have their voices heard on the airwaves,” said Sundaramoorthy. “While the FCC effort to increase minority broadcast ownership failed, at least nine African Americans were able to benefit from this rule. They all faced significant challenges—limited access to capital, racism, sexism—but they loved working in the industry, and they used their stations to uplift and empower their communities. Who owns the media matters. I hope my research brings some much-needed attention to issues surrounding media ownership and representation in broadcasting.”

Holly Swenson, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Northwestern University, received an honorable mention for her dissertation "Cultural Commerce: How Media Exports Made the British World in Australia, 1850–1990,” written under the direction of Deborah Anne Cohen at Northwestern University. 

“As a British historian working across the fields of imperial history, business history, and media history, I am particularly proud to be recognized as a Blanchard Prize honorable mention,” Swenson said. “I am gratified that my work, which seeks to explain how the business of media export from Britain to Australia cemented the cultural links of empire, is both legible to and impactful among scholars of mass media and communication history. I look forward to engaging more with the community of the AJHA in the future!”

Robert O'Sullivan, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at the University of Notre Dame, was honored for his dissertation, “Revolutionary Nationalism, Imperialism and Anti-Slavery in the Trans-National Irish-American Press, 1840-1865," completed under the direction of Gary Gerstle at the University of Cambridge. 

“I am delighted that my PhD dissertation has been judged an honorable mention of the 2025 AJHA Margaret A Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize,” O’Sullivan said. “It is a great privilege that my research has received this accolade.”

Karlin Andersen Tuttle, an instructor at Penn State University, received an honorable mention for her dissertation, "Your Trusted Friend: Untold Histories of Five Christian Women’s Magazines, 1974-2023," written under the direction of Ford Risley at Penn State University. 

“Studying religious media history—and the intersection of women’s roles in that history—is an interdisciplinary task that makes finding space in academic conferences and journals challenging. My research is often seen as not contemporary enough for general media studies, not theoretical enough for gender studies, and not theological enough for religious studies,” Andersen Tuttle said. “From my first conference, AJHA provided a warm welcome for my interests and connections to scholars asking similar questions. I share this recognition with the many AJHA members whose valuable feedback and encouragement helped shape this project. The range of Blanchard honorees this year demonstrates how multifaceted our field is and I am thrilled to be recognized among such company.”

All four scholars will present their research on the Blanchard Dissertation Award Panel at the AJHA National Convention in Long Beach, California from September 25-27, 2025.

How did you become involved with AJHA?

Professor Ira Chinoy, who recently retired from Merrill College, encouraged me to join. We both share a love of history.

How does your background in political science and policy work inform your research on public-serving journalism?

Pretty much everything I teach and research relates to why journalism matters to liberal democracy. I have a bachelor's degree in political science, a master's degree in public affairs, and job experience in policy, and I'm a Black Southerner with a firsthand understanding of the consequences of illiberalism. 

My great-aunt got her bachelor's degree and master's degree in education from Prairie View A&M University at the height of Jim Crow in Texas, in a county with a long history of voter suppression and White supremacist violence—so that's who I'm descended from. I don't need to be reminded why liberal democracy matters, and it's not a thought exercise for me.

So, I agree with those who believe that an ideal purpose of journalism in our society is to provide everyone—meaning, all persons—with the news and information they need to be well-informed about their needs and interests. This enables them to be effective participants in our democratic system. I also talk with my students about how a core principle of liberal democracy is the principle of amelioration, or the belief that you have the agency and the responsibility to improve society and repair the world through civic participation. And one of the most significant forms of civic participation is journalism. So, as it relates to journalism history, I'm interested in how journalism as an institution in the United States has lived up to its purpose or betrayed it.

What advice do you have for recently graduated PhDs or other early-career scholars about making the transition into a full-time faculty position?

In terms of research, be very imaginative about what you want to accomplish and think a lot about its practical applications. How can you produce research that captures the interest of people inside and outside the academy? 

One of the more interesting things I did as a Ph.D. candidate, when I lived in Philly, was  sit in a bar, and people would ask me what I did for a living, and I'd tell them—and they couldn't have cared less. On the one hand, I loved it, because it's good to not wrap your entire identity around a job. On the other hand, it inspired me to think about how I can produce work that people outside of academia might find compelling and useful—because research can be a form of amelioration, if we relate it to the needs and interests of people who live outside the walls and lawns of a university.

In terms of teaching, I say, remember that students don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care. You can push your students harder if they believe that you have their best interests in mind, and if they understand that you care about them as people first and students second. 

Also, students love variety and to be entertained. They love seeing how creative you can be in presenting information, so don't disappoint them. Hit the cowbell hard in the classroom and really explore the space. Try new things. Some teaching ideas may succeed and others will fail, but students appreciate the effort. They can tell when you've put a lot of effort into a class and when you're just going through the motions, and it's that latter thing that will provoke them to light your course evaluations on fire.

I want to underline how important it is to care for students as people. Don't just see yourself as someone whose job is to disseminate information, and then to test how well students remember it. An app can do that. You, as a professor, have to teach with an ethic of care. Caring requires actively listening to students so that you can learn about them; making yourself available so that they can talk to you; and being willing to share relevant experiences of your own, so that students feel comfortable enough to tell you what's going on in their lives—so you can figure out how to get the best performance out of them. It's a lot like being a coach, in that sense. Coaches have to connect with their players in a similar fashion.

Part of the reason why teaching can be exhausting is because doing all these things requires a lot of energy, and your full attention and concentration while you're doing it. But if you want to be the kind of professor that students remember in a positive way 20 years from now, that's the level of commitment that's required. So you have to decide if that's who you want to be.

You joined the staff of the AEJMC History Division in fall of 2024 as the Member Q&A editor for Clio, how has that role impacted your view of the media history field and what are your goals for that section of Clio?

I’ve always found history to be an intriguing pursuit, so I don't know that I needed to be convinced of that, or that participating in this role taught me that. But it is interesting to learn about other people's backgrounds, and what motivates and inspires them. [I hope to] find more people who are willing to be profiled. People should reach out to me if they're interested. I promise to ask good questions.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia?

Finding and eating good chocolate chip cookies, writing handwritten letters to the people who are lucky enough to receive them, visiting New Orleans and the coastal South, listening to music, and watching sports and professional wrestling. 

I'm also trying to get back into the habit of reading for pleasure. I'm currently reading the recently released biography of Perle Mesta by Meryl Gordon called The Woman Who Knew Everyone. It's the story of the original "hostess with the mostest" in Washington, D.C., and it's fascinating to read about social life in political Washington in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. She was born Pearl Skirvin, and she comes from the family who built the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City from 1910-11, for those of you who know and appreciate that hotel. 

I enjoy the book because it evokes nostalgia about how certain aspects of Washington used to be in the days before ignorance and vulgarity were celebrated and normalized, and promoted in a 24/7 media culture. I really am tired of it. Granted, we know that nostalgia is a selective tool that captures aspects of a time that we idealize the most while filtering out the most regrettable parts—and we've never truly lived in a society that didn't have serious problems in its discourse. But it's not hard to dream of a society where people making a spectacle of themselves for clicks, and votes, and profit isn't something that's rewarded in the worlds of politics and policy—and where necessary conversations can be had, but in good faith and with respect for the principles of liberal democracy. And probably with some amazing food and drink. All of that would be useful today.