Member Spotlight: Reed Smith

20 Oct 2024 9:46 AM | Karlin Andersen Tuttle (Administrator)

1. How did you become involved with AJHA?

I learned about AJHA from Dr. Patrick Washburn at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University while I was a graduate student there in the early 1990s.

 I attended my first conference in Pittsburgh in 2000, and I was hooked because of the  the camaraderie and the excellence of the research presentations.  

2. How did your industry experience inform your teaching and/or research?

I was a disc jockey, news reporter and NPR station developer before entering the academy. These experiences allowed me to understand and relate to students what they would face in the field and helped focus my research. 

Even before I went to graduate school and learned how to do historical research, I loved reading and learning about history of all kinds. Thus, pursuing historical media research was a natural. When I began my Ph.D., I switched from doing solely broadcast to journalism history. This greatly broadened my perspective on the media. So, my research has encompassed both broadcast and print-related projects in the years since.  

3. How have you seen your field change since you started?

It has changed greatly in multiple ways. I  lived through the evolution of media technology from analog to digital-based equipment. This required reeducation on my part as both a practitioner and as an instructor. Later on, I witnessed the evolution of journalism delivery systems from those that are broadcast and print-based to ones that are largely online. That also required reeducation as I taught students how to navigate and flourish in the new environment.  

4. How has being a professor emeritus changed your research agenda or interests?

It has not changed them significantly, but I now have time to read more broadly as I consider new topics to research and develop a broader perspective. Most importantly, it has opened a world of Voice Overwork for me. I record newspapers and have narrated a book for the Georgia Radio Reading Service (for the vision-impaired) and have recorded books for a Christian book publisher. This work allows me to utilize my announcing skills as well as my journalism knowledge and faith to volunteer with organizations that contribute to the greater good.   

5. What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia? 

I enjoy doing anything that involves physical activity, including hiking, biking, playing racquetball, and lifting weights. And although I have retired, I continue to serve as the leader of the Faculty Commons (Christian) group at Georgia Southern. I also enjoy reading about or viewing history-based documentaries or films and traveling to history sites.   

Reed Smith is a professor emeritus of communication arts at Georgia Southern University. His research focuses on the history of media, oral histories, and the development of educational media.

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