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.

Five media historians will receive funding supporting their research related to diversity and media history. The microgrants are sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s History Division and the American Journalism Historians Association. It’s a collaborative effort to stimulate more diversity research in their journals, Journalism History and American Journalism.

“The microgrants program reflects a unified commitment by our journals to support the unearthing and amplification of underrecognized voices and experiences from media history,” said Journalism History’s Editor Perry Parks. “The more of these stories we are able to tell, the richer all of our histories will be.”

Here are this year’s microgrant winners:

Andrew T. Daws is a doctoral candidate in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at The University of Alabama. His research primarily focuses on LGBTQ+ publications. His microgrant project expands on his dissertation research on classified advertisements in Southern gay newspapers and how they shaped queer community and identity from the 1980s to early 2000s. The grant will allow him access valuable archival material, offering a broader context of how these ads functioned as sites of community-building and resistance across diverse queer landscapes and cultural contexts.

Michael Fuhlhage is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Wayne State University. He researches newsgathering with a focus on Latinos and Latino immigration and how cultural identity shapes journalists’ perceptions. Fuhlhage’s microgrant project, while building on his previous research on the prehistory of stereotypes about Latinos, represents a new research agenda for him, as he will study how Chicanos pushed back against mainstream media misrepresentation through counter-narratives. His research will focus on how Chicanos told their own stories to their people and mainstream media in the late 20th century.

Takeya Mizuno is a professor in the School of Political Science and Economics at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan. His research centers on the history of Japanese American journalists in Hawai’i and the mainland United States. His microgrant project expands on his current research to examine how the military government began licensing and censorship of the Japanese “enemy language” press in Hawai’i during World War II. By using archival material, he will examine the press licensing system, censorship, and how Japanese newspapers and readers reacted to stringent press control.

Robin Sundaramoorthy is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland and American University. Her research focuses on silences, gaps, and omissions; she feels strongly that the people the media leave out are more important than those they include. Her microgrant project will build on her award-winning dissertation, which examined efforts by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the 1980s to increase broadcast minority ownership.  Her new research will focus on Jo-Al Broadcasting, Inc. and KTOY Radio in Texarkana, Arkansas. Her microgrant will help her conduct oral history interviews.

Wafa Unus is an associate professor of journalism at Fitchburg State University. Her research interests include minority press, local news deserts, and journalism history. She authored A Newsman in the Nixon White House, examining political image-making and journalistic integrity. Unus develops local academic-news partnerships to address news gaps. She is also a columnist for the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Her microgrant project is a case study of advocacy and reporting in The Moslem World & The U.S.A., the first monthly journal about Islam in the United States, examining how minority journalism historically united marginalized communities and shaped narratives around intersectional struggles.

"The American Journalism Historians Association and American Journalism are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s History Division and Journalism History to help fund scholarship that gives voice to and amplifies diverse media histories,” said Amber Roessner, editor for American Journalism. “These undertold narratives can help us reckon with challenging chapters of our history, and they contribute to a more complete, holistic understanding of our past and how it relates to this present moment.”

The microgrant winners have until June 1, 2026, to finish their research and submit an academic journal article to American Journalism or Journalism History for review.

This microgrant program was launched in 2023. Counting this year’s awardees, a total of 14 media history scholars have been helped financially by these grants. 

How did you become involved with AJHA?

I first learned about AJHA through my dissertation chair and research advisor while pursuing my Ph.D. at Mizzou. At the time, I was researching the history of digital camera technology in photojournalism, particularly the roles of the Associated Press and the Olympic Games in driving its adoption. My advisor, a media historian and an active member of AJHA, encouraged me to submit my research to AJHA’s conference as a place where it could find a strong scholarly audience. 

My path to media history has always felt like a natural progression, albeit one that could be described as an aberration of sorts. My career has been built on working with the newest technologies, the most cutting-edge tools and techniques. But I have always believed that in order to understand where we are going, we must understand where we have been. I don’t see history merely as a tool for course correction—it is a story, one that deserves to be explored and respected. The people we study in history were acting in their present, just as we are acting in ours. Historians in the future will examine our decisions, just as we analyze those of the past. There is something profoundly humbling in that. 

This mindset has shaped how I approach research. Years ago, while living in China, I was hired as a consultant for Guangzhou Daily Press. My job was to modernize the layout and editorial structure of their English-language newspaper. But before making any changes, I first went into the archives to understand how the paper had evolved to that point. At Mizzou, when studying emerging digital technology, I wanted to trace every innovation since the telegraph that led to the tools we use now. That curiosity—the need to ask, "What led us to here?"—has defined my work.

AJHA provided a scholarly home for that perspective. It connected me with other researchers who see media history as more than just a chronology of past events, but as an ongoing conversation that informs how we understand journalism, technology, and culture. The association continues to influence my research through its daily newsletters, research calls, and conferences, keeping me engaged with new scholarship and opportunities. If anything, I need to do better about fully engaging—attending more in-person events and taking part in networking opportunities. The first year after completing my Ph.D. and relocating to a new position was a whirlwind, but now that the initial chaos has settled, I look forward to becoming more involved in the years ahead.

How do you connect your research on emerging digital technology with media history in the classroom?

I treat media history as an intrinsic linkage to learning emerging digital technology. Every tool, every industry standard, and every decision that seems taken for granted today was once an innovation. By exploring the origins of these tools and practices in the classroom, students develop a robust professional foundation on which they are able to engage with future technologies.

In my Media Production Principles course, for instance, I guide students through the invention of the kinetoscope, the rationale behind 35mm film as the standard for full-frame digital sensor technology, and why we continue to rely on a 4:3 aspect ratio in digital motion picture for standard television in North America. We also explore why movies are presented at 24 frames per second in major motion pictures (Director Peter Jackson, notwithstanding)—a decision rooted in early technological constraints and cost efficiency rather than any inherent natural law. Students swiftly recognize that many of the tools and formats they use daily were shaped by historical decisions made long before their time.

I have often observed a profound fascination for these lessons on history in my students—they frequently express surprise at understanding why certain media conventions exist and gain a deeper appreciation for the industry once they do. Many have commented in their course evaluations that my approach to teaching these lessons captivates them. Some students even remark that, despite their best efforts, they could not remain uninterested because it is too engaging for learning. This is one of the greatest compliments I can receive as an educator.

At times we explore transcending current industry standards, contemplating how present-day choices might influence media in the next century. We’ve contemplated alternative histories, such as, what if Edison and Dickson had selected a 1:1 or 3:4 format instead of 4:3? What if spatial computing leads us to entirely break away from traditional frames? While students sometimes laugh at such forward-thinking ideas or give the imitation shiver, these discussions help them realize that they are part of an ongoing evolutionary process, not passive users of technology.

Ultimately, my goal is to assist students in recognizing that history is not merely something to study for the sake of studying it. History is something they are living and shaping right now. By fostering this perspective, I aim to instill a sense of responsibility and agency among my students, encouraging them to contribute meaningfully to the future evolution of media.

How has your extensive international travel and twelve years living outside the U.S. informed your understanding of media history in the U.S. and/or abroad?

Spending over a decade in China fundamentally shaped my understanding of media history—not just in terms of studying it, but in living it firsthand. I worked inside state-controlled media as a visual editor at Guangzhou Daily and as a voice-over reporter for GDTV’s World Channel, where I saw how journalism functioned in a system with direct government oversight. Each week, we received a white paper outlining which stories had to align with Xinhua's [News Agency, China's state news outlet] official version. It was an accepted reality of the newsroom, and while there were moments when editors might have quietly joked about running a different version, there was no question about what would actually go to print.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that even in state-run media systems, investigative journalism still exists—it just operates within defined boundaries. Local corruption, consumer protections, and infrastructure failures were fair game for reporting, and I saw firsthand how these stories could still have real impact. Working within this system didn’t make me more cynical about press freedom; rather, it deepened my understanding of journalism as an impartial act that is shaped by the structures in which it operates. In the West, journalism serves one set of interests; in China, it serves another. No system is without influence.

My time in China also made me view Western media through a more critical lens. While American journalism prides itself on press freedom, the U.S. has its own forms of narrative control—through omission, misdirection, or the economic realities of media ownership. Teaching this perspective to students often results in pushback, which I welcome. Many have grown up immersed in American ideals of free press, and it can be jarring to confront the reality that all media systems, even democratic ones, have constraints. But as someone who has lived in both worlds, I try to bring that complexity into the classroom.

Beyond China, my travels across Southeast Asia—Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka—exposed me to even more varied approaches to journalism and media governance. Seeing how different nations handle media access, censorship, and digital communication reinforced my view that media history isn’t just a timeline of technological advances, but a reflection of each society’s values and power structures.

Having graduated semi-recently, what advice do you have for other PhD candidates or recent graduates? This could be about the job market, dissertation writing, first year at a new job, etc.

Transitioning from PhD candidate to tenure-track professor has been both rewarding and overwhelming. One of the biggest adjustments wasn’t just stepping back into the instructor’s role. A professorial role carries with it a substantial burden of responsibilities. Doing this at an American university after years of teaching in China added an additional challenge of shifting into a new culture. While I had extensive experience in the classroom, the cultural and institutional expectations were more of a transition than I had anticipated.

One of the hardest realities of this position is the workload—upwards of 70-80 or more-hour workweeks, constant pressure to publish, committee service, professional service, curriculum development, and teaching. Unlike in China, where I had long semester breaks, there is no real downtime here. Winter break is for writing and prepping courses; summers are spent teaching, revising curriculum, attending conferences, and producing research. This is the reality of tenure-track life at a research university in the U.S., and no one should enter it under any illusions that the workload eases up once the dissertation is finished. The pressure of the tenure clock is real. Defending your dissertation helps to prepare for that ticking pressure.

Financially, the transition has been jarring as well. The most important piece of advice I can offer to PhD candidates is this: Make sure your program is fully funded with a living stipend. The dissertation process is all-consuming, and unless you are in an extraordinary situation, working a full-time job while writing a dissertation is nearly impossible. You may find yourself starting to fund your studies on credit, and I cannot stress this enough—do not charge your way through school. The financial burden of paying down that debt after graduation will follow you for years.

As for the job market, it’s an intense but thrilling process if you know your worth. I was writing my dissertation while applying for positions, meeting search committees at AEJMC, and flying to universities for campus visits. The experience was high-pressure but ultimately rewarding, and I was fortunate to receive multiple offers. Timing and my research area contributed favorably, as I’ve known others who applied to 50 or more institutions and heard back from only a handful. Applying for a tenure-track line is highly competitive, but when you find the right fit, the process is worthwhile.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of academia?

Travel, photography, and fitness. Photography is the longest throughline in my life. It has been with me from childhood, through my travels, into my career, and even into my academic research. My father taught me how to use a camera when I was a kid, letting me experiment with his Pentax 35mm SLR film camera. We practiced photographing everything—macro photography of coins on the kitchen table shooting through extension tubes to get right down into the scratches and nicks, documenting birthdays, holidays, and everydays, whatever caught our curiosity. My grandfather was also an avid photographer, a hobbyist who never ate a warm meal because he was too busy photographing his food—long before Instagram was ever a concept, my grandpa photographed everything. My father took photography a step further than his dad, turning it into a small business when he and my mother ran a video rental store and eventually expanded into video production. My brother and I would use the editing decks to make skate videos, cutting together footage of us out on our boards.

I carried this passion forward. In high school, I ordered a photography class-on-tape from the Seattle Film School and dreamt of attending the Art Institute, which I eventually did—earning my BA from the Art Institute of Colorado. I took my father’s camera on my first-ever solo trip to New York City in 1991, where I photographed everything—including a worm’s eye view shot looking up at the tall palm trees inside the World Trade Center. That trip was a turning point in my life. For one, I’d never seen palm trees inside a building before. It galvanized my passion for travel, a passion that deepened when I served in the Marines as I traveled to almost every country with shores on the Mediterranean Sea—Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Greece, Italy, and Spain. I have been a traveler ever since, always with at least one camera in hand.

Photography became the foundation of my career. It took me to China, where I documented a mid-tier city for my master’s thesis, and later, it led me into journalism and academia. Photography got me here, and now, though I don’t have time to make photos the way I once did, my research is taking me where I’m going next.

Fitness has also played an important role in my life. I ran track in high school, ran in the Marines, and later, I picked it back up while living in China. Running has been a constant, though my passion for fitness deepened in 2014-2015 when I decided I wanted more than just running. I joined a gym, started resistance training, gave up the sweets, colas, alcohol, even meat, and trained religiously—lifting on gym days, running on the in-between days.

Fitness was also what connected me to my brother, so when he passed away in 2021, my fitness routine unraveled. Now, though my training regimen isn’t what it was, every time I train, I think of him, and it keeps him.

Travel, photography, fitness—these have all shaped me (no pun intended). Even when one fades into the background, it never truly disappears.

Chad Stuart Owsley is an assistant professor of communication in emerging media studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

The AJHA Board of Directors has named Erin Coyle as second vice president, filling the position vacated upon the death of Pam Parry. 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. 

Coyle thanked the board for the opportunity to serve AJHA at a time when we need to strongly defend education, journalism history, historical research, journalism, press freedom, and civil rights.

“I am proud of this organization for providing opportunities for historians to research communication and underrepresented members of society,” Coyle said.

“This organization provides essential mentorship and support for journalism historians,” she said. “I am looking forward to working with our members to continue fostering mentorship and support for communication historians.”

Coyle researches advocacy for free expression, rights to access government information and government proceedings, and conflicts between free expression and privacy rights. Winner of the 2023 AJHA National Award for Excellence in Teaching, Coyle teaches courses in journalism history, media law and ethics, writing and reporting, and theory as an associate professor at Temple University.

She is the author of The Press and Rights to Privacy: First Amendment Freedoms vs. Invasion of Privacy Claims and articles in top media law and media history journals.

Coyle has served two terms on the AJHA Board of Directors and has been chair of the Research Committee. She also has been a liaison to the Graduate Student Committee and assisted with the silent auction.

President Debbie van Tuyll said Coyle is an outstanding choice to join the AJHA leadership.

“She is an excellent scholar and teacher, energetic and organized,” van Tuyll said. “I've been so impressed as I've worked with her in various capacities over the years—everything she does is done thoughtfully and well. I am truly looking forward to serving with her.”

First Vice President Michael Fuhlhage said he is thrilled that Coyle will be joining the leadership team.

“I have known her since joining the doctoral program at UNC, and she conducts herself as a scholar with great care, skill, and integrity,” Fuhlhage said. “It will be a pleasure to serve AJHA alongside her."

Coyle will fulfill the tasks associated with the second vice president for the remainder of this year, which includes assembling the conference program. If confirmed by the membership on the fall ballot, Coyle will ascend to the position of first vice president after this year’s convention in Long Beach and then to president the following year.

Board Members React to US Archivist Firing

In an emotional meeting on Friday, Feb. 21, AJHA board members approved signing on to the American Historical Association statement regarding the firing of the archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan.

Board members also asked President Debbie van Tuyll to craft a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump that directly protests his firing of Shogan. The letter follows this story. Members who wish to add their names to the letter can let van Tuyll know at dvantuyl@augusta.edu. You must sign on no later than Friday, Feb. 28, which is when the letter will be mailed and emailed. Members are also welcome to use the letter as a template for their own individual communications.

Ad Hoc Committee to Support Members’ DEI Research

A new ad hoc committee is putting together a cache of resources for members who work in areas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and who are threatened by either state or federal attacks on their work. Those resources might be publications, websites or even experts who are willing to offer pro bono services.

A University of California system tenured law professor told Inside Higher Education that President Donald Trump's recently issued executive orders are vague when it comes to defining DEI and that concerned the professor, whose specialty is critical race theory, enough to ask for certain information to be removed from their website biography. They have also declined teaching a class on that specialty for the duration of the Trump presidency.

The AAUP and others have filed a federal law suit arguing that President Trump's DEI orders violate both the First and Fifth Amendments and threaten academic freedom.

Michael Fuhlhage of Wayne State University will chair the committee. Members include Yong Volz, University of Missouri; Robbie Byrd, University of Memphis; Gwen Mellinger, James Madison University; and Melita Garza, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A sixth appointment is pending and will be announced once it is made.

"This is the work of angels right now," AJHA President Debbie van Tuyll said. "Government interference with Hi what happens in the collegiate classroom or individual research is a form of censorship, and we want to help our colleagues prepare to respond to such interference."

The committee began compiling links and documents for members whose work is threatened by pending legislation or other government actions that target diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and teaching during its first meeting on Friday, February 21. The committee also recommended that AJHA sign on to the American Historical Association’s statement opposing Trump’s executive order “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” The committee will also host a listening/discussion session in late March for anyone who wishes to discuss the impact of the anti-DEI government action on their work. The time and date will be announced soon.

Van Tuyll has asked the committee to have their full report ready for presentation at the fall board meeting.

AJHA to Apply for Organization Credit Card

Board members also approved applying for an organizational credit card to handle convention expenses that are too great for the limits on the organization's debit card. According to Treasurer Ken Ward, the card will be paid off immediately after the conference and will not carry a balance. He will also seek a card that offers the best rewards for the organization.

Closing Note on 2024 AJHA Convention Budget

Aimee Edmondson, convention planner, sent the good news that the Pittsburgh convention did not lose money, thanks to a last-minute donation by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Letter Regarding US Archivist Firing

February 21, 2025

Dear President Trump:

I am writing on behalf of the American Journalism Historians Association to protest your firing of the archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen J. Shogan. We are an organization that seeks to advance education and research in mass communication history and is committed to upholding the principles of our democracy.

Dr. Shogan was appointed to a role that is required by law to be non-partisan. Further, the law requires that her appointment be grounded in her professional qualifications. The law also requires that you inform both the House of Representatives and the Senate of the reasons for her dismissal. That was almost a month ago.

We urge you to follow the law and forward your reasons for her dismissal immediately. We also remind you that any replacement must be non-partisan in order to conform to the rule of law. As president of the United States, you are pledged to uphold the laws of our country. Such a pledge should not be taken lightly.

Sincerely,

Debra Reddin van Tuyll, Ph.D.

President

American Journalism Historians Association

Michael Fuhlhage, Ph.D., First Vice President, AJHA

By: Amber Roessner, American Journalism editor

Seeking digital media reviews for American Journalism: A Journal of Media History

Any digital media resource or production (website, social media account, digital archive, or film) about journalism, media, film, or public relations history.

Are you interested in writing a digital media review for American Journalism: A Journal of Media History? The Digital Media Reviews (DMR) section of the journal showcases digital archives, websites, social media accounts, and film resources that would be useful to media historians or media history educators. Past submissions have highlighted digital archives authors have consulted in their own research or that are housed at their own institutions, while others have explored popular media (social media, film, or television series) that engage with relevant historical topics or issues. 

I am currently collecting reviews for 2025’s Volume 42, Issues 2 through 4. Please visit American Journalism’s website to learn more about the journal itself as well as the DMR section. If you have an idea for a digital media review, I warmly encourage you to contact me at cteresa@niagara.edu for further information about submission guidelines. Thank you!

Review length: 700 to 800 words long

Deadline: Flexible

Contact: Carrie Teresa, Digital Media Reviews editor, cteresa@niagara.edu

Upcoming American Journalism Rename Feedback Survey

American Journalism Historians Association members should be on the lookout for a Qualtrics survey that is designed to offer feedback around calls to rename the organization’s journal, American Journalism. The survey will be distributed to AJHA’s membership through Wild Apricot within the next month.  

As the survey introduction explains:

At American Journalism’s 40th anniversary, former editors Barbara G. Friedman and Kathy Roberts Forde (2023) asked: ‘why should a journal that publishes media history, not only journalism history, across national contexts and boundaries continue to call itself by a name—American Journalism—that excludes content it welcomes?’ (p. 356). Incoming editor Amber Roessner heard similar calls for a more inclusive name during the journal’s editorial transition and approached the boards of the American Journalism Historians Association and American Journalism about continuing a dialogue more than a decade in the making. With support from both boards and our Taylor and Francis representative, this survey is designed to gain insight into the perspective of our community of scholars.

Roessner further contextualized calls for a name change in her recent editor’s note published in American Journalism Vol. 42, No. 1, citing the 2024 AJHA Presidential Address. “It’s time,” AJHA president Tracy Lucht noted in her address. “The name of our journal should respect and reflect the research of those among us who study the histories of public relations, advertising, entertainment, and other forms of media communication, not just within the US but globally. We can be exclusionary, or we can be inclusive. To me, the choice is clear” (Lucht, "Noise and Numbers"). In response to these continued calls, the Qualtrics survey was designed in consultation with the AJHA board to gather feedback from our community in the coming days. So, please be on the lookout for the AJHA Wild Apricot survey announcement in your in-boxes within the next month. Moreover, as we engage in dialogue around this topic, please remember to heed the voice of former American Journalism editor Jim Martin, who once reminded reviewers to “let courtesy prevail.” (Jim Martin, “Editor’s Note,” American Journalism 22, no. 2 (2005): 6.).