Awards

Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement: Eugenia "Jean" Palmegiano

AJHA's highest honor, 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.

This year's Kobre Award recipient is Eugenia "Jean" Palmegiano, emerita faculty in the St. Peter’s University Department of History. A lifetime member of AJHA, Palmegiano is noted for her work on transnational and international history and for building connections between AJHA and the American Historical Association.

Palmegiano will receive the award and deliver brief remarks at the annual awards lunch on Oct. 4. Read the press release.

National Award for Excellence in Teaching: Michael S. Sweeney

Presented at the annual Awards Luncheon, the National Award for Excellence in Teaching honors a college or university teacher who excels at teaching in the areas of journalism and mass communication history, makes a positive impact on student learning, and offers an outstanding example for other educators. An honorarium of $500 accompanies the prize.

This year's winner is Michael S. Sweeney, professor and associate director for graduate studies in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at the Ohio University. In addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in journalism and mass communication history, he has mentored a number of students who have participated in AJHA conventions. Read the press release.

AJHA Book of the Year Award: Steven Casey

AJHA's Book of the Year Award recognizes the best book in journalism history or mass media history published during the previous calendar year.

This year's recipient is Steven Casey (London School of Economics and Political Science) for “The War Beat, Europe: The American Media at War Against Nazi Germany” (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Carolyn Edy (Appalachian State) and Julia Guarneri (University of Cambridge) earned honorable mentions for their books.

The award recipients will discuss their work during a special conference session on Oct. 6. Read the press release.

Margaret A. Blanchard Dissertation Prize: Kathryn McGarr

Since 1997, AJHA has presented the Blanchard Prize for the best doctoral dissertation dealing with mass communication history completed during the prior calendar year.

Kathryn J. McGarr completed her dissertation, “Gentlemen of the Press: Post-World War II Foreign Policy Reporting from the Washington Community,” at Princeton University under the direction of Julian Zelizer.

The following scholars earned honorable mention for their dissertations:

• Jeremiah Favara (University of Oregon; director, Carol Stabile)
• Thomas Schmidt (University of Oregon; director, Gretchen Soderlund)
• Willie Tubbs (University of Southern Mississippi; director, David Davies)

All four award recipients will discuss their work in a special conference session on Oct. 5. Read the press release.

American Journalism Rising Scholar Award: Susan E. Swanberg

Editors of AJHA's quarterly academic journal American Journalism present the Rising Scholar Award at the annual General Business Meeting to recognize the achievements and potential of an untenured scholar.

This year's recipient is Susan E. Swanberg (Arizona).

The award comes with $2,000 in research funding, underwritten by a gift from Stan Cloud in honor of his wife, the late Barbara Cloud, an early member and former president of AJHA. Swanberg will use the award to fund her project, “Spinning Science: Journalism’s Role at the Interface of Science and Public Policy During the Birth of the Atomic Age.” Read the press release.

Best American Journalism Article: Thomas A. Mascaro

The Best Article Award honors research published in American Journalism within the last year that is original, rigorous, and makes an outstanding contribution to developing scholarship in the field of journalism and mass communication history.

This year's recipient is Thomas A. Mascaro (Bowling Green State University), author of “The Blood of Others: Television Documentary Journalism as Literary Engagement.”

The editors of American Journalism will present the award during the annual General Business Meeting. Read the press release.

Joseph McKerns Research Grants

Joseph McKerns Research Grants provide funding of up to $1,250 per person for media history research projects while recognizing and rewarding the winners.

Following are this year's winners, announced during the general business meeting on Oct. 6:

• Michael Fuhlhage, Wayne State University
• Amy Mattson Lauters, Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Raymond McCaffrey, University of Arkansas
• Pamela Walck, Duquesne University
  

Research Paper Awards

During the general business meeting on Oct. 6, the following researchers received awards for their papers presented at the convention in Salt Lake City:

Maurine Beasley Award For the Outstanding Paper on a Women’s History

Winner: Natascha Roelsgaard, Ohio University

Runner-up: Bailey Dick, Ohio University

Runner-up: Pete Smith, Mississippi State University

J. William Snorgrass Memorial Award for the Outstanding Paper on a Minorities Topic

Winner: Gwyneth Mellinger, James Madison University

Runner-up: Linda Lumsden, University of Arizona

Runner-up: Sara Browning, University of Maryland

Jean Palmegiano Award for Outstanding International/Transnational Journalism Research

Winner: Debra van Tuyll, Augusta University

Wally Eberhard Award for the Outstanding Paper on Media and War

Winner: Patrick S. Washburn and Michael S. Sweeney, Ohio University

Runner-up: Michael Fuhlhage, Tabitha Cassidy, Erika Thrubis, Darryl Frazier, Scott Burgess, and Keena Neal, Wayne State University

Runner-up: Harlen Makemson, Elon University

Robert Lance Memorial Award for Top Grad Student Paper

Winner: Natascha Roelsgaard, Ohio University

Runner-up: Bailey Dick, Ohio University

Runner-up: Sara Browning, University of Maryland

Wm. David Sloan Award for Top Faculty Paper

Winner: Gwyneth Mellinger, James Madison University

Runner-up: Patrick S. Washburn and Michael S. Sweeney, Ohio University

Runner-up: Debra van Tuyll, Augusta University