Autumn 2014 Vol. 49, No. 1 ONLINE aejmc.us/history INSIDE THIS ISSUE AMONG THE MEDIA Newsletter of the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Historians present research in Montreal Photos of AEJMC Poster Sessions I PAGE 20 Meeting Minutes Goals for year I PAGES 3-4 Transnational History and journalism I PAGE 5 T. Thomas Fortune House at risk I PAGE 6 Covert Award Nomination call I PAGE 7 Teaching Standards KATHY FORDE | MASSACHUSETTS Column I PAGES 8-9 Kimberley Mangun of the University of Utah presents her History Division top faculty paper , “The ‘Eloquent Dr. King’: How E.O. Jackson and the Birmingham World Covered Martin Luther King SE Colloquium and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.” Abstract call I PAGE 9 NOTES FROM THE CHAIR Joint Conference In NYC I PAGE 10 PFR Why diversity matters Column I PAGES 11, 15 Yong Volz The first time I attended but I was delighted to get Chair the History Division members’ recognized for a piece on a The Food Section meeting was at the 2003 “non-mainstream” topic. As Book excerpt I PAGES 12-15 conference in Kansas City. I someone simply “different,” Graduate Liaisons was a doctoral student then and I felt visible and invisible Column I PAGE 15 was attending the meeting to at the same time. I had an receive a student paper award uneasy sense of what Edward WebNotes on a study of the historical Said describes as “intellectual Column I PAGE 16 emergence of Chinese women dislocation” but meanwhile, journalists. I could not help felt welcomed and included. News and Notes University of Roundup I PAGES 17-19 Missouri noticing that I was the only I decided to stay in the field, “Asian” face in the crowd and thanks to my mentors at perhaps also the sole international student, See Volz I Page 2 2 I AUTUMN 2014 CLIO: AMONG THE MEDIA Why diversity matters Table 1 Volz Demographic Comparison: Continued from Page 1 History Division Membership and AEJMC Full Membership Minnesota, Chin-Chuan Lee and Hazel Dicken-Garcia, who encouraged me Categories History Division AEJMC Full to follow my heart to pursue historical Membership Membership scholarship especially on topics central Gender to my own cultural identity and Female 128 (41.3%) 1634 (49.0%) experience. Male 182 (58.7%) 1704 (51.0%) I am glad I stayed and have Race/Ethnicity continued my research in the field of Caucasian 247 (86.7%) 2097 (71.8%) media history. I am fortunate to be able African American 21 (7.4%) 207 (7.1%) develop my career at Missouri with Asian/Asian American 2 (0.7%) 176 (6.0%) supportive colleagues who appreciate Latin/Latino 6 (2.1%) 76 (2.6%) historical scholarship. I value my Native American 0 (0 %) 17 (0.6%) membership in the Division and am “International” and “Other” 9 (3.1%) 347 (11.9%) grateful to have been brought onto the Note: this data is incomplete, as some of the members do not designate their leadership team. Yet, as I looked around gender, race, ethnicity, and nationalities. at the Division members’ meeting in Montreal in August, I wished more “International/Other.” We only have media history in non-Western countries, minority and international scholars had two Asian/Asian American members historical discourse of the LGBT also joined the field and were involved (me and one of my doctoral advisees), communities in American media, Asian with the Division. or merely 0.7 percent, compared with 6 American immigrant press, and so on. The limited membership makeup percent in the AEJMC full membership. Such lack of diversity in media of our Division, as shown by Kathy The AEJMC as a whole also seems historiography, I would argue, is partly Forde at the members’ meeting, was to be much more internationalized due to the distinct lack of diversity not a surprise but certainly became an with almost 12 percent self-identified among the historians. As historians, expressed concern among the attending international members while there is our research agenda is driven not only members. With additional data we only 3.1 percent in our Division. conceptually and intellectually but also recently acquired from AEJMC we can The question is, then, does diversity experientially. Gender, race, ethnicity, compare the demographic composition matter in the field of media history? national identity, sexual orientation, of our division to that of the AEJMC It is undeniable that today’s historical religion, and many other identities full membership (see Table 1): scholarship is much more cognizant lead to unique personal experiences There can be different contextual than in the past of the diversity of the that provide a key to the interest and interpretations of the data, but the historical experiences of different social conviction of one’s scholarly work. comparison itself is clear and alarming. groups both as producers and subjects of In other words, in doing history, our As you can see, while AEJMC as a media portraits. It is encouraging to see research interests can be inspired by whole is achieving gender equality, many scholars, who though members others or grow out of pure intellectual our Division, as the fourth-largest of the majority, have moved beyond curiosity, but they are ultimately shaped division in AEJMC, is lagging behind the traditional areas and tapped into by one’s own identities and outlooks. with female scholars being less than diversity-related issues. It is particularly Historical imagination, to appropriate 42 percent. Our Division lacks racial rewarding to see the increased presence C. Wright Mills’ idea, thus comes and ethnic diversity. While there is of female and African American from the ability to link one’s personal no significant difference between historians in our field and how their concerns to the broader community and the percentage of African American commitment and efforts have led to public issues. members in the History Division and the establishment of women journalists The cornerstone of an inclusive that of AEJMC full membership, and the black press as two significant history, therefore, begins with a diverse neither adequately reflects the black subfields. Nonetheless, it is equally body of historians in the field. Indeed, makeup of our society. The most undeniable that we have seen very little diversity, both as an idea and practice, striking differences are in the categories research in many other unexplored should be considered as essential to of “Asian/Asian Americans” and topics or underexplored areas, such as See Volz I Page 3 3 I AUTUMN 2014 CLIO: AMONG THE MEDIA complex and long-term project. I would plan to host mentorship coffee hours, Why diversity matters like to lay out a few considerations to offering opportunities for greater Volz start the conversation interaction with your mentees and Continued from Page 2 First, in planning for the annual have meaningful discussions with them conference, we will particularly about research, teaching, and navigating encourage submissions on previously particular aspects of the profession. inform, transform and empower what less-explored topics and contexts Of course we will also be attentive to we do as media historians. Specifically especially on diversity and international other newcomers, assuring that they are for the History Division, I believe that a issues. We will also try to organize or welcomed into our community. diversified membership, representing a identify panels that specifically address Lastly, we would like to create broad range of experiences, perspectives issues and concerns faced by women, a greater online presence of and interests, is crucial to dynamic minority and international historians. underrepresented members through our scholarly exchange and a stimulating Second, as I outlined in the History Division website and Facebook page and intellectual environment. A number of Division Goals for 2014-15, when support and assist them to use multiple survey studies have shown that scholars programing for annual conferences, we channels to increase their public from minority groups have expanded will ensure the diversity of our session profile, engage in public dialogue, and and enriched scholarship and teaching participants and judges and strive for turn their historical scholarship into in many academic disciplines by gender equity across our panels. public knowledge with contemporary lending insights and raising questions, Third, we will increase efforts to relevance. challenges and concerns that may recruit and retain women, minority In a Chinese saying, I am here to “lay not otherwise have been explored.1 and international historians, especially bricks in order to attract jade.” I hope Experiment-based research also shows among graduate students and early you will join me in this diversity effort that minority viewpoints often stimulate career faculty. To do that, we would like and am looking forward to having your discussions of multiple perspectives to revive and expand our mentorship input and support! as well as previously unconsidered program especially reaching out to alternatives. those underrepresented groups. I NOTES So, what can we do, as a division, hope many of you would be willing 1. Antonio, Lising (2002). “Faculty to promote inclusiveness and achieve to become a mentor and/or help us of Color Reconsidered: Reassessing Contributions ot Scholarship.” Journal of greater diversity of our membership and to identify potential mentees. At the Higher Education, 582-602. thus scholarship? Diversity is of course a San Francisco conference next year, we Minutes of the 2014 annual business meeting Division Chair Kathy Forde called the 1942,” which appeared in Journalism and of an ‘Extra.’” Third place went to Tim meeting to order at 6:45 on August 7. Communication Monographs. Voss and Teri Finnenan (Missouri) for The first order of business was a review The Book Award went to Jinx Cole- “Legitimizing News Judgment.” of the 2013 meeting man Broussard of Louisiana State Uni- Volz also announced the winners for Kim Voss minutes, which were versity for African American Foreign Cor- Best Posters.