Journalism History

Episode 28: Your Paper Saved Seattle

Researcher Aaron Atkins examines the role of E. W. Scripps and one of his pillar newspapers, the Seattle Star, in the General Strike of 1919.

Episode 27: Mathew Brady and Photographic Copyright

Scholar Jason Lee Guthrie describes how 19th-century photographer Mathew Brady, best known for his vivid battlefield scenes of the Civil War, used copyright to protect his work from infringement and legally link his name with images he believed would have enduring value.

Episode 26: The Women's Press & Utah's Battle Over the Vote

Researcher Candi Carter Olson shares how women in Utah used the power of the press and rose up in protest as Congress considered taking away their right to vote in the late 1800s.

Episode 25: Eisenhower: The Public Relations President

Author Pam Parry discusses how President Dwight D. Eisenhower embraced public relations as a necessary component of American democracy and advanced the profession at a key moment in its history.

Episode 24: The Grassroots Rise of Public Broadcasting

From reel-to-reel tapes to Mr. Rogers to the importance of “counter-narratives” in media history, author Josh Shepperd discusses his work on the Library of Congress' Radio Preservation Task Force and his new book about the long, grassroots rise of public broadcasting in "Shadow of the New Deal."

Episode 23: They Came to Toil

Professor Melita Garza discusses newspaper representations of Mexicans and immigrants during the Great Depression years and the issues that remain in current times.

Episode 22: The Bare-Knuckle Boxing Championship of 1860

Scholar Scott Peterson describes the colorful news coverage of an 1860 match between John C. Heenan and Tom Sayers for the bare-knuckle boxing championship of the world.

Episode 21: Hidden Figures in Public Relations History

Researcher Denise Hill provides an overdue spotlight on African-American public relations practitioners, including Ida B. Wells, Henry Lee Moon, Moss Kendrix and Inez Kaiser.

Episode 20: We Want Fish Sticks

Author Nick Hirshon reviews the worst branding campaign in sports history as described in his new book, We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders.

Episode 19: Native Advertising from Franklin to Facebook

Scholar Ava Sirrah discusses her research on the history of native advertisements in American news media, from Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook.