Bonnie S. Brennen, Hanno Hardt

The American Journalism History Reader presents important primary texts-news articles and essays about journalism from all stages of the history of the American press-alongside key works of journalism history and criticism. The volume aims to place journalism history in its theoretical context, to familiarize the reader with essential works of-and about-journalism, and to chart the development of the field.

The reader moves chronologically through American journalism history from the 18th century to the present, combining classic sources and contemporary insights. Each century's section begins with a critical introduction, which establishes the social and political environment in which the media developed to highlight the ideological issues behind the historical period.

Introduction Section 1: Historiography Section Introduction. 1. American Journalism and Its Historical Treatment, Alan Nevins 2. The Problem of Journalism History, James Carey 3. The Ossification of Journalism History: A Challenge for the Twenty-First Century, Margaret A. Blanchard 4.Theory and History, John Nerone 5. A Revolution in Historiography? Michael Schudson Section 2. Age of Public Enlightenment: The 18th Century Section Introduction. 6. Apology for Printers, Benjamin Franklin 7. Journalism in the United States from 1690-1872, Frederic Hudson 8. Printers and the American Revolution, Stephen Botein 9. The Colonial Journalist: Good Humour'd Unless Provok'd, Jeffery A. Smith 10. The Federal Era III: Scissors, Paste, and Ink, Walt Brown 11.The End of the Beginning, Eric Burns Section 3: Age of Universal Literacy: The 19th Century Section Introduction. 12. Reflections on Journalism, H.L. Mencken 13. The Immigrant Press and Assimilation, Robert Park 14. Front-page Girl, Ishbel Ross 15. The Editorial Staff, Alfred Lee, 16. Technology and Ideology: The Case of the Telegraph, James Carey 17. Changes in News in the Nineteenth Century, Hazel Dickens-Garcia 18. Paper Prints for the Masses, Michael J. Carlebach 19. American Political Parties and the Press, Gerald Baldasty Section 4: Age of Information: The 20th Century. Introduction to Age of Information. 20. Writing News and Telling Stories, Robert Darnton 21. The Reporter and the News, Will Irwin 22. The Newspaperman, Talcott Williams 23. House of Lords, George Seldes 24. Newspaper Crusaders: A Neglected Story, Silas Bent 25. The Disappearing Daily, Oswald Garrison Villard 26. Voices, Erik Barnouw 27. The Beginnings, Daniel Leab 28. Democracy and the News, Daniel Schiller 29. Dialectical Tensions in the American Media, Past and Future, Daniel J. Czitrom 30. Fact and Fiction, David Spencer 31. A Fighting Press, Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff