in Journalism and Mass Communication
The Magazine Century: American Magazines Since 1900. Sumner, David E. (2010). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. pp. 242.
David E. Sumner, a journalism professor at Ball State University, tells us that the magazine industry is weathering the storm that newspapers seem to be facing in the first decade of the twenty-first century. He concludes that the magazine readers’ relationship with the publications of their choice is “a unique tactile, visual and sensory experience” (p. 209).
The New York Times Reader: Science & Technology. Holly Stocking, ed. (2011). Washington, DC: CQ Press/Sage. pp. 258.
Many newspaper-writing anthologies read like yesterday’s news—a dated pile of clippings with little attention paid to whether the subject matter has much enduring appeal or value. The New York Times Reader series generally avoids this pitfall by selecting subjects that retain their appeal, and presenting them in some of the best journalistic English anywhere. The range of subject matter is impressive, and a reminder of just how often today’s news has a basis in natural sciences, from the effects of cell phones on the brain, to shrinking ice caps and disappearing bats, the prospective nature of life on planets yet to be discovered, and the nature of societies among animals.
Refiguring Mass Communication: A History. Peter Simonson (2010). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. pp. 261.
Journalism teachers are naturally intrigued by the relationship between periods in history, which logically follows the evolution of economics, technology, and sociological developments. What author Peter Simonson does in his Refiguring Mass Communication: A History suggests that not only do these relationships transcend those traditional avenues, but he also reclaims the strength, potential, and promise of both the practical and aesthetic purposes of mass communication.
And he does it by telling great stories and showing connections between them.
Battling Nell: The Life of Southern Journalist Cornelia Battle Lewis, 1893-1956. Alexander S. Leidholdt (2009).Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. pp. 331.
In the 1920s, Cornelia Battle Lewis wrote strident columns for the Raleigh (N.C.) News and Observer attacking the Ku Klux Klan, defending Communist-backed strikers at a regional textile mill, and supporting Al Smith’s candidacy for president despite his Catholicism. By the time she died suddenly in 1956, Lewis was still writing strident columns for the News and Observer, Raleigh’s leading newspaper, but these warned of the menace of Communism and urged defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s mandate to de-segregate schools. She even denounced her former self.
The Mind of a Journalist: How Reporters View Themselves, Their World, and Their Craft. Jim Willis (2010).Los Angeles: Sage Publications. pp. 264.
Telling Our Stories: The Days of the Baltimore Sun. May 2010, http:// wbng.org/stories/ (accessed July 22, 2010).
Two recent works, a book and a Web site, may be useful supplementary texts for educators looking to explore the values, worldview, and socialization of journalists.
The Mind of a Journalist is a slim textbook that features interviews with a dozen journalists on the attraction of journalism and the values that shape the craft, along with topical issues such as anonymous sources, the journalist as a celebrity, and the influence of religious faith on reporting.
The Art of Access: Strategies for Acquiring Public Records. David Cuillier and Charles N. Davis (2010). Washington: CQ Press. pp. 236.
Free For All: The Internet’s Transformation of Journalism. Elliot King (2010). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. pp. 328.
If data-driven reporting is a hallmark of the information society, then Cuillier and Davis’ 236-page tome has burst upon that society as a sort of elixir: What spinach is to Popeye, this book would be to public affairs journalists.
“[Y]ou could produce 10 years’ worth of [document-driven reporting] projects from this one book” (p. xxv), the authors boast in the preface. It is not a vain boast. Story ideas ooze from the nine chapters, marshalling a superlative guide to producing record-driven local and hyper-local stories.
The Culture of Efficiency: Technology in Everyday Life. Sharon Kleinman, ed. (2009). New York: Peter Lang Publishing. pp. 390.
Putting the Public Back in Public Relations. Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge (2009). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. pp. 314.
From old technologies to new social media tools, scholars and practitioners alike are looking for answers of how best to incorporate both old and new technology tools into both businesses and everyday life. These books explore the ever-changing world of technology through the lens of communication.
Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime, and Complicity. Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry (2010). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 374.
In late October 2010, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made an otherwise minor personnel move. The team cut tight end Jerramy Stevens, who had been picked up by police a few days earlier on drug charges. After reading Scoreboard, Baby, an account of a college football program out of control, one is left to wonder why it took so long for Stevens’ reckless behavior to catch up to him.
The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism. Stuart Allan (ed.) (2009). Abingdon, England: Routledge. pp. 704.
Stuart Allan’s weighty book is 56 chapters over 704 pages, and this bulk is a mixed blessing. The book includes numerous authors of prominence, but it also relies too much upon the reputation of its contributors. The back cover of the book states it is for “scholars and students,” but scholars are likely to find the chapters conservative and too familiar. The benefit of this book is precisely with that student audience, who will find many accessible insights into contemporary issues and can rely on the topic diversity as a resource for learning more about journalism.
The Obama Victory: How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election. Kate Kenski, Bruce Hardy, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson (2010). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 378.
Blogging the Political: Politics and Participation in a Networked Society. Antoinette Pole (2010). New York: Routledge. pp. 161.
Political communication scholars and educators are well aware of how new developments in social media, e-mail, blogging, and the microtargeting of messages to niche audiences have altered American politics and political campaigns. Two new books delve into these topics, one by focusing on the presidential campaign of 2008 and the other by examining political blogging by minorities, women, and political elites.
