Founded in 1981, the American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) seeks to advance education and research in

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

history. Through its annual meeting, regional conferences, committees, awards, speakers and publications, members work to raise historical standards and ensure that all scholars and students recognize the vast importance of media history and apply this knowledge to the advancement of society.

Meetings and conferences

AJHA Annual Meeting

The organization sponsors an annual fall meeting. Approximately 120

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

s attend and participate in discussions surrounding teaching and research in media history. Throughout the meeting, scholars present

peer-review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

ed research, participate in topical panel discussions and generate ideas for articles and books. At the annual meeting, scholars also participate vigorously in a

silent auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

that generates thousands of dollars for

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

aid.

AJHA Southeast Symposium

Media history scholars from across the Southeast gather each February for the annual AJHA Southeast Symposium. The conference is designed to promote graduate and undergraduate research and provides a scholarly forum for student research presentations and discussions.

AJHA-AEJMC Joint Conference

The AJHA partners with the History Division of

AEJMC The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a major international membership organization for academics in the field, offering regional and national conferences and refereed publications. It has numerous membershi ...

to sponsor a spring conference in New York City. This

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

gathering accepts submissions in all areas of journalism and communication history from all time periods and welcomes scholars from all academic disciplines and stages of their academic careers.

Task Force on History in the Curriculum

This AJHA committee works to encourage the study of history in graduate and undergraduate mass communication programs. Some of its actions include: *Encouraging all schools to offer an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

history course and require it of their majors *Encouraging graduate schools to recognize that history is as important as theory,

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

research or any other area of graduate study *Evaluating the history curricula in doctoral programs.

Speakers Bureau

The AJHA Speakers Bureau features members who share their expertise and knowledge with the media and local and national organizations. The diversity of the organization's membership enables its bureau to provide a wealth of educational resources on a wide variety of topics related to mass communication history.

Publications

''American Journalism'' (), the AJHA's

quarterly A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content (media), content. They are generally financed by advertising, newsagent's shop, ...

peer-reviewed journal, publishes articles, research notes, book reviews, and correspondence dealing with media history. Recent editions of ''American Journalism'' are available via the EBSCO database. Contributions may focus on social, economic, intellectual, political or legal issues. ''American Journalism'' also welcomes articles that treat the history of communication in general; the history of broadcasting, advertising, and public relations; the history of media outside the United States; and theoretical issues in the literature or methods of media history. ''The Intelligencer'' is the quarterly newsletter of the AJHA. It includes news about the organization and its members as well as research and conference updates.

Awards

Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History The Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History is an award for achievement in the study of the history of journalism in the United States, awarded by the American Journalism Historians Association to "individuals with an exemp ...

- The organization's highest honor recognizes individuals with an exemplary record of sustained achievement in media history through teaching, research, professional activities, or other contributions to the field. *Margaret A. Blanchard Dissertation Prize - Awarded annually for the best

doctoral dissertation A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

dealing with mass communication history. A cash award of $500 accompanies the prize. *AJHA History Award - Recognizes a practicing journalist whose work has been exemplary in the host community of the annual meeting. *AJHA Teaching Awards - Honors excellence in the teaching of journalism and mass communication history and recognizes those who make a positive impact on student learning and influence other teachers by example. The award is designed to focus national attention on the importance of teaching in journalism and mass communication history. *AJHA Book Award - Recognizes the best book in media history as judged by a panel of AJHA members. The book award winner is honored at the closing gala of the annual meeting. During the annual meeting, the AJHA recognizes exceptional peer-reviewed research papers in several categories: faculty paper, student paper, conference paper, minority paper, and women's interest paper. A panel of judges also presents an award to the single best article published during the year in American Journalism.

External links

Official website
{{Authority control History organizations based in the United States American journalism organizations Journalism-related professional associations History of mass media in the United States History awards