Journalism’s past examined in encyclopedia compiled by UW-Madison professor

The evolution and history of American journalism, from 17th century colonial times to the rise of contemporary blogging culture and digital photography is chronicled in the newly released "Encyclopedia of America Journalism."

Edited by Stephen Vaughn, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the compendium puts into historical context a craft traditionally dedicated to writing what’s been called "the first draft of history."

"We have a long tradition of journalism in our nation and we tried to bring a full look at its history, including aspects that were not always well documented — such as the role of women, minority groups and technology — in shaping journalism as we know it today," says Vaughn.

The 636-page volume, published by Routledge, includes 405 articles varying in length from 500 words to 5,000 words. Vaughn edited the work with the help of associate editors Bruce Evensen of DePaul University and James Landers of Colorado State University, both former doctoral students at UW–Madison.

Vaughn says that about 30 of the encyclopedia’s contributors have ties to UW–Madison, either as current faculty or as former graduate students who have gone on to become faculty members elsewhere or to work as practicing journalists.

The project, which took nearly five years to complete, focuses on the individuals, legal developments, corporations and technologies that shaped American journalism, as well as journalism’s effect on culture and politics.

For example, the encyclopedia details the relationship between the media and the White House from the McKinley administration through the 21st century. It also explores the women’s suffrage press, women’s influence in journalism, minority journalism issues and the emergence of citizen journalism.

It also examines the publications and broadcast outlets — ranging from the 1690-vintage "Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick" to cable television’s CNN — that helped frame modern journalism.

"Many of the historical works that focus on American journalism trailed off after World War II," says Vaughn, whose focus has been on 20th century communications history. "Just in the past 25 years, there has been a huge change in technology that has greatly affected journalism. This was an opportunity to refresh what I already knew and learn a lot of new things from people in the field."