In the summer of 1925, a timeless battle raged in a courtroom. On one side stood Salem, Illinois native John T. Scopes and his lawyer Clarence Darrow. On the other: […]
Category: communication
Release Party: Making the News Popular
The professional judgment of gatekeepers defined the American news agenda for decades. Making the News Popular, now available from the University of Illinois Press, examines how subsequent events brought on a […]
Not Safe for Democracy
Some background on this weekend’s events from the new University of Illinois book Media in New Turkey: The Origins of an Authoritarian Neoliberal State, by Bilge Yesil. While the Turkish […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Goils Were Goils and Men Were Men
Generally considered a bummer of epic proportions, the Great Depression nonetheless inspired a measure of nostalgia. Americans looked back to a simpler time, of lives unencumbered by food, employment, homes, […]
The Word Warrior and the Greatest
Richard Durham’s varied career reflected his work ethic and tireless dedication to the many causes that drew him in. Putting aside his community and labor organizing, Durham’s writing included stints […]
Legislation and Sexting Panic
Young people, especially teenagers, are quick to adopt new technology and incorporate that new technology into their every day behavior. These “early adopters” are prized consumers for the tech industry, […]
Signal Traffic awarded by SCMS
Signal Traffic: Critical Studies of Media Infrastructures, edited by Lisa Parks and Nicole Starosielski, has won the Best Edited Collection Award for 2015-2016, awarded by the Society for Cinema and […]
Godwin’s forefathers
The uber-digital generation may think that Internet traditions began with them, or at least no further back than their parents. For example, anyone spending time on political blogs or in […]
Q&A with Feminist Media Studies series editor Carol Stabile
University Press Week gives us an opportunity to introduce readers to some of the most interesting scholarship happening not only at the Illinois Press but also the work being published […]
RIP Grantland
Late Friday, when all of our institutions bravely shunt their bad news out the door, ESPN announced that it would shutter its prestige site Grantland, effective immediately. Founded in 2011 […]
The Boy Who Was Traded for a Horse
Black media pioneer Richard Durham was never an on-air star or featured player. Yet the poet, activist and script writer had a huge influence on how African Americans could be […]
The Diana phenomenon
During the American version of the 1997 Labor Day weekend, shocking news interrupted the barbeques. Princess Diana had died in a Paris car crash. One of the world’s most visible […]