Journalism history for Gen Z
University of Texas at Arlington Associate Professor Erika Pribanic-Smith has co-edited a new book that brings together a team of prominent journalism historians to talk about the journalism history students may no longer be receiving in classrooms.
The new book is "Social Justice, Activism and Diversity in U.S. Media History," co-edited with Teri Finneman, associate professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Kansas.
“We’re really passionate about history in school curriculums, and as new topics come about history gets pushed out of journalism curricula,” Pribanic-Smith said. “What we want to do with this book is to help students stay informed about the many things that have happened in journalism and media throughout history.”
Aimed at a Generation Z audience, defined by Pew Research Center as those born from 1997-2012, the new book provides historical context on how individuals and minority groups used the media that existed or even created their own media to advance their cultures and causes.
Each chapter in the edited volume is original and historical research, conducted by each of the chapter authors. Given the book is geared toward a Gen Z audience, the chapters all come with additional resources and interactive material to make it more accessible and understandable. Pribanic-Smith said Gen Z editors also were brought along to provide their perspectives and voices throughout the writing and editing process.
“All of the chapters are written in a way that is accessible for a younger audience because we know a lot of college students are interested in activism,” Pribanic-Smith said. “We hope anyone, not just Gen Z students, interested in getting historical context for many of the things going on today can get informed through the book.”
"Social Justice, Activism and Diversity in U.S. Media History" came together as part of Pribanic-Smith and Finneman’s work with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) History Division’s academic journal, Journalism History. They found a lack of research on diverse topics in the field.
“Our goal is to show people that the research on diverse media topics exists,” said Pribanic-Smith, who was awarded the 2023 AEJMC History Division’s 2023 Exceptional Service Award. “And we’re trying to contribute more research to topics where there are gaps, like disability history.”