Journalism 1908: Birth of a Profession by Betty Hunchin Winfield (Editor)

The year 1908 was not remarkable by most accounts, but it was an auspicious year for journalism. As newspapers sought to recover from big-city yellow journalism and circulation wars that reached their boiling point a few years earlier during the Spanish-American War, press clubs began to champion higher education. And schools dedicated to journalism education, led by the University of Missouri, began to emerge. Now sanctioned by universities, journalism could teach acceptable behavior and establish credentials. It was nothing less than the birth of a profession.


Journalism—1908 opens a window on mass communication a century ago. It tells how the news media in the United States were fundamentally changed by the creation of academic departments and schools of journalism, by the founding of the National Press Club, and by exciting advances that included early newsreels, the introduction of halftones to print, and even changes in newspaper design.

About the Author

Betty Houchin Winfield is University of Missouri Distinguished Curators’ Professor and the author of three books, including FDR and the News Media.

Product Specifications

Published by University of Missouri press, paperback, 2008. 370 pages.