American Newsroom

Will Mari is Assistant Professor of Media Law & History at the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, and author of A Short History of Disruptive Journalism Technologies: 1960–1990. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“A rich and provocative exploration.” - John Nerone, University of Illinois, author of Violence against the Press: Policing the Public Sphere in U.S. History“The breadth and depth of The American Newsroom reveals a world of hierarchies and rivalries that effectively illuminates our understanding of what many view as the 'golden age' of print journalism. The emphasis on the emergence and consolidation of occupational identities gives this book an appeal considerably beyond the academic world. Mari makes a strikingly original contribution to newsroom history and pushes forwards the boundaries of the discipline.” - Carole O’Reilly, Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Salford, UK“Will Mari offers a fascinating reappraisal of the newsroom, that long-mythologized space where journalism is made. He shows how the newsroom, far more than merely a place for news production, is also a concept, an idea, and a set of relationships, one that helped shape American journalism in the twentieth century and will have an enduring imprint on the future of news.” - Seth C. Lewis, University of Oregon, co-author of the forthcoming News After Trump “One year into a pandemic that has sent the world ducking for cover into virtual work, virtual schooling, virtual everything, The American Newsroom is a particularly poignant reminder of the crucial role that physical and relational places have played in shaping how journalism is learned and practiced. This narrative of developing routines in the ‘industrial newsroom’ of mid-20th century newspapers is punctuated with revealing anecdotes of the characters that inhabited it - from copy boys to the rewrite desk to reporters and editors making their way through the ranks. A thoroughly documented history of shifting power dynamics, particularly focusing on gender, race, and the role of unions, it brings to life the evolution of a profession finding its identity through its workplace and the relationships forged and performed in it.” - Giovanna Dell’Orto, University of Minnesota, author of American Journalism and International Relations: Foreign Correspondence from the Early Republic to the Digital Era"In his valuable new book, The American Newsroom, Will Mari addresses a question of considerable interest for anyone engaged with the history of this country’s journalism: what was it like to work in the newsrooms of America in the early and mid-twentieth century?" - American Journalism“Timely and detailed . . . . There are no doubt other newsroom histories out there, but Mari’s skillful analysis of the American newsroom establishes a foundation that can be useful for journalism history classes.” - Newspaper Research Journal