Have newspaper political endorsements outlived their purpose?

November 1, 2024 | Lois Yoksoulian, University of Illinois News Bureau Melita Garza, associate professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism, is a journalism historian who studies news as an agent of democracy. University of Illinois News Bureau editor Lois Yoksoulian discussed the history and future of presidential endorsements with Garza in light of recent […]

There are lessons to learn from the news ghosts of journalism’s past

October 27, 2024 | Chicago Tribune As a female journalist of color with 22 years in the industry and now a professor of journalism, I believe that obliviousness to journalism’s trailblazers—both their errors and biases and their accomplishments and innovations—leaves the media professional in a state of historical amnesia. Melita Garza, Associate Professor and Tom […]

A One-Man Telemundo on TikTok

July 18, 2024 | New York Times You’re seeing some of the same trends that we see in the English-speaking community, but they’re much more pronounced in the Latino community, especially the immigrant community. Melita Garza, Associate Professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism Melita Garza, associate professor and Tom and June […]

Melita Garza wins 2024 essay contest sponsored by ‘Journalism History’

Melita Garza, associate professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism, won the 2024 essay contest sponsored by AEJMC’s Journalism History. The competition in Journalism History, the academic journal of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s history division, first began in 2018 and has featured essays around specific themes. This […]

Ebert Symposium 2023 to address documentary, violence, and the media

March 1, 2023 This year’s Chaz and Roger Ebert Symposium will feature a film screening, keynote speaker, and two roundtable discussions that address the theme of “Documentary, Violence, and the Media.” The events, which are free and open to the public, are presented by the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies. Chaz Ebert’s beloved grandson, Joseph London Smith, was […]

New professor Garza connects journalism history to the present

Melita Garza, an award-winning journalist, media historian, and a new associate professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism, sees a reporter as a detective investigating a larger story. And she’s most interested in the stories that haven’t been told. “The idea of trying to piece together the missing pages of history—that […]