From the poster for Lee

Lee: The Past Ever Haunts the Present

A new film shows how American photographer Lee Miller used the camera to bring the brutalities of World War II to the homefront.
A hand colored portrait of Nellie Bly, circa 1890

Nellie Bly Experiences It All

One of the first female investigative reporters, Nellie Bly shone a light on the plight of American women by facing the world head on.
Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, c. 1843-47

The Contrary Journalist: Lady Elizabeth Rigby Eastlake

One of the sharpest female journalists of Britain’s Victorian era, Eastlake considered Jane Eyre an exercise in rudeness and vulgarity.
Collage of American Prison Newspapers

Introducing American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020: Voices from the Inside

This overlooked corner of the press provided news by and for people who were incarcerated. A newly available archive shows it worked hard to reach outside audiences too.
A woman typing on a typewriter

Ione Quinby, Chicago’s Underappreciated “Girl Reporter”

She started off as a "stunt" journalist and moved into covering stories about women and crime in the Roaring Twenties.
Demonstrators march near the White House in protest following a Kentucky grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case on September 23, 2020

The Ethical Life of Euphemisms

Euphemisms can hide facts that need to be confronted. How do they work from a linguist's point of view?
The title card from an episode of Black Journal

Black Journal and Liberatory Television

Underrepresented in the country's newsrooms, Black journalists found an outlet on public affairs shows like Black Journal.
Illustrated chart from the late 19th Century

Dispatches from Deaf Education’s Infancy

Despite deep biases, the early editions of the American Annals of the Deaf and Dumb contain the seeds of a distinct deaf culture.
A man reading a newspaper with facebook reactions in a cloud around him

The Incredibly True Story of Fake Headlines

Are you still reading? Editors frequently use this space to include important contextual information about a news story.
Upton Sinclair, 1900

Upton Sinclair

Best known as the author of "The Jungle," Upton Sinclair had some thoughts about the American economy, which he shared in this 1906 essay.