By Tim Klapac
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Maurine Beasley, a journalism historian and professor emerita at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, has been named the first recipient of the Donald L. Shaw Senior Scholar Award.
The award is scheduled to be presented Aug. 7 by the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) during a gala in San Francisco. Beasley served as head of the History Division for one year in1988.
“Dr. Beasley is an accomplished historian who has worked for many years with students and others, in addition to her own work, and has blazed paths to women’s history in journalism and proved a model for both men and women,” said Shaw, for whom the award is named.
“The award was created by Dr. Anne Cooper Chen of Ohio University in recognition of the importance of history in the education of journalists and we are all very glad of [Beasley’s] recognition,” Shaw added.
Beasley said she was surprised by the announcement because she has been retired for “some time” but was honored upon hearing she was nominated by her former students.
“I know I learned more from them than they ever learned from me,” Beasley said of the hundreds of students she taught at UMD over the years. “Sometimes I still miss the excitement, and fun, of helping graduate students bring their ideas to fruition.”
Besides the student support, Beasley was elated to be presented an award named for Shaw who is known for the development of the “agenda setting” press theory. Shaw also served on the History Division’s leadership team from 1972-1975.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?314183-2/women-washington-press
“He is a living legend,” Beasley said. “I am thrilled to receive an award from a scholar of his magnitude.”
Chen applauded Beasley’s work, noting that the journalist belonged in Washington D.C. because it was the ideal place for her to contribute both as a teacher and a researcher.
“The D.C. area was the perfect place for Dr. Beasley to teach, surrounded by the capital press corps and political leaders, among whom were many past women that Dr. Beasley rediscovered,” Chen said.
Beasley said her interest in journalism started while a student at the University of Missouri, working for the campus newspaper “The Columbia Missourian.” Women were not widely accepted in the field at the time and Beasley faced such sexist practices that she became a teacher after graduation. However, she later landed a job at The Kalamazoo Gazette and eventually worked at The Kansas City Star.
After earning a degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Beasley became a staff writer for The Washington Post, where she worked until 1973.
In nominating Beasley, students commented on her legacy.
“I assume this is because in the 1970s when I started examining the work of women in journalism history, few other historians were doing so,” said Beasley, noting how humbled she is by the students’ remarks.
In addition to women in journalism, Beasley also focused on the participation and portrayal of First Ladies in the media. She said her work was considered suspect because first ladies were not considered important enough for study. Of course, Beasley disagreed and worked to prove naysayers wrong in her research.
“Of course, they are an important part of the American presidency,” Beasley said. “Just look at Michelle Obama, let alone Hillary Rodham Clinton.”
Chen praised Beasley’s research of former first ladies, especially Eleanor Roosevelt. Chen said Beasley’s research garnered more than just information of FDR’s wife, but also an impersonation.
“Many disparate audiences have read her work on Eleanor Roosevelt, but you’re missing something if you don’t see her present this research in person,” Chen said. “She does a spot-on amusing, but loving, imitation of the former first lady.”
Following her time at The Washington Post, Beasley returned to teaching and became a professor at the University of Maryland. Her work with the AEJMC consisted of judging papers and preparing sessions for the History Division.
“I was impressed by the work that many graduate students and junior faculty put into their papers and realized how important it was for them to participate in division activities so they could finish their doctorates and move up the academic ladder,” she said. “I think it brings out the best in academia.”
Beasley also has published multiple books about the history of women in journalism. Her most recent book, “Women of the Washington Press,” detailed the fight for equity in the press room. Beasley credits the political pressure of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a key step in the fight.
“Previously, women journalists truly had been marginalized,” she said. “But when employers were forced to hire and promote them – or face legal battles – women suddenly had the chance to actually move up in journalism.”
Despite the progress that has been made, Beasley said there is still work to be done as women continue to face barriers, including a male-dominated office culture.
“They continue to be underrepresented at the top ranks in these trying times when technology is squeezing out traditional news operations,” she said. “We still lack paid parental leave policies that make it hard for women to combine journalism and family life.”
Beasley’s award comes at a time where journalism lives in a world of misinformation. Journalists and media companies have been verbally attacked on social media by critics who believe they are contributing to “fake news.”
Beasley said that any efforts to combat this level of criticism needs an understanding of journalism history.
“Telling truth to power always has been a risky business and journalists have been engaged in it for a long time,” she said. “I urge more understanding of historical forces to provide context for dealing with the present hostility against journalism.”