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- Title
Erik Barnouw: Chronicler, Critic, Conscience.
- Authors
Montgomery, Kathryn C.
- Abstract
The article presents the author's views about U.S. broadcasting historian Erik Barnouw. The author affirms that she has learned so much from Barnouw--both directly and indirectly--that it is hard to summarize. She says that first of all, she learned that it is possible to write scholarly research that is also accessible to the general public, fully engaging to the reader, and expressing both passion and eloquence. Based upon her learning from Barnouw, she argues that the writers who are writing about a contemporary medium of mass communication have an obligation to present their research in as accessible a way as possible. Too much academic writing is narrow and dominated by jargon. Unless one knows the secret language within the academy, one cannot understand it. Yet often the issues are critically important. But if the research is not understandable by journalists, policy makers, and the general public, its impact will be minimal. also, media historians can and should be a moral voice. It is their duty to sound the alarm, particularly when the media system is headed on a wrong course. She recounts that Barnouw's careful documentation of the role of advertising in shaping and controlling the media systems has been particularly important in this regard.
- Subjects
BARNOUW, Erik, 1908-2001; BROADCASTING industry history; MASS media &; history; LEARNING; MASS media research; SCHOLARS
- Publication
Film & History (03603695), 1991, Vol 21, Issue 2/3, p51
- ISSN
0360-3695
- Publication type
Article