 American Journalism Review (Spring 2013) | |
| Categories | Journalism, Journalism Review |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Varied |
| First issue | October 1977 |
| Final issue | 2013 (print) 2015 (online) |
| Company | Philip Merrill College of Journalism University of Maryland, College Park |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | College Park, Maryland |
| Language | English |
| Website | ajr |
| ISSN | 1067-8654 |
TheAmerican Journalism Review (AJR) was an Americanmagazine covering topics injournalism. It was launched in 1977 as theWashington Journalism Review by journalist Roger Kranz. It ceased publication in 2015.
The first issue of the magazine appeared in October 1977. In 1987 it was acquired byHenry Catto, a former U.S. ambassador, and his wife Jessica Hobby Catto, who was part of the family that published theHouston Post. The Cattos donated the publication to theUniversity of Maryland, College Park in 1987. In 1992 Rem Rieder became the editor. It took the nameAmerican Journalism Review in 1993.[1] The university'sPhilip Merrill College of Journalism took control of the journal in 2011. Rem Rieder left in 2013, andAJR became an online-only publication within the Merrill College's curriculum. In July 2015 the college announced that it was terminating publication.[2][3]
In January 1999, theGannett Company pulled all its advertising, a few weeks afterAJR published an article that contained negative comments about several Gannett leaders.[4]
In its December 2006 issue, theAJR printed an article about theSanta Barbara News-Press and its owner,Wendy P. McCaw.[5] Later that month, McCaw sued the article's author, Susan Paterno, accusing her of libel and product disparagement.[6] This instance of a newspaper suing an individual journalist was highly unusual and though theAJR was not a named defendant, it agreed to pay Paterno's legal bills and indemnify her against any judgment. Paterno would ultimately prevail in the action as well as an Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit she brought in conjunction with the AJR.[7]
In August 2007,The Washington Post reported that theAJR could shut down by the end of 2007 if it could not reduce its operating deficit, then running at about $200,000 per year (with a total budget of about $800,000). Donors provided at least a third of the budget; the remainder is from advertising. Donations to theAJR from 2004-2007 included about $1.25 million from a group of news veterans headed by formerPhiladelphia Inquirer executive editor Eugene Roberts.[8] By mid-2007, theAJR had only one full-time editorial employee, editor Rem Rieder, with the design and artwork of the magazine contracted out. Most of the content of theAJR was from outside contributors (freelancers).
In 2013, theReview ceased print publication and became an online-only publication.[9] The online publication ended in 2015, although the archives were to remain available online.[10]