Gods Within the Machine: A History of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, 1923-1993

This study traces the colorful history of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) as an alliance of primarily midwestern editors in the 1920s to a slightly more diverse 1,000-member organization cautiously poised to enter the 21st century. Using minutes, correspondence, interviews, official proceedings, and other in-house documents, Pratte shows how the loosely knit organization, serving as an independent bridge between the more liberal ranks of the reporters and the more conservative publishers, has been absorbed into the corporate culture. The history, presented in both chronological and topical form, discusses the leadership and lack of leadership concerning such issues as ethics, freedom of the press, world press freedom, newspaper economics, journalism education, diversity, and minority affairs. As the first critical history of the professional, elite organization of editors to be written by an independent outside source, this work suggests ASNE has provided ordinary leadership for extraordinary times.

Pratte's writing is clear, his documentation excellent, his selected bibliography and index very valuable. Useful for students interested in the history of the press.Choice

The first independent history of most elite groups in American journalism tells in straightforward style the role ASNE played in relating to, and sometimes inspiring, the main currents in print medias...makes excellent use of secondary source materials, including the ASNE Bulletin, biographies and autobiographies of past and present, and numerous articles and books, all of which are well documented.Journalism History

....the book offers the first critical history of the elite organization of of editors to be written by an independent source.Journalism And Mass Communication Quarterly

The first critical history of one of the leading professional organizations of newspaper editors in the United States written by and independent, outside source.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-218) and index.

PAUL ALFRED PRATTE is Professor of Communication at Brigham Young University, where he specializes in media history, opinion writing, news reporting, and mass media and society.

What Sort of Teeth and Who Is It to Bite?

Due to the Persistence of a Few

Keeping the Faith in World War II

Putting Mother Hubbards on the Heathen

The Corporate Idea

The 1960s: Our Prestigious but Somewhat Moribund Society

Looking Upon Ourselves as Potential Publishers

Editor-Businessman: The Changing Character of ASNE in the 1980s

A More Far-Reaching Effect

Bibliography

Index