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Out On Assignment Book Review
Here is my book review of Alica Fahs’ book Out On Assignment: Newspaper Women and the Making of the Modern Public Sphere. The review was published in Journalism History. I liked the book and appreciate the increased scholarship about newspaper women. I would have liked to see more of an appreciation about the women’s pages and soft news.
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Studying the Pillsbury Bake-off
I was excited to see that writer Laura Shapiro will be speaking at an event for the Culinary Historians of Southern California. She will be speaking about Rethinking the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I have been writing about the Pillsbury Bake-Off, too. First, I have looked at the ways in which newspaper food editors covered competitive cooking – from chili cook-offs to newspaper-sponsored Christmas cookie contests. Second, I have looked at newspaper food editors as judges in these culinary contests where these (almost always) women were considered authorities. Third, I have looked at some of the complexities the newspaper food editors faced in balancing news and ethics. For example, in 1971, at…
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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New Jane Nickerson Reference
I found this great reference to Jane Nickerson, the first food editor at the New York Times, in this posting from Believer Magazine. The author wrote: “Even Jane Nickerson, the New York Times’ influential food editor, replicated the unbreachable divide between gourmet taste and industrial fortitude. In an article written during the Rockford study, Nickerson compared American white bread to its European counterparts. Opposition to American white bread, she argued, was divided into two camps, one based on health and the other on flavor. The epicurean critics held a special place in her heart; indeed, they were incontrovertibly correct. Fluffy, limp-crusted, bland industrial white bread couldn’t hold a candle to…
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
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Letitia Baldrige Dies
This morning I found this obituary for Letitia Baldrige who was known for being the social secretary to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. This was interesting as just last week I was writing about Baldrige in my chapter on women’s page editors and gossip. In the chapter I describe the work of Vera Glaser who covered politics (and gossip) for the women’s pages. It was in her column that she scooped everyone else in learning what was in Baldrige’s tell-all book about her experiences in the White House. According to her obituary: “As Jacqueline Kennedy’s social secretary, Ms. Baldrige oversaw the glamorous social gatherings and state dinners for which the administration…
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A Story on Storify About Cecily Brownstone
[View the story “A.P. Food Editor Cecily Brownstone” on Storify]
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Green Bean Casserole & Food Editor Cecily Brownstone
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Visual Recipes
I came across this visual recipe from a 1940’s newspaper women’s section. Doesn’t it look like something you would see in a food blog today?
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Food Studies Presentation: Ohio Food Editor History
A website devoted to the history of newspaper women's pages
