Popular culture glorified newspapers in the 1970s, creating a kind of mythical community newspaperman--like Keith Blackledge, longtime editor of the North Platte Telegraph. In his editorials and columns, he praised, scolded, cajoled, teased and encouraged readers. He provided a civic connection while also, mostly behind the scenes, working to make the town better. Blackledge's story resonates today because it's also about the evolution of newspapers. The editor's career spanned a time when the industry was hit by a tsunami of change, including shrinking circulations and advertising revenues, as well as new technologies altering forever the way news is produced, delivered and consumed. Author Carol Lomicky chronicles the life of this remarkable newspaperman.

Who won the first Daytona 500? Fans still debate whether it was midwestern champion Johnny Beauchamp, declared the victor at the finish line, or longtime NASCAR driver Lee Petty, declared the official winner a few days after the race. The Ghosts of NASCAR puts the controversial finish under a microscope. Author John Havick interviewed scores of people, analyzed film of the race, and pored over newspaper accounts of the event. He uses this information and his deep knowledge of the sport as it worked then to determine what probably happened. But he also tells a much bigger story: the story of how Johnny Beauchamp—and his Harlan, Iowa, compatriots, mechanic Dale Swanson and driver Tiny Lund—ended up in Florida driving in the 1959 Daytona race. The Ghosts of NASCAR details how the Harlan Boys turned to racing cars to have fun and to escape the limited opportunities for poor boys in rural southwestern Iowa. As auto racing became more popular and better organized in the 1950s, Swanson, Lund, and Beauchamp battled dozens of rivals and came to dominate the sport in the Midwest. By the later part of the decade, the three men were ready to take on the competition in the South’s growing NASCAR circuit. One of the top mechanics of the day, Swanson literally wrote the book on race cars at Chevrolet’s clandestine racing shop in Atlanta, Georgia, while Beauchamp and Lund proved themselves worthy competitors. It all came to a head on the brand-new Daytona track in 1959. The Harlan Boys’ long careers and midwestern racing in general have largely faded from memory. The Ghosts of NASCAR recaptures it all: how they negotiated the corners on dirt tracks and passed or spun out their opponents; how officials tore down cars after races to make sure they conformed to track rules; the mix of violence and camaraderie among fierce competitors; and the struggles to organize and regulate the sport. One of very few accounts of 1950s midwestern stock car racing, The Ghosts of NASCAR is told by a man who was there during the sport’s earliest days.

Popular culture glorified newspapers in the 1970s, creating a kind of mythical community newspaperman--like Keith Blackledge, longtime editor of the North Platte Telegraph. In his editorials and columns, he praised, scolded, cajoled, teased and encouraged readers. He provided a civic connection while also, mostly behind the scenes, working to make the town better. Blackledge's story resonates today because it's also about the evolution of newspapers. The editor's career spanned a time when the industry was hit by a tsunami of change, including shrinking circulations and advertising revenues, as well as new technologies altering forever the way news is produced, delivered and consumed. Author Carol Lomicky chronicles the life of this remarkable newspaperman.

Tinker. R.A.V. Ollman. Hustler-Falwell. Reno-ACLU. Nebraska Press Association. These names are synonymous with contemporary First Amendment litigation. To explore these landmark cases more deeply, author Joseph Russomanno interviewed the people at the core of these and other influential First Amendment cases, and he presents their stories here in a personal, in-depth oral history of First Amendment law. Previously unavailable in other literature, these stories go beyond the "what" of the cases and answer the "why" and "how" of ten major cases from the latter part of the 20th century. Through their own words and photographs, plaintiffs, defendants, and their attorneys describe what it was like to be involved in the development of these historic First Amendment cases. The issues addressed in these landmark cases cover crucial aspects of the First Amendment: freedom of expression, hate speech, libel, privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, promises of confidentiality to news sources, free press-fair trial, commercial speech, broadcast and cable television regulation, and new media. These narratives recount the events that initiated the court cases and follow the lead players through the various stages of the U.S. legal system. Excerpts of the court decisions are included at the conclusion of each chapter, and sidebars explain key terms, issues, and names that come up in the process. The cases highlighted here were often difficult and controversial--cases which, on their surface, raise questions about both the participants and their lawyers. A cross burner and a pornographer ask to be protected by the First Amendment; a measure intended to protect children from exposure to lewd content on the Internet is questioned. Through the words of the participants in these cases, the meaning, depth, and reach of the First Amendment becomes clear and demonstrates how the law functions to protect the rights of all individuals. This unique chronicle will appeal to those studying First Amendment law, including mass communication, law, journalism, and political science scholars, and to lawyers, journalists, and political scientists with an interest in this area. The volume is also intended to serve as a supplemental text in a mass communication law course or as a text in advanced First Amendment theory course and political science courses exploring the law, decisions, and processes of the U. S. Supreme Court.