In Brief: Texas State history professor named to Best of Journalism list

By Jack McClellan
Office of Media Relations
September 8, 2017

Texas State University history professor James McWilliams has been named to the Best of Journalism 2016 annual list for his essay “Saving the Self in the Age of the Selfie.”

The Best of Journalism newsletter, published by The Atlantic magazine staff writer Conor Friedersdorf, curates exceptional articles and reportage. In addition to the newsletter, Friedersdorf compiles a list of the 100 best journalism pieces of the year, which this year included McWilliams’ essay.

“It's always nice to work hard on something and be recognized, so I'm obviously honored,” McWilliams said. “More so, though, it speaks highly of the history department and Texas State that they have—and always have—tolerated, and indeed supported, my roving curiosity over my almost 20-year career here. It has taken me to some strange places, and it's nice to have institutional backing as I wander.

“My essay was a journalistic departure from my work as an historian, an attempt to address a concern--social media-- that has deep historical resonance but also immediate contemporary impact,” McWilliams said. “That said, it required me to draw heavily on my conventional, historically informed, research skills.”