I am delighted to see that Martin Conboy has been given a chair at Sheffield University in journalism history. As far as he and I are aware, there is no other professor of journalism history in Britain.
Conboy certainly deserves the appointment on the basis of his output alone, quite apart from his teaching skills.
For those unaware of his oeuvre, it includes Journalism: A critical history (2004), Tabloid Britain (2005), The language of the news (2007) and The language of newspapers (2010). I also commend his latest work, Journalism in Britain: a historical introduction.
Journalism history may be a narrow field, but Conboy's elevation is a recognition of its importance.
