During the Civil War, Chicago Times Editor Wilbur F. Storey supposedly told one of his reporters, “Telegraph fully all news you can get, and when there is no news, send rumors.” With orders like that, it is no wonder that government and military leaders, among others, became suspicious of what they read in the newspapers [...]

As a historian in the communications business, I’m hopelessly captivated by new ways to tell an old story. I recently read an article about how QR codes – a technology I’ve been slower to embrace than most of my co-workers – can bring history to life in a virtual instant … even in cemeteries. QR [...]

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in U.S. history in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – the site of a major Civil War battle four months earlier. It proves that some of the best speeches are also the shortest. At only 10 sentences, it concisely captures Lincoln’s feelings while inspiring [...]