The Dark Green Book That Transformed a Field: Reflections on the Legacy of Kline and Tichenor

Abstract

This article traces the five-decade legacy of a classic volume, Current Perspectives in Mass Communication Research, edited by Kline and Tichenor, published in 1972. After charting the epistemological origins of the book, the paper describes the particular confluence of factors—conceptual, university-based, interpersonal, and the forging of a propitious professional relationship between the book’s co-editor and Sage Publications—that explain the provenance and critical impact of the book. The paper notes the contributions, shortcomings, and strengths of the 1972 volume, reflecting on the unique role the book played in the development of journalism and mass communication research.