Now celebrating its centennial, the world's first journalism school was founded by a newsman who lacked a college education. Weinberg draws on internal documents and correspondence to uncover the politics of the School from its founding to the present--the struggles over resources as well as the constant battle to balance scholarly ambitions with professional mission. This account embraces faculty and staff members, students and alumni, supporters and detractors, as it covers all professional sequences taught at the School. It captures the freewheeling debate that has been a hallmark of the School and incorporates a wealth of insider detail, from a typical day at the School during the Williams era to tales of the Missouri Mafia.

Steve Weinberg is Professor of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His other books include Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller, The Reporter's Handbook: An Investigator's Guide to Documents and Techniques, and Telling the Untold Story: How Investigative Reporters Are Changing the Craft of Biography (University of Missouri Press).