Professor Michael Stamm recently delivered the 2026 Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Lecture at the University of Virginia's Rare Book School, exploring the newspaper as more than a vehicle for journalism.
Drawing on research from his book, Dead Tree Media: Manufacturing the Newspaper in Twentieth-Century North America, Dr. Stamm examined the vast industrial network behind 20th century newspapers, from Canadian forests and paper mills to delivery routes and advertising systems, highlighting the hidden labor and environmental costs involved in producing the daily news.
"Readers got their Chicago Tribune’s every day because people did physical, dangerous and occasionally fatal labor in the interest of turning trees into newspaper," Dr. Stamm said.
Read the full story from The Cavalier Daily to learn more about the talk.