On Assignment: 40 years of the Review of Journalism

You are invited to On Assignment, an exhibition at the Assembly Gallery, curated by the Review of Journalism to celebrate our 40th anniversary. The opening reception will be on March 7 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The exhibit runs until March 15. Regular hours at 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. 

For 40 years, the Review of Journalism has cast a discerning eye on the industry,  critiquing its faults and celebrating its successes by questioning the values and assumptions of legacy media, investigating the power structure of newsrooms, and highlighting important societal issues of the day. 

Serving as the ‘watchdog of the watchdogs’ is a demanding task, with each issue being months in the making. In this exhibition, we explore the process from start to finish: an idea, a pitch, interviewing, writing, fact-checking, visuals, editing, production, and finally, the launch of each new magazine issue. The exhibition frames this process in ways that highlight the central importance of ethics, inclusivity, safety and security within the field of journalism.

As the world evolves, the media landscape evolves along with it. The Review of Journalism has undergone many changes in its 40-year existence, embracing new technologies and new genres of journalism. The exhibition also examines this history of change and adaptation, sharing videos and podcasts alongside the print publication materials. 

The exhibition is a celebration of milestones and an exploration of the processes of media criticism, offering the visitor an immersive experience of the who, what, where, when and why of news media as it spreads across platforms and engages new audiences. Even after four decades, we’re still on assignment. 

– Prarthana Pathak, Editor-in-Chief