John Calhoun Merrill
By Rob Logan (UI SJMC Ph.D., 1977)
During a 55-year career, John Merrill’s perseverance and self-discipline poured into 35 books, which frequently focused on journalism ethics and freedoms. Merrill (Ph.D. UI SJMC, 1961) was elected to the School’s Hall of Fame in 2004 (Journalism, Iowa, Hall of Fame, n.d.).
Wikipedia’s biography notes that Merrill (1924-2012) was “a national institution and treasure in the field of journalism in the United States“ (Wikipedia, John C. Merrill, n.d.). Colleagues celebrated him as a “provocative voice” (Gade & Gordon, 2012). After his death, Media Ethics devoted an issue to Merrill’s ideas, memory, and influence (Media Ethics, 2012). Few could match Merrill’s longevity, insight, and self-deprecating humor.
Merrill often described his favorite book as: “the one I’m writing.” Although he laughed as he said this, he also could not have been more serious. Merrill relished the process of writing books including preparing a precis, searching for support materials, scouring for details, and revising chapters. He was energized when a new book fostered fresh insights or challenged his prior views. Merrill perceived his previous books as old friends. “But …. occasionally you need to tell a good friend that he or she is wrong!” he exclaimed.
Some selected Merrill book titles are listed below.
In a review of Merrill’s corpus of contributions, Gade & Gordon (2012) concluded: “Merrill's philosophizing implored us to think about journalism's moral dimensions, its ethics, and its complex roles in U. S. society and in cultures around the world.”
Gade & Gordon (2012) noted Merrill was inspired by Aristotle and Kant. Merrill also extracted libertarian ideas from enlightenment rationalism and existentialism into a framework of personal ethics, which advocated maximum individual freedom (Gade & Gordon, 2012).
A 2007 Festschrift suggested a persistent theme in Merrill’s work was a strong defense of the need for journalistic freedom and integrity (Hatley & Furr, 2007).Merrill’s later writings emphasized a responsible use of journalistic freedoms accompanied by respect for self and others (Gade & Gordon, 2012).
Other themes in Merrill’s work include a criticism of public journalism which he suggested prioritized social harmony and social transformation more than journalistic individualism and autonomy (Free Library, 2000).In the 21st century, Merrill criticized social media’s self-indulgence and shallowness and noted social media’s inattention to accessible evidence demanded a journalistic response braced by an ethical compass (Gade & Gordon, 2012).
Few contemporaries could match Merrill’s geographical reach. He taught and lectured in 70 nations, including Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, Dubai, Lebanon, and Mexico. He described his favorite country as “the one Dot (his wife) and I plan to visit next.’
On my arrival in Singapore in the late 1990s, Merrill told the author: “It’s so much fun to be here. Cheap taxis are everywhere, the food clobbers all competition …. and you eyewitness a remarkable social and cultural transformation.”
Merrill received the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service to Journalism in 1996 and spent much of his career on the journalism faculty at the U. of Missouri-Columbia. He was on the faculty at other U.S. universities including Texas A&M, Louisiana State University, the University of Maryland-College Park, and California State-Long Beach.He was a senior fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center in New York and among other honors, received the Distinguished Service Award in International Communication from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication(Journalism, Iowa, Hall of Fame, n.d.).
Merrill, a World War II Navy veteran, and his wife Dorothy had five children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren (Journalism, Missouri, John Merrill Dies at 88, 2012).
Interestingly, the author first met Merrill in 1973 on a tennis court @ Stephens College in Columbia, MO., rather than in a classroom. Merrill played collegiate tennis and partially paid for his UI doctoral studies by teaching tennis in Coralville, IA. “I loved instructing backhands - wish I could teach anything else!” he once joked.
To provide some context, Merrill’s impish, self-deprecating humor was a litmus test. The more one laughed with him, and remembered what he said, the closer you became.
John and Dot Merrill organized and hosted my farewell celebration when the author retired from the U. of Missouri and moved to the U.S. National Library of Medicine in January 2003. The author spoke for many fortunate colleagues and students when he told attendees: “my most challenging chore is to leave this house…”
Selected books authored/co-authored by John C. Merrill
De Beer, A.S., & Merrill, J.C. (2008). Global journalism: Topical issues and media systems. Pearson, 5th edition.
Dennis, E., & Merrill, J.C. (2004). Media debates: Great issues for the digital age. Cengage Learning, 2004, 4th edition.
Dennis, E., & Merrill, J.C. (1984). Basic issues in mass communication: A debate. Prentice Hall College Division.
Merrill, J.C., Gade, P.J., & Blevens, F.R. (2001). Twilight of press freedom. Routledge, 2001, First edition.
Merrill, J.C., & Lowenstein, R.L. (2010). Viva journalism! The triumph of print in the media revolution. Authorhouse.
Merrill, J.C. (1994). Legacy of wisdom, great thinkers, and journalism. Iowa State University Press.
Merrill, J.C. (1977). Existential journalism. Hastings House.
Merrill, J.C. (2006). Media, mission, and morality. Marquette Books.
Merrill, J.C. (1974).The imperative of freedom: A philosophy of journalistic autonomy.Freedom House.
References
Gade, P., & Gordon, A.D. (2012). John Calhoun Merrill: A legacy of wisdom. Media Ethics. 24(1).
Hartley, D.W., & Furr, P.F. (eds). (2007). Freedom Fighter. Natchitoches, LA. Northwestern State University Press.
Journalism, Iowa Hall of Fame. (n.d.)https://journalism.uiowa.edu/people/hall-of-fame, Retrieved March 8, 2024.
Journalism, Missouri, John Merrill Dies at 88. (2012).https://journalism.missouri.edu/2012/09/journalism-scholar-former-mu-professor-john-merrill-dies-at-88/. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
Media Ethics. (2012).https://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/158-fall-2012/merrill-tribute/3998680-merrill-john-calhoun-merrill-a-legacy-of-wisdom. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
The Free Library. (2000).John C. Merrill: 'There's less and less journalism going on'. - Free Online Library". https://www.thefreelibrary.com/John+C.+Merrill:+'There's+less+and+less+journalism+going+on'.-a063693052.RetrievedMarch 21, 2024.
Wikipedia, John C. Merrill. (n.d.) . Retrieved March 12, 2024.
