# 1119 FDC - 1958 4¢ Freedom of Press
1958 4¢ Freedom of Press
City: Columbia, Missouri
Quantity: 118,390,200
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Perforations: 10 ½ x 11
Color: Black
America’s First Journalism School
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was significant debate over journalism education. Many people believed that journalism couldn’t be taught in a classroom, rather it had to be learned from an extended apprenticeship. And journalists needed to have a certain talent for the field that they couldn’t simply learn.
Walter Williams would be a driving force for change both in Missouri, and the world of journalism. Williams was a dedicated journalist who started his career as a writer for the Boonville Advertiser. In 1889, at the age of 25, he was the youngest president of the Missouri Press Association. By 1908, Williams was editor of the Columbia Missouri Herald and a university curator and pressed for a school of journalism. With the support of Joseph Pulitzer, they finally convinced the Missouri Senate to back their idea. Williams was selected to serve as the school’s first dean.
On September 14, 1908, the University of Missouri School of Journalism officially opened. The first class immediately began work on their first issue of the University Missourian, which later became the Columbia Missourian.
1958 4¢ Freedom of Press
City: Columbia, Missouri
Quantity: 118,390,200
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Rotary Press
Perforations: 10 ½ x 11
Color: Black
America’s First Journalism School
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was significant debate over journalism education. Many people believed that journalism couldn’t be taught in a classroom, rather it had to be learned from an extended apprenticeship. And journalists needed to have a certain talent for the field that they couldn’t simply learn.
Walter Williams would be a driving force for change both in Missouri, and the world of journalism. Williams was a dedicated journalist who started his career as a writer for the Boonville Advertiser. In 1889, at the age of 25, he was the youngest president of the Missouri Press Association. By 1908, Williams was editor of the Columbia Missouri Herald and a university curator and pressed for a school of journalism. With the support of Joseph Pulitzer, they finally convinced the Missouri Senate to back their idea. Williams was selected to serve as the school’s first dean.
On September 14, 1908, the University of Missouri School of Journalism officially opened. The first class immediately began work on their first issue of the University Missourian, which later became the Columbia Missourian.