History News Network Explained

History News Network (HNN) at George Washington University is a platform for historians writing about current events.

History

History News Network (HNN) is a non-profit corporation registered in Washington DC. HNN was founded by Richard Shenkman, the author of Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of World History. Shenkman served as editor until his retirement in 2019. Historian Kyla Sommers is the current editor-in-chief. HNN sponsors several history-oriented blogs including Liberty and Power (coordinated by David T. Beito), and Jim Loewen.^{[1] [2] [3]}

HNN, originally hosted by George Mason University, moved to George Washington University in 2017.^[4]

Murray Polner was the long-time book editor for HNN.^{[5] [6]}

In 2012, HNN celebrated the Fourth of July by holding a contest to select the worst books about American history every published. Nominees David Barton’s The Jefferson Lies, Michael Bellesiles’s Arming America, Gavin Menzies’s 1421 : The Year China Discovered America, Richard G. Williams’s 2006 book Stonewall Jackson: The Black Man’s Friend and A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.^[2] Over 1000 HNN readers gave the nod to Barton and Zinn.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: History News Network» History News Network. Chnm.gmu.edu. 17 January 2015.
2. News: History News Network Celebrates Bad History Books. The New York Times. 4 July 2012 . 17 January 2015.
3. Web site: York College Professor Reviews For History News Network. York.cuny.edu. 17 January 2015. 24 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724153609/https://www.york.cuny.edu/news/york-college-professor-reviews-for-history-news-network. dead.
4. Warren. James. James Warren (journalist). Shenkman's New Home. https://archive.today/20170329171151/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/the-truth-about-trumps-print-media-fixation. 29 March 2017. limited. 23 November 2021. Vanity Fair. 27 March 2017 . Journalist-historian Rick Shenkman has found a new home for the History News Network, namely George Washington University, meaning 'its future is now assured' after departing George Mason University..
5. News: Murray Polner, founding and only editor of Present Tense magazine, dies at 91 . Oster. Marcy. 23 November 2021 . . 2 June 2019.
6. News: Roberts . Sam . Murray Polner, Antiwar Editor and Author, Is Dead at 91 . 11 June 2019 . . 5 June 2019.
7. Jennifer Schuessler, "And the Worst Book of History Is …" in New York Times July 16, 2012 online.