Abby Whitaker

Considering History: Public Broadcasting’s Origins Remind Us of Its Vital Role Today | The Saturday Evening Post This institution has played an important role in American society for nearly 60 years.

So for my latest @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, on the inauguration's anniversary, I wanted to highlight the Great Society gem that was the CPB, & how its origins & early history remind us of how vital public broadcasting remains. 🗃️

www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2026/01/cons...

With the end of 2025 upon us, I wanted to create a thread of everything I'm thankful for from this past year. 2025 was filled with highs and lows, but I'm filled with grace from all the comradery and support I received this year.

Please share your own lists as well. 🗃️ Let's celebrate us!

What to Think About When Thinking About Grad School: So, you want to do a PhD? Embarking on a PhD in history can be incredibly rewarding, but before you apply, it’s best to have a clear-eyed view of academia as a whole (including the various types of universities where …

In our second guide @cliocontemporary.bsky.social
editor Sarah King provides advice to students considering PhD programs: "Embarking on a PhD in history can be incredibly rewarding, but before you apply, it's best to have a clear-eyed view of academia as a whole..."

Call for Contributions: Preparing for your First Undergraduate History Conference: a Guide FOR Students BY Students Have you presented original historical research at a conference? What advice would you give aspiring undergraduates ready to take their first plunge into the world of academic conference presentati…

Deadline extended! We're soliciting contributions from undergraduates who have presented historical research at a conference for an upcoming Clio advice column FOR students BY students. Check it out and send it along to your students.🗃️

Sesame Street Is Relocating to Netflix 'Sesame Street' finds new home at Netflix for new episodes and back catalog following the end of its streaming contract at HBO.

Netflix has saved Sesame Street!

Department of Education Eliminates Grant for PBS Children’s Shows

vandalism www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/u...

The displacement of agency is a central theme in the history of backlash politics since Reconstruction that I am writing.

As President Trump signs an executive order to defund public Broadcasting, keep in mind that it’s part of a longer history of conservatives taking aim at PBS/NPR as @abbywhitaker.bsky.social explains in her most recent piece (linked below).

We report stories that keep you and your community informed, every day, without fear or favor. Millions depend on the NPR Network. Now, we’re counting on you.

Donate here: n.pr/3EYClNR

Ending Taxpayer Subsidization Of Biased Media By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.

Trump signed an executive order today aimed at ending government funding for NPR and PBS. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Next up for @cliocontemporary.bsky.social exploration of Trump 2.0, @abbywhitaker.bsky.social brilliantly compares the current assault on PBS/NPR to those from the early 1990s. Nobody knows more about Sesame Street's complicated relationship with government than Abby, except maybe Elmo himself. 🗃️

Call For Pitches: The Losses “But you could go work for the government! Or museums—maybe a non-profit?” Grad students and adjuncts leaving academic history in the United States have often gotten the above advice from well-meaning...

A reminder that we are open for pitches for this roundtable on the ways that federal cuts to funding have impacted historians working off the tenure track.

Casar: "To you knowledge, has Ms Piggy ever been caught trying to funnel billions of dollars in government contracts to herself and to her companies? ... Elon Musk has."

55 years in, Sesame Street still relies on licensing to sustain itself, but its supporters are more affluent and the cost of doing business has gone up.

Sesame Street products have taken a luxurious turn: a $120 apron, Pottery Barn sheets, a yoga mat, and now, a $220 Kith sweater. Will I buy it? No. Do I want it? Yes.

Latina/o/x Studies & Scholars Join the conversation

Thanks for sharing more names to this starter pack. There are now 123 or so scholars who work on Latina/o/x studies included in this list. Please share and also send also send more recommendations of folks to include! ¡Entre más mejor!

go.bsky.app/Rmi3sGW

Cookie Monster’s ‘shrinkflation’ woes get White House response The beloved “Sesame Street” character griped on social media that his cookies were getting smaller. “Me hate shrinkflation,” he said. Some politicians agreed.

I was quoted in this article along with @abbywhitaker.bsky.social

Gift link: wapo.st/3UXo8qe

Big Bird in a meeting

Me, during conference season

I'm looking to organize/join a panel on inhabiting/understanding/experiencing the physical world in early Am. for the SHEAR conference next July in Philly. I focus on urban environments, but the panel could include any spaces. Please share w/any who'd be interested. Email in profile. Deadline 12/1

But as many scholars have shown us—Kathryn Cramer Brownell, @pastpunditry.bsky.social, Heather Hendershot, Brian Rosenwald—Trump did not create this media environment.

Everything old is new again. It's been 25 years since Sesame Street's first big format change—the introduction of Elmo's World. Since then, the show has increasingly invested in longer-form storytelling focused on singular characters and has moved away from its original magazine format.