What I Learned This Semester

 This semester I had the privilege of learning about the history of journalism starting all the way back from the 17th century. 

One of the most interesting things that I learned about was how journalism started and gained popularity through inventions such as the printing press. As well as how its growth in popularity allowed the public to get access to print media.

My favorite thing that I enjoyed learning about the
most was how women played a role in journalism. 

I enjoyed learning about this because journalism was primarily seen as a male-dominated industry where women did not seem to have a place. 

I loved discussing this in my Journo Hero presentation on Gloria Steinem where she dealt with sexism as a female writer.

As well as I enjoyed hearing about other female journalists paving the way such as Martha Gellhorn.

I think doing the blog posts was helpful for me because writing them allowed me to think in different ways about a topic we were discussing in class. As well as put my own twist on it and express how I interpreted the event. 

The blogs did improve my writing ability because if I did not completely understand an event that happened or an important figure we discussed, I had to do my own research to understand. 

One of my favorite aspects of class was watching films. As a film student, it is normal for me to have to watch a film and analyze it. However, it was interesting watching them in a journalism class where I had to focus on the specific press involvement throughout the storyline. 

My favorite film that we watched in class was The Front Page. The Front Page was my favorite film because I felt like it combined humor and historical accuracy in one and was overall entertaining to watch. 

I do feel that in some situations might be slightly overdramatised to keep the audience interested in the story, but I felt as though all three films we saw were generally historically accurate. 

If I had to compare journalism now to an earlier period I would compare it to the early 2010s. I say this because I believe that due to the internet print media sales are slowly plunging more every year and in the early 2010s due to the rise of smartphones people started to receive news straight from their phones so there was no purpose in buying a newspaper. 

EOTO #3 Reaction Post

 While watching the Journo Hero presentations, I found myself compelled by the presentation on Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were reporters for The Washington Post in the 1970s and famously reported on the Watergate Scandal.

Bob Woodward was born in Illinois on March 26th, 1943. He received his degree at Yale University where he majored in History and English. 

Although Woodward was accepted into Harvard Law School, he decided to pursue a career in journalism instead.

Bob Woodward met Carl Berstein at the Washington Post where they both worked as journalists. The two of them collaborated when the Watergate scandal happened. 

Once they were done reporting on the Watergate scandal the two journalists decided to write a book on the events that had occurred. The book is titled All the President's Men and was published in 1974.

All the President's Men was then made into a movie in 1976 which starred Robert Redford. 

Learning about Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein was very interesting and appealing to me because I personally did not know a lot about the Watergate scandal and learning about Woodward and Berstein makes the situation that occurred a lot less confusing. 

It also was very interesting to learn how a very popular movie was made based on the works of the two. 

EOTO #3: Gloria Steinem

 Gloria Steinem is known to have been a huge advocate for Women's rights during the Women's liberation movement throughout the 60s and 70s. However, her career started off with her being interested in journalism and working as a writer in New York City in the 1960s.

Gloria Steinem was born in Ohio on March 25, 1934. She grew up in a low-income household and her parents ended up divorcing when she was around five years old. 

Gloria attended Smith College and majored in Journalism. After she graduated she ended up getting a job as a writer in New York City. 

It is noted that Gloria despised her writing job. She loved writing but felt as though she was given assignments on traditionally feminine topics such as cooking and fashion. As well as getting sexually harassed in the office. 

A company that was booming in the 1960s was Playboy. Playboy is a magazine company founded by Hugh Hefner that showcased nude women throughout its glossy pages. As well as had well-written articles along the pages. 

Hugh Hefner was advertising his new Playboy nightclubs and put in newspaper advertisements wanting women to work as waitresses at his clubs.

Gloria's boss saw one of these advertisements and strongly encouraged her to go undercover as a Playboy Bunny to expose Hugh Hefner and write an article about it. Gloria was hesitant about the idea but did decide to go through with it. 

Once Gloria was officially hired to work at one of the clubs she had to go through bunny training. Bunny training consisted of various obstacles that all girls had to go through. This was everything from how to do your makeup, how to serve drinks, and even how to keep your weight down so you could fit in the tight bunny costumes. 

Gloria found all of these tasks ridiculous and demeaning towards women. After working as a bunny for a month she decided to quit and began writing her article. 

Gloria published her article I Was a Playboy Bunny in 1963 and shortly after became a household name. Her article discussed her time working at the Playboy Club and how poorly she and the other women were treated. Which slightly tarnished Hugh Hefner's name. 

After Gloria's article was published she began to attend feminist protests because she still felt sour about how the women working in the clubs were being treated and wanted to do something about it. As she continued to attend more protests and rallies she began speaking at some of them.

Most protests she attended had to do with abortion and working women especially as more women began to enter the workforce. Going to these protests and hearing other women's stories inspired Gloria to publish her own magazine and title it Ms. Magazine.

Ms. Magazine is a quarterly released magazine that focuses on women's issues. Before its release men predicted that the magazine would fail and no one would buy it. However, the magazine's first issue was completely sold out and was a huge success. 

 

 

Shock and Awe

The 2017 film Shock and Awe is about journalists who work for Knight Ridder, who examine the ties between the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the possible connection with the Bush Administration.  

The film follows two journalists, Jonathan Landay and Joe Gallaway as they attempt to find a connection between the events that are occurring before their eyes. 

Since journalism plays a key role throughout the film, it is only fair to compare the characters in the newsroom and how their reactions to the unfolding events affect their reporting.

I wanted to point out how the frustration is shown predominantly in Jonathan as he and Joe strive to retrieve information following a connection with the Bush Administration. Jonathan and Joe reach out to higher-ups in the government to retrieve the information they are so desperate to find. But unfortunately they at most times are unsuccessful in doing so. 

Their frustration and irritation unfold
faster as they are forced to watch the news on the television in the newsroom where multiple politicians will come on screen and say their piece. 

A topic that we've discussed many times in class is the relationship between the press and the government. It is true and valid that there should be a large amount of transparency between these two groups of people so that the public has a right to know the truth.

The unfortunate truth is that most time the government shows very little transparency between itself and journalists. Due to this, it is not surprising that conflict is set to arise between the press and the government. 

Again, the frustration is seen in Jonathan and Joe in their attempt to retrieve information about the current events. 

As well as this irritation only becomes deeper as the characters are in a pre-war period. 

The Knight Ridder journalists in the film are the true heroes because they do everything in their possible power to get to the truth. Which causes a lot of frustration, stress, and irritability in both their professional and personal lives.

Journalists today should be seen as heroes because they will often do anything to get to the truth, sometimes even being at risk of losing their lives to do so.  

There are a lot of parallels between the events in the film and journalists today. For example, in Russia, they have strict rules regarding freedom of the press. That being that Russia has strict censorship rules when it comes to reporting and is not afraid to take negative action when needed. 

I believe that when journalists are told they won't have access to salvage the information that they need, they should have a right to possibly expose the source that is lying to them as it could potentially be a danger to the public. 

EOTO 2 Reaction Post: Crime and Sports Reporting

While watching the EOTO Presentations, two presentations grabbed my attention. Those two presentations are the history of Crime Reporting and Sports Reporting.

Crime Reporting is when a journalist sets out to report on a crime that has just occurred. Crime journalism primarily began in the 1920s. 

Journalists would come onto the scene of a crime, usually a murder or gruesome act, and would take notes on a notepad where then the news of the crime would spread fast through radio.

Crime Reporting was viewed in a positive light as it made journalists able to report on recent crimes and spread the news to publish fast. Although this was great, the safety of the reporters was put in a harmful position.

Jake Lingle was a crime reporter for the Chicago Tribune throughout the 1920s. One afternoon on his attempt to catch a plane he was followed by two men, and one of them shot him in the back of his head. 

It is known now that Jake Lingle had a connection to gangster groups which led to his death. This opened up a discussion about safety regarding journalists and their identity. 

Along with Crime Reporting, Sports Reporting also began in the 1920s. Sports Reporting is when journalists report on sports-related subjects, such as players and events.

Before we had television or social media, the only way to keep up with Sports Reporting during the Roaring 20s was through the newspaper. This all changed though when sports journalists started reporting through radio.

Sports Reporting through the radio was groundbreaking and allowed sports fans to receive information regarding their favorite team faster than regular print media. 

In the 1930s newspapers started to hire executives to interview the layers, so that the public would have the opportunity to know their favorite players more personally. 

In the 1940s sports cartoons began to be published in the papers. Sports cartoons normally consisted of drawings of famous players that had a more childish feel to them.

Another groundbreaking project that was developed regarding Sports Reporting was the launch of ESPN in 1979. ESPN allowed fans of sports to have exclusive access to the latest news and keep up with the events. 

Good Night, and Good Luck

 Good Night, and Good Luck is a historical drama that encapsulates the 1950s and its relationship to communism regarding CBS News.

The film has an A-list line of stars in its cast including George Clooney, David Strathairn, and Grant Heslov, just to name a few. The film is also in black and white which gives it a more realistic feel in its mid-century era. 

George Clooney plays the role of Fred W. Friendly, a journalist who gained recognition in the early 1950s for the CBS news show See It Now. Fred W. Friendly also collaborated with Edward R. Murrow, a broadcast journalist, played by David Strathairn to produce See It Now. 

The film spans over an hour and a half and focuses on the dangers of communism and how journalism and political power can lead others into hysteria through its influence. 

We see this influence start at the beginning of the film. At the beginning of the film, we are shown a flashback of Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow discussing topics that would be great for their news show when Edward brings up the idea that they should discuss the military and their ties to communism. 

Fred and Edward decide that this story is worth exploring and go ahead and start working on it for their show. Their creative process comes to a halt when men of the military attempt to Fred and Edward to not air the story as it might have damaging repercussions if it is aired. 

The two men disregard the encounter and decide to air the segment on See It Now regardless of what they have been previously told. After their segment is aired they are caught by the eye of Senator Joesph McCarthy.

This inspires Fred and Edward to invite Joesph McCarthy to See It Now, to explain how he viewed their previous segment on ties between the military and communism. Unsure of how the interview will turn out Edward begins going after McCarthy during the interview which leads to McCarthy accusing Edward of being a communist in another interview. 

Edward of course denies McCarthy's claims of any ties to the communist party and continues the interview. 

Although not being too familiar with Good Night, and Good Luck before viewing the film I did thoroughly enjoy watching it. I also had very little knowledge of the story as a whole, but the film made it easy to follow along.

 As a film student myself, I especially admired how the film chose to be in black and white instead of color which I felt gave it a more realistic feel. 

Overall I enjoyed the film and was glad I had the privilege to learn about an important piece of history. 

EOTO #2: The History of Gossip Columns

     My second EOTO presentation was on the history of gossip columns. I chose to present the history of gossip columns because I've always found it fascinating how journalists can get such personal information on high-profile people such as celebrities, politicians, and even royalty. Researching this topic led me down a rabbit hole of alluring knowledge that I was able to put in my presentations and even some fun surprises as well. 

    A gossip column is a section in a newspaper or magazine that usually talks about personal information regarding a celebrity or a politician. The information on the public figure usually discusses something scandalous to catch the reader's attention and keep them reading the article. The idea of gossip columns begins to expand with the new invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century. Although it was started centuries prior, gossip columns exploded in popularity in eighteenth-century Europe. 

    The first known "gossiper" was known as James Boswell. James Boswell was a diarist who wanted to write interesting stories about the entities around him. Having this in mind he began to write about the events around town, such as local hangings and political conferences. Between the years of 1777 to 1783, he wrote 70 gossip columns for London Magazine. He published the columns under the name Hypocondriack to not reveal himself to the public. This then began a trend of other gossip columnists keeping their identities hidden from the public so that they would not face any backlash for their work. Throughout the mid to late eighteenth century, gossip columns became easily accessible due to the rise of the printing press, to the point where every local town had its own newspaper. As well as it became easier for writers to publish their work as Libel Laws became less restrictive. 

    In the United States, due to the rise of films in the twentieth century gossip columns began to be written about the movie stars that were in the films regarding their personal life. Actress and writer Hedda Hopper became the prime target that celebrities wanted to avoid due to Hedda's ability to publish one of their personal stories. Hedda Hopper usually wrote pearl-clutching scandals in gossip columns about the shocking lives that celebrities lived off-screen. Most celebrities disliked her due to her ability to release the truth, one being Elizabeth Taylor, but regardless she was always able to release a juicy story to her own benefit. 

    In the 1950s a popular magazine Confidential was notoriously known to slander the lives of celebrities with their gossip columns. An example of this is in 1953 when I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were on the April 1953 cover of Life Magazine holding their two children. This photo of them displays a loving family and domesticity at its finest. Nonetheless Confidential still found a way to twist this narrative into a negative story.  A few weeks after the Life Magazine cover was out, Confidential released a story regarding Desi Arnez having an affair with a prostitute that turned out to be true.

    One of the most infamous Hollywood affairs between Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Elizabeth Taylor broke the news in the late 1950s. The story between these three actors was that happily married couple Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds had been broken apart by Elizabeth Taylor. Who essentially  "stole" Eddie Fisher away from Debbie Reynolds. When this news story broke gossip columnists spread this story like wildfire calling Elizabeth Taylor evil and a jezebel while Debbie Reynolds was labeled as a "good girl" who had her stolen away from her. When revisiting this affair, it reminded me of a current story, just as scandalous that is currently in the news today. 

    In the summer of 2023, news broke that Ariana Grande was rumored and now confirmed to have had an affair that broke up her and her Wicked film co-star and new boyfriend Ethan Slater's marriage. The story is that both Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater left their marriages to pursue a relationship with one another, respectively tossing both of their spouses to the side. Similar to the infamous Hollywood affair in the 1950s, the story of Ariana Grande's affair broke headlines calling her evil and a homewrecker as well. These two news stories both mirror each other due to their willingness to slander the names of two very famous women while leaving the men free of zero slandering. Gossip journalism has the issue of blaming the women for stories such as this and not the men. The main reasoning behind this is that it is easier to slam a woman for committing an ethically wrong act, but not so much for men. Making it easier to sell news stories to the public. 

Sources:

https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/shondaland-bridgerton-behind-the-scenes/a39576200/the-history-of-gossip-columns/

https://www.npr.org/2010/03/02/123584348/confidential-the-national-enquirer-of-the-1950s 

https://nypost.com/2023/10/04/debbie-reynolds-son-recalls-elizabeth-taylor-affair-with-eddie-fisher/

https://pagesix.com/2024/01/12/entertainment/ariana-grande-slammed-as-homewrecker-as-she-addresses-ethan-slater-backlash-in-yes-and/