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.