History of Journalism

1
History of Journalism

• Pulitzer, Hearst, Yellow Journalism, the Spanish
  American War, Muckraking, Ethics, Press
  Associations, Radio, Television, and Desktop
  Publishing

2
Joseph Pulitzer

• Reporter on the Westliche Post in St. Louis
• Bought the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1878 at a
  sheriffs sale for 2500 combined it with the
  Post three days later paper became famous as a
  leader in crusades for social justice spoke out
  for cleaning repairing the streets, fighting
  lotteries, combating gambling, battling
  tax-dodgers

3

• Bought the New York World in 1882 news policy
  was colorful, unusual, significant, excellent,
  and sometimes sensational
• Crusader for social issues - yellow journalism
  it took a collection to build the Statue of
  Liberty pedestal
• Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochran) went to an
  insane asylum (faking insanity) to write an
  expose she later went around the world in 72
  days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 4 seconds to
  contrast w/ Jules Vernes novel Around the World
  in Eighty Days
• Pulitzer crusaded against New York Central and
  the Bell Telephone Co. also provided free ice
  coal and staffed 35 doctors to furnish medical
  service to the needy
• Editorial page was his favorite platform for
  liberal ideas

4

• Started out at 8 pages for 2 cents grew to 16
  pages w/in a few years led all other papers in
  illustrations it showed scenes of crimes many
  two-column drawings photos also contained
  promotions in the form of coupons voting
  contests
• In 1870s, Sunday editions of the papers were same
  as dailies
• Sunday World 20-page paper w/attractive news
  stories, easy to read illustrated, other
  items including comic drawings, popular songs,
  sports, society, news for children
• Morrill Goddard editor of Sunday World, came to
  be known as father of the American Sunday paper

5
William Randolph Hearst

• San Francisco Examiner took over fathers paper
  in 1885 began to remake it in the image of the
  New York World
• Bought the New York Journal in 1895 for 180,000
  from Albert Pulitzer (JPs brother) hired best
  journalists at any cost emphasized crime,
  disaster, scandal reporting
• When Pulitzer lowered price to 1 cent, so did
  Hearst
• The Journal and the World public menace b/c of
  sensationalist approach to news (banned)

6

• 1897 Hearst bought a NY paper to get AP
  franchise
• The Journal covered dedication of Grants tomb in
  color sports events around country sent Mark
  Twain to cover Jubilee Celebration of Queen
  Victoria sent 2 expeditions to Klondike where
  gold had been discovered ran a special train
  from Washington D.C. after McKinleys
  inauguration
• The Journal was a founding paper of the in-depth
  report a headless, legless, armless body was
  found in the river Hearst built a story each
  day by doing the detective work each day
  reporting the finding of each body part

7

• The Journal and the World competed in many
  different areas Sunday editions and in staffing
• Hearst hired the entire World staff, which made
  him the best in the business then Pulitzer
  hired them back
• In 24 hours, Hearst raised his price hired them
  all back
• When the World published a comic section, Hearst
  did one that was bigger better

8
Yellow Journalism

• Came from Richard Outcaults drawing Yellow
  kid when he left the World to draw it for the
  Journal, George Luks took it over, giving the
  city 2 yellow kids yellow was the color
  printed on the two kids pants

9

• Characteristics
• Scare headlines huge type in red or black,
  screaming excitement
• Lavish use of photos some w/out significance,
  some fake
• Fraudulent stories faked interviews stories,
  misleading headlines, pseudo-science
• Sunday supplement comics sensational articles
• Sympathy w/ the underdog (bias) campaigns
  against abuses suffered by common people

10
Spanish-American War

• Caused by circulation war between Hearst
  Pulitzer
• Sensational descriptions of Cubans in
  concentration camps sent by correspondents to
  papers in NY, pics drawn from rumors (only) of
  the killing of mothers babies the
  imprisonment in filty fever-ridden stockades
• Stories were good for papers circulation, didnt
  care so much about truth
• Yellow journalismtabloids

11

• Brought out social consciousness in journalism
  their public
• Many papers crusaded against child labor laws,
  promoted hospital standards of cleanliness, etc.
  (Muckraking)
• Magazines caught on
• Ida Tarbell one of the most famous
  muckrakers piece The History of the Standard
  Oil Company, published in McClures magazine,
  was one of the first attacks on big business
• Other muckraking crusades brought about major
  reforms like the Pure Food Drug Act of 1906

12
New Papers

• several papers were developed to counteract
  yellow journalism
• The New York Times (founded by Adolph Ochs in
  1896) All the news thats fit to print It
  does not soil the breakfast cloth started
  features like Sunday supplement, Saturday book
  reviews, Monday financial reviews
• The Christian Science Monitor (founded by May
  Baker Eddy in 1908) included foreign news, art,
  music, literature stayed away from crime
  disaster

13

• Pulitzer changed policy he re-emphasized the
  papers responsibility to the public
• Pulitzer died in 1911 The Pulitzer School of
  Journalism was est. _at_ Columbia Univ. in NY 8
  annual Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism (1917)
• By end of 1922, Hearst owned 20 dailies, 11
  Sunday papers, 6 magazines, Kings Feature
  Syndicate (a motion picture co.) The Hearst
  Foundation holds journalism contests for J.
  school undergrads

14
Press Associations

• Associated Press (1900) largest assoc.
  newspapers are members they share
  (collaboration)
• United Press International (1957) combination
  of 2 services no member newspapers, news sold on
  contract basis

15
Radio

• 1906 Dr. Lee DeForest made improvements on the
  vacuum tube, which allowed for the invention of
  the radio
• 1916 1st broadcast by DeForest over a limited
  area about the returns of the Wilson-Hughes
  presidential election
• FDR did fireside chats to get closer to the
  public
• National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) founded in 1926
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1927
• American Broadcasting Co. (ABC) in 1945

16

• Airwave regulation was necessary
• In 1912, law was passed that allowed the Dept. of
  Commerce to assign wavelengths to radio stations
• Radio Act of 1927 broadened this power
  created the Fed. Radio Commission, the precursor
  to the FCC, which has jurisdiction over TV
  radio
• Comedians like Jack Benny Bob Hope did radio
  shows sporting events were also broadcasted
• Today 4948 AM 4171 FB stations

17
Television

• TVs took much of entertainment role away from
  radio breaking news role from newspapers
• Nation stops for TV 1st moon landing, JFK
  assassination, Challenger explosion, Olympics,
  etc.
• Press conf. bring Pres. to you
• Cable TV bring more options
• Powerful medium 60s footage bias but then turned
  heads
• TV as primary source fast, easy to understand
• Newspapers have become more graphic, complete,
  colorful

18
Desktop Publishing

• Computers change the face of journalism
• Development of PC put a computer on each
  reporters desk now type stories into 1 central
  storage unit designers do layout electronically
• Development of laser printers improved quality of
  computer output scanners eliminate the need for
  printing pictures, improvements in photocopiers
• Increased use of modems on-line resources
  papers put themselves online