EOTO: Theater Reviews in the UK

EOTO: Reaction

 In class, we had the opportunity to listen to our classmates present their EOTO projects, each based on a different aspect of journalism history. It was a great learning experience for all.

One of the most interesting topics I learned about from my classmates was yellow journalism. Yellow journalism is the use of sensationalism instead of facts. Yellow journalism was often used in the later 1800s and early 1900s to entice viewers to read certain publications. 

yellowjournalismblog.wordpress

Left to Right: Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst

Reading yellow journalism was thrilling for readers because it was interesting, basically like gossip. However, it provided inaccurate facts, which really did a disservice to the public. Yellow journalism created a battle between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst.

Joseph Pulitzer was a publisher for the New York World, and William Randolph Hearst published for the New York Journal.During the Spanish-American War, these two publishers would battle against each other to see who could write the most "sensational" news. They chose to to this instead of writing accurately and factually. 

Another thing I enjoyed learning about during our presentations was the penny press. These newspapers were cheap because they were produced in bulk. The name penny press comes from the fact that they were sold for just one cent. This is hard to believe in this day and age. Newspapers today are considered cheap when they are sold for a dollar.

ThoughtCo.com

Newspapers being printed in the 1850s in the Penny Press Era

The most important part of the penny press era, was that it made newspapers accessible to everyone. Newspapers used to only be affordable for the wealthy, leaving the middle and lower classes having less knowledge of what was going on in the nation and in the world.

This caused me to think about how much news and information has changed since the 1800s. The idea of being knowledgable about our world is something I think we take for granted in today's day and age. We can take out our phones and see the latest news and updates with the click of a button. 

Even before we had smart phones, news could be quickly delivered on the television. The earliest version of a "television" was not invented until the 1880s, and then it was something not widely available. It was not until the 1950s that the television became a part of many American homes. These ideas and history only highlight the importance of newspapers during the 1800s and early 1900s.

Overall, our EOTO presentations were very thought provoking and allowed me to learn more about journalism history.

Five Star Final

IBM

Five Star Final released in 1931

The movie Five Star Final starts off with people talking about Mr. Randall, managing editor of the New York Evening Gazette.  Mr. Randall is played by Edward G. Robinson.

It starts to become apparent that Mr. Randall likes to hire beautiful women. A gorgeous woman named Kitty Carmody, played by Ona Munson, walks into the gazette. She starts telling Mr. Randall's secretary, Miss Taylor played by Aline MacMahon, that she wants a job. She says to the Miss Taylor, who is being cold towards her, "I don't think you like me do you? Miss Taylor responds saying, "Don't worry you'll get the job alright." 

I found this conversation to be particularly interesting because it shows the sexism that existed in the 1930s, the time the film takes place. Miss Taylor was exactly right and without so much as a hello, never the less actual interview questions, Mr. Randall hires Jenny. This sexism continues throughout the movie. One of the character's later says he wants to "Warning: Don't Fall in Love with Your Boss." This insinuates that men are always the bosses and woman are always just looking for a man to be with.

Mr. Randall sends Jenny out on her first assignment seconds after hiring her. He wants her to find a woman named Nancy Voorhees. Nancy killed her former boss that she was set to marry about 20 years ago. Mr. Randall wants to revive this scandal in the newspaper. However, this assignment is not what it seems and isn't just any story for Jenny.

We get a look inside the Townsend household. Jenny Townsend is about to marry Phillip Weeks, played by Anthony Bushell. The two of them are with Jenny's mother Nancy Townsend, played by Frances Starr, and Michael Townsend, played by H.B. Warner. The four happily talk about the wedding. However, when Jenny and Phillip leave the room we learn that Nancy Townsend's maiden name is Voorhees. She is the one who murdered her boss. We also learn that Michael Townsend isn't actually Jenny's father. Jenny doesn't know anything about the murder or her mother and supposed father's past, and the town doesn't know about either of these scandals either.

TV Insider

Marian Marsh who plays Jenny

Later, Nancy finds out that her 20-year-old murder case is going to be featured in the newspaper. A terrified Nancy says to her husband, "They'll find us. You can't hide from a newspaper."

Ethical issues quickly develop within the newspaper. Vernon Isopod, played by Boris Karloff, visits the Townsend home with just Mr. and Mrs. Townsend present. He pretends to be the Dr. Isopod claiming to be the officiant of Jenny and Phillip's wedding. In their discussion, Nancy admits that her maiden name is Voorhees, and she asked who she thinks is Dr. Isopod for her advice on what to do about the upcoming news article. Isopod runs off because he got the information on Nancy that he needed.

Isopod reports back to Mr. Randall who agrees to publish about the Voorhees murder and the upcoming wedding, not realizing that this is Jenny's family.

This is an unethical practice for a reporter. Isopod should not have concealed his identity. He tricked the Townsend's into giving information that they thought they were giving to an officiant. Instead they were giving the information on their family scandal to the newspaper. They also gave Isopod a photo of Jenny, asking him not to include the photo of Jenny in the newspaper. Isopod defies those wishes and gives the photo to Mr. Randall. 

The Voorhees story is an example of yellow journalism. The newspaper cares more about scandal and sensationalism than presenting the facts. Nancy Voorhees committed murder 20-years-ago, so it no longer had a timeliness relevance. The newspaper just wanted to generate business by exposing scandal.

At the end of the movie Jenny going to the newspaper and screaming at them how they ruined her life and murdered her family. Just as she pulls a gun on them, Phillip runs in and stops her. He finishes what Jenny started and tells them that he will kill them if they ever print anything about his wife again. Everyone leaves physically unharmed, but the emotional damage is already done to both Jenny and Phillip and the newspaper members who realize their paper caused a double suicide.

The movie ends with Mr. Randall quitting the paper because of the emotional distress he was caused knowing he caused the chaos that came from the Voorhees article.

This movie is an example of how yellow journalism and deception within the press can negatively affect both the public and news publications themselves. It is for this reason that journalists should stay away from yellow journalism and report ethically and accurately.

EOTO: Reuters

Reuters is a company owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation with more than 25,000 employees worldwide. It is known for being a leader for news and journalistic integrity. It is the British "version" of the Associated Press.

Online News Association

Condensed Reuter's History Timeline

Link to Full Timeline

1850s- Paul Rulius Reuter founds a media company

• Reuter comes from Aachen to London to share about a news and stock price information service he has been running. He opens a London office in 1851

• His technologies he uses include telegraph cables and a fleet of carrier pigeons

1870s- West Publishing is founded

• Founded by John B. West and his brother Horatio in Minnesota

1890s- Roy Thomson is born

• Roy Thomson is the grandfather of the current Reuters chairman

National Portrait Gallery

Roy Thomson

1940s- The Reuters Trust Principles are born

• They are to safeguard independence
• A result of Reuters restructuring itself so that it is owned by the British National and Provincial Press, together with (in 1947) the Press Associations of Australia and New Zealand.

1950s- Thomson Newspapers grow in the UK

• Thomson acquires the Kemsley Group which owns other newspapers like the Sunday Times

1960s- The Times of London is acquired and merges with the Sunday Times

1970s- International Thomson Organisation Limited is formed

• Establishes headquarters in Toronto and two main operating subsidiaries in the UK and U.S.

1980s- Reuters becomes a publicly-quoted company

• Listed on the London Stock Exchange and NASDAQ as Reuters Holdings PLC

1990s- Reuters and Dow Jones partner to deliver business news services

2000s- Innovation continues and more work is done with foreign exchange

• The current chairman of Reuters is David Thomson

• The current president is Paul Bascobert

Breaking Down Reuters Trust Principles

Link to Principles

The Principles as They are Written by Reuters:

1. That Reuters shall at no time pass into the hands of any one interest, group, or faction;

2. That the integrity, independence, and freedom from bias of Thomson Reuters shall at all times be fully preserved;

3. That Reuters shall supply unbiased and reliable news services to newspapers, news agencies, broadcasters, and other media subscribers and to businesses, governments, institutions, individuals, and others with whom Reuters has or may have contracts;

4. That Thomson Reuters shall pay due regard to the many interests which it serves in addition to those of the media; and

5. That no effort shall be spared to expand, develop, and adapt the news and other services and products of Thomson Reuters so as to maintain its leading position in the international news and information business

World Atlas

Reuters Headquarters in London, UK

The Principles in My Own Words:

1. Prevents Reuters from only being operated by a single person or group. Reuters is committed to sharing all points of view.

2. Ensures that independence and freedom still remain a core value

3. Promises to share unbiased and accurate news

4. Will not only focus on the interests of the media but of the entire general public

5. Promises to adapt and change in order to remain a top news source

These are just some of the things that I learned through my research on Reuters. I am grateful I had the opportunity to study this powerful organization.

Midterm Lecture Recap

Since we started this course in January, I have learned so much about journalism and the history of news in our country. We started off the course with a refresher on the First Amendment and Constitution, looking at some of the things we studied in media law and ethics/literacy.

Something that I personally needed a refresher on was the journalists role in society of being a "watchdog." This is why we are an "adversarial" press and not a "cooperative" press. Because of this, journalists are part of the system of checks and balances. 

I needed to be reminded of this because sometimes it is hard for me to be critical in my work as a journalist. I always want to share the good news, and at times I dread sharing bad news, particularly when it is something I am personally criticizing. In general, you could say that I struggle with opinion pieces that are more negative than positive, but I am working on this in our opinion writing course. I need to remember the importance of being critical when it is necessary, especially when it comes to the government.

 

Something that I found incredibly interesting in media law and ethics/literacy was the State Action Doctrine, and I am glad I was also able to be refreshed on it in this class. The State Action Doctrine reads, "Without government involvement no constitutional claim can be made because only the government can violate your constitutional rights: Therefore, the first amendment doesn’t reach private actors." This is why people can still sue for libel, or defamation.

Along with the "watchdog" role and State Action Doctrine, we also learned about the Twitter Files. In this case, accusations were made that the government was involved in the censorship. Journalists defended the government and tried to cancel fellow journalists for reporting on the truth. Those journalists were trying to play the watchdog role. Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, two American journalists, showed thousands of emails from social media companies that have direct conversations with the government. This was a really fascinating example of the principles we have learned about in class being seen in real life.

The Printing Press

Later in class we learned about the Colonial, Partisan and Penny Press Eras.

Colonial Press: Learning about this era, I saw how important the press was in working towards America's independence. In 1729, Benjamin Franklin started his own paper to vaguely hint at independence. On the opposite side of things, there were also incidents where the government tried to halt independence. In 1722 James Franklin was put in jail for using a confidential source who criticized the government. In good news for the press, in 1769, Isaac Doelittle made a major advancement for the press by creating the mechanical press, allowing multiple pages to be printed quickly.

Partisan Press: By this time, America had just declared its independence. In 1776, Thomas Paine created an editorial style pamphlet called "Common Sense" in which he criticized the government. In 1789, James Madison wrote the First Amendment, a major step towards protecting the press. However, in 1798, the Sedition Act went into effect and made it a crime to criticize the government. Luckily in 1800 after the Jefferson vs. Adams election, Jefferson got ride of the act. In 1823, Jones Booth created the steam-powered press making printing even faster.

Penny Press: This era begins in the 1800s. In 1833, Benjamin Day of the New York Sun makes newspapers more affordable and available to the public by only charging one cent but printing more papers. In 1844, Samuel B. Morse invented the telegraph allowing information to be spread quicker and across larger distances. In 1852, Charles Dana of the New York Times began the "objectivity standard" by reporting both sides. This was the opposite of the Partisan Era. In 1861, the Civil War began, and it was a time of censorship.

These are just some of the key facts from these timelines. The timelines really allowed be to gain a better understanding of journalism history and how it effected journalism in our modern world.

This post includes just a small portion of what we have learned in class, and I am excited to learn more and grow in my knowledge of journalism history.

Why Am I Here?

My freshman year of high school I joined our school news broadcast group, Griffin TV. After shadowing for a few days, I was set to finally work on a basic job behind the scenes soon, like operating the teleprompter, writing scripts or creating graphics. It was my last day of observing the show before this transition. The show was starting soon, and the crew was looking for someone to fill in as a co-anchor last minute. Our teacher looked to me and asked if I thought I could do it. I said yes and jumped right in.

For the next four years I spent countless hours in the studio, learning every job both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. I recognized that what we were doing was just a minuscule part of the greater world of journalism. I knew that I wanted to become a journalist and immerse myself in that world.

My High School Logo

Going into my senior year, I began applying to colleges. Because this  was less than two years since the covid-19 pandemic began, I was unable to go on college tours throughout junior year, as many high school students do. I did most of my visits during senior year. However, many of my applications were due in the fall. Because of this I had to apply to schools I hadn't even visited yet. In total, I ended up applying to 17 schools, which is a LOT. 

I knew long before senior year that I wanted to study broadcast journalism in college. As I was making my list of schools I wanted to apply to, I was looking for places that had great journalism programs, and I really wanted a school with a state-of-the-art broadcast studio. This would allow me to practice in a professional environment. 

I applied to Newhouse at Syracuse University, Fordham University, American University, Hofstra University and more. The one thing they all had in common was they had exceptional journalism programs and were located in the North East. 

High Point University was not on my radar until an admissions counselor visited my school and convinced me to apply. I trusted his opinion immediately because he studied communications at HPU and attended my high school. Before I knew it, I was applying to my first and only school in the South. Needless to say I visited during presidential scholars weekend, took one look at the studio, and I was convinced. I put down my deposit that weekend and said goodbye to the 16 other schools I had applied to.

NQSC

So that is how I ended up at the HPU journalism department. But how did I end up in this class?

Of course this class is a required course for all journalism students, but this class is more to me than just that. This class is an opportunity for me to learn more about the journalists who have come before me. By studying journalism history, I can learn what things I should do and what things I should not do. I firmly believe that studying the past is the best way to improve our future, and I hope that this class will help me do that as a journalist. I also couldn't pass up the chance to take another class with Dr. Smith. (This will be my 5th class with him!)

Overall, I have no doubt that I will learn so much this semester about what I consider to be one of the best professions in the world.