Post #8: Shock and Awe

"There is no more important struggle for American democracy than insuring a diverse, independent and free media." - Bill Moyers 

The 2017 film "Shock and Awe" is a drama starring Rob Reiner, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, James Marsden, Mills Jovovich, and Jessica Biel. The true story deals with a group of journalists at Knight Ridder's Washington Bureau who investigate the reasoning behind the Bush Administration's invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The specific part in the movie that I would like to focus on is the infamous, yet saddening, September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a rural field in Pennsylvania. The attack was four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda, destroying all three locations. 

The tragic event went down as the deadliest attack in history, killing over 3,000 people and injuring thousands. Later that night, the attacks had been identified as being the work of Osama bin Laden. The United States started war and invaded Afghanistan. 

From here, journalists Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel who worked for Knight Ridder, a consortium of thirty-one newspapers across the United States, under the Washington Bureau Chief John Walcott. They are aware that the Iraq story does not make complete sense to which they begin investigating with any sources that they can get their hands on, even within the Pentagon. Along with this, the Bush Administration claimed that Iraq which was led by Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction. The two go down a path of trying to discover if this belief is false or another dangerous reason.

The film brings about serious issues regarding credibility or the lack thereof in mainstream media, newspapers not printing stories with the belief that the other media is accurate, and the potential to be in danger when going up against the government. 

During this period, The New York Times was prominently known for reporting the claims being made about Hussein's weapons without really knowing the full truth. That being said, the only newspaper that was determined to report accurate, truthful information was Knight Ridder. 

It is crazy to think that even today there are still instances of misinformation, or in other words yellow journalism, occurring although it is not explicitly referred to as the term. 

Overall, I really enjoyed watching the movie in class as it taught me more about the journalists' point of view during the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath. Being a journalist at the time had to have been such an overwhelming and tricky career as they were constantly faced with obstacles concerning whether to write sensationalist style or factual. I would recommend this to anyone who likes true story based films as well as stories about our countries history, an important subject that I believe everyone should be very well-educated on. 

The Truth Matters!

Post #9: Final Post (Dorothy Fuldheim)

Early Life

Having been credited as the “First Lady of Television News,” Dorothy Fuldheim was born on June 26, 1893 in Passaic, New Jersey but grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Although American, she is of Jewish descent.

Before she got a job in broadcasting, Fuldheim was an elementary school teacher. Jane Addams, a social activist, hired Dorothy in 1918 to speak about social causes, which started her love for public speaking. 

Fuldheim often spoke about topics related to foreign policy and social causes for the next nineteen years. 

Dorothy then debuted her broadcasting career on a weekly program at Cleveland radio station, WTAM, in 1929 and they then created a daily program over the NBC Red Network in 1933. 

Her speeches advocated for birth control and her opposition to publicly owned utilities and railroads. This then earned her the nicknames of “Militant Cleveland Lecturer” and “The American H.G. Wells.” Dorothy gave over 3,500 speeches within a twenty year span. She traveled and visited interwar Europe regularly, interviewing Engelbert Dollfuss a couple day before his assassination and Adolf Hitler in 1932 before he got powerful. These interviews led her to be the first female news analyst in network radio with NBC Red.

WJW, based in Cleveland, aired daily news commentary by Fuldheim in 1944 as a part of their Newspaper of the Air program. They hired her because of her reputation as a public speaker and assigned her to attend the San Francisco Conference which established the United Nations to interview attendees. 

She warned about upcoming tensions between the US and the Soviet Union and advocated for the peace movement and peacekeeping before and after the end of WWII.

Dorothy also engaged in literary criticism and book reviews, expressing surprise at the number of people wanting to hear her discuss a poorly written book centered around sex appeal while emphasizing chagrin over her other lectures not netting such large audiences. Fuldheim then hosted Young America Thinks, a weekly public affairs open forum program that aimed at high school students in collaboration with the Cleveland Board of Education, over WJW. 

TV Career

In 1947, Scripps Howard hired Dorothy for WEWS-TV during a thirteen week contract. 

Even though she left WJW, she stayed with the station after the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen purchased airtime over ABC for a weekly fifteen minute commentary program. 

WEWS was one of two television stations in operation between New York City and Chicago. 

In 1959, Dororhy began to build her own newscast in response to the new Eyewitness News on KYW. She focused her newscast on interviews, an overview of the news, and commentaries. Dorothy was the first woman in the US to have her own TV news analysis program.

Highlights of the News, which consisted primarily of news analysis, covered commentary, book reviews, and interviews. Fuldheim interviewed famous people such as Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller, the Duke of Windsor, Barbara Walters, and a few American presidents.

She teamed with Cleveland radio legend, Bill Gordon, in the 1960’s to host “The One O’Clock Club” on WEWS-TV. It was a blend of entertainment, news, and interviews and eventually inspired KYW to premiere a similar show hosted by Mike Douglas that shifted the viewers of “The One O’Clock Club” to the KYW show.

Fuldheim was known for her sometimes controversial opinions, which often offended some members of her audience. In 1970 live on air, she made the statement regarding the actions of the Ohio National Guard during the Kent State shootings, “What is wrong with our country? We’re killing our own children.” Because of this reference to the shootings being murder, a numerous amount of calls headed her way from viewers demanding that she resign from WEWS. 

In 1980, Dorothy was inducted in the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame and discussed major events like the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, the funeral of assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, and interviewed the family of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in Northern Ireland. 

Later Years

At age 91, Fuldheim still performed interviews and read commentaries live on TV three times every day. Sadly, this ended when she had a stroke on July 27, 1984 after interviewing US President Ronald Reagan. She died five years later in Cleveland on November 3, 1989 at the age of 96. Dorothy Fuldheim was awarded an Ohio Historical Marker in 2003 for shaping the journalism industry and is presented in front of the WEWS building.

Post #7: EOTO #2 Reaction

After listening to all of the EOTO #2 presentations in class, the history of gossip columns and fashion journalism was so interesting to learn more about.

The term, "gossip," has been around since the beginning of civilization, but the first American gossip column was written by James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald. Bennett wrote stories about the life of commoners, playboys, and the New York's Elite. The column was used to compare European aristocracy to American life. 

The first writer to publish an official gossip column was Walter Winchell who first published his column on Broadway during the rise of Hollywood. He wrote about rumors related to current celebrities at the time. Winchell's development shaped the way other writers created their columns in the 1930's-1940's. 

Hedda Hopper was an actress who ran a gossip column where she published gossip and rumors about her fellow celebrities. Along with this, Louella Parsons, another famous gossip columnist and screenwriter, published articles about other celebrities clothing, relationships, and career choices. Both writers published articles to put celebrities against each other and to grow their readers. 

By the 90's and 2000's, gossip columns transformed into full magazines instead of single columns and were dedicated to spreading celebrity gossip. The magazines covered rumors about relationships, scandals, career declines, and fashion criticisms. Magazines were the main spread of information in the 90's and often spread misinformation using sensationalist style writing. Stories about addiction, party, sex, and scandals were prioritized over celebrities art and reputation. 

Magazines are less popular today as the spread of celebrity gossip is done through social media sites like TikTok and Youtube. 

Moving to the history of fashion journalism, it is a type of journalism that researches and reports everything fashion related. This type of journalism can be found in magazines, newspapers, blogs, television shows, Youtube videos, podcast, and more. A popular blog fashion blog called, "WeWoreWhat" includes fashion trends, links to outfits, and even influencers favorite outfits. 

The first known fashion magazine was in 18th century France and published on November 15, 1785. It wad called Cabinet des Modes ou les Modes Nouvelles which translates to Cabinet of Fashions or New Fashions in English. It was a subscription based magazine and was distributed in France and abroad. 

In 1867, Harper Bazaar was one of the first publications dedicated to looking at the lives of women through the lens of fashion. In 1892, Vogue magazine was created by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, an American businessman. It targeted New York's upper class activities, habits, the places they visited, and the clothing they wore. 

Nowadays, the top ten magazines are People Style, Forbes Life, LA Times Magazine, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Harper Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and GQ. 

Post #6: EOTO #2 (American Theatre Criticism)

 The Introduction of American Theatre

Although theater was mainly prominent in the UK and there is not much background of theater criticism in America, the 20th century brought the popularity of theatre in America, especially with the start of the infamous Broadway. 

In New York, many new theaters were built and the number of productions skyrocketed from the turn of the century to the 1920's with Broadway having staged over 2,500 productions. 

But even though theater was off to a great start, the beginning of public criticism was introduced, whether it be positive or negative. The work of Eugene O’Neill, a famous American playwright, was very popular around the time period, but was only targeted towards a specific audience. Critics began to champion his serious works and led American audiences to consider theater as being just a form of entertainment and distraction, but also a way for individuals to showcase their talents.

Famous critics in America over time are William Goldman, Harold Clurman, C. Carr, and Bonnie Marranca established themselves in the criticism field and later published 100 pieces during their careers, mainly in the 20th century. These various publications were The New Republic, The Nation,  and The Village Voice. Their work was inspired by the New York City Broadway area which was ultimately an international destination for theater performances. 

The American Theatre Association 

The American Theatre Association, the only nationwide professional association of theatre critics in the US, was founded in the year 1974 by a group of leading theatre critics who were from various parts of the country who met at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Connecticut. 

They made the decision to start an organization because professional regional theatre was growing rapidly and they felt that there needed to be an organization for theatre critics outside of the New York City area who couldn’t gain access to the New York Drama Critics Circle. In 2024, they voted to rename the association to American Theatre Critics/ Journalists Association to recognize the rise of theater journalism. Theater journalism involves reporting and critically analyzing theatrical performances, events, etc. and gathering news, reviews, interviews for media outlets. 

Now, the ATCA consists of theatre critics who write reviews and critiques of live performances for print, broadcast, and digital media. 

The Impact of Drama Criticism in the World

Drama criticism allows you to look more deeply into the play being analyzed and is an outlet for the public to express their thoughts and opinions on the production, whether it be good or bad. It gives others an insight as to whether they have seen the show and agree on their opinion or haven’t seen the show and were looking into what reviews it received. 

All in all, it can inform audience choices, spark critical thinking about the production, and influence the trajectory of a show's run. 

Criticism encourages audiences to interact with a performance on a deeper level and to better understand the play's themes, author's intentions, and artistic choices to enhance the audience's appreciation. 

Without theatre reviews, we wouldn't have the ability to offer valuable feedback for critics regarding the actors, directors, and production as a whole. 

Post #5: A Five Star Review for the "Five Star Final"

"You've grown rich on filth."

 I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 1931 film called the "Five Star Final" in class. The New York Evening Gazette managing editor, Joseph Randall, played by Edward Robinson, is determined to revive a twenty year old murder case that involved Nancy Vorhees. She was charged for shooting the father of her child for his infidelity. The film shows Nancy in the present now married while also planning the marriage of her daughter. Joseph Randall sends reporter, T. Vernon Isopod, to cover the story, leading to massive consequences for all.

The newspaper at the end of the film about the death of Nancy and her husband. 

 The movie covered several topics we have discussed already in class such as yellow journalism and how the movie reflected journalism ethics. 

Yellow journalism is extremely visible in the movie and portrays the unethical practices of tabloid newspapers where sensationalism is prioritized over accuracy and ethical reporting. The New York Evening Gazette is the most obvious example of yellow journalism as owner and editor are obsessed with boosting circulation by centering their stories on sensationalist and scandalous categories, even if they are based on misinformation. 

The film shows how the paper used its power to exploit unprotected people, like the Vorhees, for their own personal gain. As a result, this led Nancy and her husband to commit suicide because of their suffering. 

The attempt at trying to get the paper to become a huge success turned for the worst as a vulnerable family was sadly hurt in the process and the newspaper was defeated. This emotional ending just goes to show how journalism can be unethical at times, even today. 

By focusing only on sensationalism, the writers only cared about themselves and their popularity. I believe the quote stated above truly sums up the basis of the movie and the reality of the journalism industry. Yellow journalism emphasizes the concept of "growing rich on filth", that filth being misinformation that hurts people's reputation. 

Overall, I learned to avoid yellow journalism because of the movie as it is hurtful to others and breaks ethical guidelines. 

Post #4: EOTO #1 Reaction

Out of all of the presentations given in class, the topic of the Penny Press and yellow journalism sparked my interest the most.

The Penny Press

The Penny Press was a type of inexpensive newspaper invented in 1883 by Benjamin Henry Day. Day was a printer from New England in his twenty's and shortly after the invention of the Penny Press, began to use new-steam powered printing press that produced the paper faster. The newspaper focused on sensational stories, human interest pieces, local news, crime, scandals, and general gossip. It was only sold by subscription and not by typical advertising in order to reach a bigger audience. The paper only costed one cent, quite literally emphasizing the inexpensiveness and making it extremely affordable to the average person and not just the wealthy. 

The Penny Press was usually sold directly on the street by newsboys ranging from ages six to sixteen years old. Most of these boys were either homeless or poor and was the only source of income for themselves and their families. In addition to this, the tactic was also a way for the newspaper sales to increase in popularity and money. 

Yellow Journalism

On the other hand, yellow journalism is a style of reporting that valued sensationalism and emotions over facts. Many newspapers would push propaganda and twist the news so that it would intentionally invoke a certain reaction in people. Yellow journalism, as discussed in my blog post about William Randolph Hearst, started when him and Joseph Pulitzer were competing for readership using yellow journalism, even if the information wasn't accurate. The feud later resulted in increased pressure on the U.S., Spain, and Cuba to go into the Spanish-American War.

 In today's world, there are many instances of the term although it isn't necessarily referred to as yellow journalism. Many media and news organizations continue to use certain headlines to attract a particular audience, even including specific words to keep the reader engaged. Nowadays, bias has slowly snuck its way into almost every article. The term "misinformation" is commonly portrayed in the news stories when companies report false rumors or lies to the public. It seems as if most organizations place more importance on the number of views than being ethical with the accurate coverage of a story. 

Post #2: Midterm Recap

Throughout each class period, we have covered a various amount of information regarding the history of journalism dating all the way back to the 1600's. Given we are at the halfway point of the semester, let's recap about what we have learned so far. 

To start off, the most basic thing to understand are the Six Clauses or "Freedoms" listed in the First Amendment: freedom from religion, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press (a fundamental, personal right not an institutional one), freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition or protest. Perhaps it can be confusing sometimes knowing the difference between freedom FROM religion and freedom OF religion. They may seem to go hand in hand as they both involve religion, but are actually contrasting concepts. Freedom of religion protects an individuals right to believe and practice any religion or none at all. On the other hand, freedom from religion prohibits the free exercise of religion. Nonetheless, it is thanks to the First Amendment that we are all able to have our fundamental rights protected in our everyday lives, allowing us to have the opportunity to live more openly as human beings. 

Moving past the First Amendment, another notable lesson I believe that needs to be highlighted is the Colonial Press Era. 

The Colonial Press Era lasted from the late 1600's to the late 1700's. In 1690, Benjamin Harris and Richard Pierce invented the newspaper, Publick Occurrences, where they ended up being jailed for printing and publishing the paper because they didn't have a license. As a result, the newspaper only had one issue since it began and ended in the same day. In 1704, the Boston Newsletter was founded by John Campbell and covered news directly from England, local events, etc. Additionally, in 1769, Isaac Doolittle became the first American to sell and manufacture a mechanical printing press that printed multiple pages in a fast amount of time. 

There is no doubt that the Colonial Press Era served as a guide for journalists throughout the rest of history. It ultimately was the beginning of journalism and contributed to the establishment of a nation founded on freedom of expression. The creation of the first printing press is so important as it allowed people to be able to have a reliable source of communication beyond the colonies. 

Overall, the information covered from the beginning of the semester to the midpoint allowed me to be able to gain new and valuable knowledge about the start of journalism in our country.