REFLECTION - Terms and Concepts

Journalism History

Following our EOTO #2: Terms and Concepts presentations, I was enriched on the extensive history of journalism. I explored the History of Campaign Coverage while my partner, Savannah Williams, highlighted the History of Supreme Court Coverage. There were several interesting and informative speeches spanning a wide range of topics, from fashion to election night coverage.

During our JOU: Never Stay Silent recitations, our class frequently exposed violations of First Amendment rights in wartime. The presentation on war reporting, completed by Mia Thompson, underscored the event's prominence while providing significant background. An interesting and evolving point was how technological expansion impacts war coverage. With the development of artificial intelligence, advances often create falsified photos and videos, skewing viewers' opinions and fueling the spread of misinformation. 

Wartime Reporting

In light of First Amendment violations, press freedom has been declining in countries worldwide. Certain nations have criminalized critiques of governing bodies, their actions, and officials. These restrictions create blind obedience, influencing media publications while spreading positive war incentives. More prominently, the connection between citizens' rights, inconsistencies in war reporting, and resulting public opinion was highlighted throughout Thompson's presentation. 

The Television Revolution

Furthermore, the history of late-night coverage is closely linked to political reporting and society's insatiable appetite for information. Melissa Morales covered the Pre-Broadcast Era, the Rise of "Instant" News, the Broadcast Age, the Television and Computer Revolution, and the Digital & Data Era. These distinct time periods underlined the evolution of late-night coverage and a continued desire for political awareness. During the Television era, citizens began to receive late-night programming featuring ongoing breaking news events (e.g., JFK assassination). Continued technological breakthroughs, including the prevalence of social media, have enabled a 24/7 information feed, creating constant debates, frequent misinformation, and polarization. 

Types of Journalism

Overall, I was intrigued by the vast connections across each discipline of journalism, focused on informing the public, refuting false information, serving as a watchdog, and engaging civil society.  

KEY POST - "The Five Star Final"

Five Star Final

REFLECTION:

INTRODUCTION:

After watching and analyzing The Five Star Final (1931), I found the concepts to closely align with the information studied in JOU-Never Stay Silent. Throughout journalism history, the penny press era was regarded as a groundbreaking period. This alteration resulted in a new business model, aimed at selling more papers at a lower price. Consequently, publishers were in constant demand for mass readership and circulation, producing dashing headlines, eye-catching images, and attention-grabbing stories. 

YELLOW JOURNALISM:

Alongside this pressure came the prevalence of yellow journalism. In particular, yellow journalism is described as publications that prioritize scandal and outrage over a just-the-facts approach. In The Five Star Final, The New York Evening Gazette allowed viewers to experience a taste of both the penny press era and yellow journalism.

NARRATIVE:

Joseph W. Randall and
Bernard Hinchecliffe

More prominently, The New York Evening Gazette was edited by managing editor Joseph W. Randall and owned by Bernard Hinchecliffe. As circulation declined, Hinchecliffe frantically searched for an appealing storyline. The owner informed Randall that the Gazette must publish a story on the 20-year-old Voohees murder case. Following an in-depth investigation and a breach of journalism guidelines, The New York Evening Gazette published the piece. Once Nancy Voorhees uncovered the newspaper’s objective, she committed suicide, followed by her husband, Michael Townsend. 

Gazette Voorhees Story

In the face of unethical practices and widespread corruption, the investigative journalists gathered the case's details and pressed for new information about Voorhees's life. These invasions of privacy include both the individual's current marriage and her daughter, Jenny Townsend's, upcoming wedding. Each effort significantly affected Voorhee's life, ultimately costing her livelihood and leading to the downfall of her family. 

More prominently, The Five Star Final storyline was embedded with plot twists, death, and unpredictable slander. Following Voorhee's suicide, the journalists unlawfully broke into her apartment, entered the room with her lifeless body, and took photographs. These actions were more than a mere violation. They were immoral, disgusting, and truly disheartening. This team of journalists sacrificed human decency for financial gain, thereby opposing the press's responsibility.

JOURNALISM ETHICS:

Through our course recitations, the media was heavily highlighted as a watchdog, exposing discrepancies in governmental actions, societal issues, and disasters. Instead, The New York Evening Gazette mirrored current journalistic tendencies, inaccurately relaying facts at the expense of others. 

CHARACTER BEHAVIOR: 

Regarding specific actions, Bernard Hinchecliffe’s behavior epitomized the violation of journalistic ethics. His proceedings as a press baron prioritized individual gain over social discourse. Conversely, Joseph W. Randall primarily relied on his employer’s instruction, eventually experiencing guilt and the adverse effects of their publication. According to Randall, "You thought of the murder and I committed it. But I did it for smaller profit. For wages. You did for circulation."

ETHICAL VIOLATIONS:

Concerning ethical obligations, journalists owe respect, accuracy, and humanity to those they write about. The public deserves the same core principles, along with transparency and dependability.

Despite the correlation between these expectations, they may lead to a conflict of interest, resulting in inconsistent publisher actions.

Miss Taylor

On the other hand, the proceedings of The New York Evening Gazette weren’t in the best interest of either party. As stated by Miss Taylor, Randall's secretary, "Well, Mr. Randall's worrying, because the owner's worrying him, because the owner's worrying over circulation." Rather, the Gazette’s leadership targeted mass readership and the resulting monetary gain. Overall, The Five Star Final accurately incorporated the information underscored in JOU-Never Stay Silent while highlighting the dangers of ethical violations in journalistic endeavors.

EOTO #2 - Terms & Concepts

The History of Campaign Coverage

How does a democracy decide who leads it? In large part, through journalism. The way journalists have covered political campaigns has changed dramatically over two centuries, shaped by technology, culture, and the ongoing tension between the press and societal elites.

THE PARTISAN PRESS:

In the early 1800s, there was no such thing as objective campaign coverage. Objectivity wasn't even a concept. Newspapers were openly owned and funded by political parties. In their position, newspapers were meant to rally supporters, rather than inform the public. The National Intelligencer existed to serve the Democratic-Republicans, while the New England Palladium championed the Federalists. Reporting on a campaign meant advocating for one side, acting as a weapon instead of a watchdog.

THE PENNY PRESS:

By the 1830s, there was an evident shift. Cheaper "penny press" newspapers needed to appeal to mass audiences rather than party loyalists, covering campaigns as news rather than advocacy. Reporters began attending rallies, describing crowds, and writing about candidates as subjects of public interest. The coverage was still sensational and often inaccurate. On the other hand, it planted the seed of campaign journalism as a distinct practice.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND NEWFOUND IMPORTANCE OF OBJECTIVITY:

By the late 19th century, the rise of wire services, including the Associated Press, created new pressure for neutral reporting. A single Associated Press dispatch ran in hundreds of papers with wildly different political leanings, forcing reporters into a more standardized and factual approach. From there, journalists began traveling with candidates, transcribing speeches, and filing dispatches from the trail. For the next century, this tradition would define political journalism.

RADIO AND TELEVISION DEVELOPMENT:

Regarding the 20th century, two seismic shifts emerged. In the 1930s, FDR's fireside chats highlighted an advanced mode of communication between politicians and voters. This tactic cut the press out entirely and focused on transparency. With this alteration, journalists moved into interpretation, describing not just what was said, but what it meant.

In the 1960s, the Kennedy-Nixon debate occurred. For the first time, television cameras turned a candidate's appearance, composure, and body language into political currency. Those who heard the debate on the radio thought Nixon won, while individuals who watched on TV gave the triumph to Kennedy. Campaign reporters suddenly had to cover optics as much as policy. These events resulted in the "horse race" era of coverage, obsessing over momentum and image rather than substance.

WATERGATE AND THE WATCHDOG:

Watergate transformed what journalists believed their job actually was. Woodward and Bernstein reported both what Nixon said and what he did. Their work proved that the press had a watchdog role that went far beyond the campaign trail. Journalism school enrollments skyrocketed in Watergate's wake.

With the development of cable news, a 24-hour hunger for campaign content began. Political operatives learned to feed the desire strategically through carefully timed leaks, spin rooms, and access journalism that rewarded friendly outlets. The lines between coverage and entertainment blurred. Following the internet's creation, the model shattered. Today, any reporter with a smartphone could break the news. These advancements transitioned the central challenge from access to truth.

The history of campaign coverage is a history of power, including who holds it, who questions it, and who gets to tell the story. This responsibility has never been simple, and it has never been more important.

AI DISCLAIMER: Claude AI conducted research and placed the information into script form. I edited the AI findings, adding proper format, links, and visual elements.