EOTO #2 Reaction Post

 EOTO #2 Reaction Post

During my peers presentations the topics that really stuck with me were this history of gossip columns and fashion journalism. These two topics really interested me because as a teenage girl these are two things I absolutely live for and was excited to learn the origins of each of these topics.

History of Gossip Columns 

Gossip Columns began in the 19th century and were first started with James Gordon Bennett in the New York Herald. In these gossip columns they mainly focused on New York's Elite. Over time the focus switched the the rise of Hollywood which began to focus on movie stars and their private lives. Although some argued about the ethics behind gossip columns they were still made and began to grow.

Gossips columns from the 90's and early 2000's still continued to post about movie stars, singers, models, anyone famous' private lives even if the facts are true or false. Popular magazines like Us Weekly, People, In touch, and TMZ  were most popular to post about gossip. In modern day we find celebrity gossip on social media like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Although gossip magazines still exist social media algorithms constantly put gossip onto our feeds even if we don't necessary follow people who expose celebs. 

History of Fashion Journalism 

The first fashion magazine known was from 18th century France, the first edition was published in November of 1785 and was called Cabinet des Modes ou les which means: Cabinet of Fashions or New Fashions. It was a subscription based magazine that was distributed in France and abroad with each edition having eight pages with three hand painted pieces highlighting the fashion.

In 1892 the popular fashion magazine that is still around today known as Vogue was created and founded by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. Vouge highlighted New York Cities upper class by the clothes they wore all they way to the places they frequented. The first issue was related in December of 1892 and published weekly for 17 years. Today we still have popular fashion magazines such as Vogue, Forbes Life, Elle, Cosmopolitan, and many more that continue to talk about todays fashion and photograph public figures such as singers, models, businesswomen, and influencers. 

EOTO #1 Reaction Post

 EOTO #1 Reaction Post

During my peers EOTO presentations one specific presentation that caught my eye was the history of the penny press and yellow journalism. This presentation highlighted the history of the two topics and went on to teach us about them and why they are deems important.

History of The Penny Press

The penny press was a type of inexpensive newspaper that become very popular in the 1830's and earned it's name because it only costed a penny. It was made by Benjamin Henry Day to make newspapers more accessible and affordable to people who were working or middle class citizens. They published stories that grabbed the publics attention, crimes, scandal, and gossip. 

The was known to be the birth of modern journalism and had issues written by reporters who gathered firsthand news instead of using secondhand sources. People like Benjamin Day who launched the New York Sun, James Gordon Bennet who landed the New York Herald, and Horace Greeley who landed the New York Tribune all wrote for the penny press. 

Yellow Journalism

Yellow Journalism used sensationalism instead of straight facts when writing in papers. This concept started in the late 1800's and used exaggerated headlines and dramatics to capture the attention of readers. The term yellow journalism came from the popular comic strip called Yellow Kid which appeared in the New York World and the New York Journal.

Yellow Journalism peaked during the build up to the Spanish American War and contributed to the conflicts between the United States, Spain, and Cuba due to false claims in the papers. One of the memorable moments of yellow journalism is the sinking of the USS Maine which was published and spun to the public as an attack from Spain against the United States. Although that wasn't the truth due to yellow journalism and the nature of their dramatics it was made to seem that way. 

Good Night and Good Luck Movie Reaction

 Good Night and Good Luck Movie Reaction

The movie we watched in class, Good Night and Good Luck. This movie focuses on the true conflict between the broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow who worked for CBS and the United States governor Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare in the early 1950's. McCarthy believed that communism was conflicting within American society and Murrow chose to challenge his views. 

McCarthy began leading investigations on several government workers, military personnel, and others accusing them of alining with communist ideals and affiliations which was leading to a widespread fear throughout the American people. Murrow began looking at McCarthys tactics regarding these investigations. Due to Murrow digging into McCarthy and his investigations, CBS was receiving threats of their fundings being pulled, as well as a bunch of other backlash for Murrow questioning McCarthy's ways. 

After all the backlash Murrow refused to give up and continued on with his story about McCarthy. Due to Murrow not backing down, McCarthy decided to make an appearance one his broadcast called See it Now. Because of this Murrow used this opportunity to counterattack McCarthy's manipulation and accusations overall helping persuade public opinion and starting national conversations about the way this was all being handled. 

I liked this movie because it highlights the job that journalists have to take one. They will use their right to speak out against our government but ultimately receive backlash for doing so. But in the end the brave ones will continue on and expose the truth and not let their voices be diminished by societal norms.  

Shock and Awe Movie Reaction

 Shock and Awe Movie Reaction

In class we watched the 2017 movie Shock and Awe directed by Rob Reiner. The movie highlights the Bush Administration sending military troops to Iraq due to inside information that they had WMD (weapons of mass destruction). Shock and Awe is based on the true story of journalists Johnathan Landry and Warren Strobel along with their editor John Walcott, as they decide is the Bush Administration is lying about Iraq and WMD.

The movie continues on to show that most mainstream media outlets accepted the Bush Administrations intel on Iraq and WMD but the journalists working for the Knight Ridder News (Landry and Strobel) choose to take a deeper dive into the information given and began finding out that all of this may have just been propaganda and just an excuse to invade Iraq. 

Through the digging made by Landry and Strobel they began to receive backlash for not trusting our government. They were being called unpatriotic, began being isolated from other new organizations, and faced tons of political pressure. But despite all the pressure the Knight Rider Team decided to publish the article anyways. After receiving all that backlash people began to take a look at their evidence and realize that their reports were accurate, especially after our military invaded and found no sign of WMD's.

Overall this movie followed the true story of the Knight Ridder News Team and shows us what happens when journalists speak out against our government. Although it is their job and their right to do so, people will still continue to bash and isolate them for not following everyone else. In the end the Knight Ridder Team exposed the Bush Administration and proved their theories to be true. 

EOTO #2: The History of Movie Criticism and Movie Reviews

 History of Movie Criticism and Movie Reviews

Movie criticism has been around since cinema itself and started in the early 1900's. Movie criticism allows views to rate and critique cinema in order to just share their opinion and / or give others insight about the film, whether they should watch it or not, etc. Criticism as a whole was labeled as a "job". If you wanted to get into screenwriting or directing you would often start in criticism in order to gain an understand of what films you'd like to produce and how you'd like to write them.

Criticism in the Paper

In the 1930's film became more of a mainstream form of entertainment causing the media to start doing film reviews more frequently. Journalists who originally wrote for the sports sections or other columns in newspapers started to dedicate a column to writing reviews on films and new releases. Because of this they also started to share their opinions about Hollywood news such as movie star gossip. There would usually be one reviewer per local newspaper, the reviewers would write about it in the paper and everyone would read it. Naturally this lead writers to influence people in that area heavily; for example if the reviewer didn't like a film, a lot of people in that area wouldn't go and see it which meant you couldn't really get a second opinion.

Star ratings for films were then formed due to movie reviewers. Like today a lot of people don't want to read a full movie or book review, so they will just look at the star ratings and decide if the content is worth their time to see or read. Star ratings come in a group of five stars, meaning films labeled with four to five stars were defiantly worth seeing, films with three stars might be worth seeing, and films with one to two stars were a waste of time. 

TV Changes Film Criticism

When television become a widely owned thing, film criticism was taken to the TV as well. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert's popular show titles At the Movies brought criticism to people all around the country. This caused people to finally have the second opinion. Due to everyone in the nation getting this show on their TV, local film critics weren't the only opinions that mattered anymore. Siskel and Ebert proposed questions such as, "were the movies enjoyable?', 'were they worth watching?', etc. Roger Ebert went on to be the biggest name in movie criticism until his death.

The Internet

Because we now have the beautiful technology that is the internet, movie criticism has changed yet again. There are now blog and review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes solely dedicated to film criticism. People are allowed to go onto this site and write their own opinion on any movie they want, they are also allowed to rate it on a scale of tomatoes. The scaling system Rotten Tomatoes uses isn't all that different from five star ratings, but it is definitely interesting. Viewers are allowed to use the 'Tomatometer' to display positive or negative percentages depending on how they feel about the film. A 'Fresh' scale is scores of 60% or higher meaning that the film is good and definitely worth watching. The 'Rotten' scale is scores of a 60% or lower telling you that the movie is not good and not worth it. Rotten Tomatoes and blog cites alike have expanded the opinion of one person to people all around the world.

From starting at a singular local reviewer influencing the people in their town, to people all over the world sharing their opinions and influencing each other; film criticism has come such a long way, but sometimes all the opinions can get a little too much. If so many people are voting their opinions, how do you know who to listen to? I say, watch the movie and form your own opinion. 

What I've Learned From Class

 What I've Learned from Class

The main things I have learned from this class are the six freedoms, the shield of the 1st Amendment, compelled speech and compelled affirmation of belief, state action doctrine, and the freedom of the press. By learning each of this things I have come to understand the rights of the First Amendment and how they aid us in our everyday lives and how it will aid me when I pursue my career as a journalist. 

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Six Freedoms & The Shield of the 1st Amendment

The six freedoms are the list of six things the First Amendment grants us the right to do. Freedom from religion, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition. In each of these rights we are given the freedom to choose our own religion, one is not appointed to society but the nation, we have the freedom to speak out minds however we please, the freedom to write and publish issues we want to vocalize, the freedom to assemble in a group setting and discuss those topics, and the freedom to protest our government if we do not agree with what they are saying. These six freedoms are the foundation of our nation and it is what makes American, America. 

The shelf of the First Amendment is a infographic shaped as a triangle. At the top point we have speech and press, in the right corner we have assembly and petition, and in the left corner we have establishment and free exercise (separation from the church and state). In the middle we have the zone of autonomy, this graphic reminds us which freedoms con inside with each other, but also reminds us what our duty is as citizens of America. 

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Compelled Speech & Compelled Affirmation of Belief & State Action Doctrine 

The understanding of compelled speech and compelled affirmation of belief are incredibly important because it helps us understand if the government is manipulating your words in anyway. The definition is; when the government forces you to say something you don't want to say. 

The state action doctrine is also important to know because it helps us understand our rights. It is: with out 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. 

In learning all of this in class I now confidently understand what my first amendment rights are and what they allow me to do, and how they protect me as a U.S citizen. 

Final Blog Post: Katharine Graham

 Katharine Graham

Katharine Graham was born in New York City on June 16th, 1917 to her parents Agnes and Eugene Meyer. She is one of 5 siblings; Florence, Eugene III, Ruth and Elizabeth Meyer. She and her family primarily stayed between their mansion in Washington D.C and their estate in New York City. Her father was a financier from 1930-1933 and ended up buying The Washington Post at a bankruptcy auction in 1933. 

Katharine Graham went on to attend Vassar College before transferring to the University of Chicago, where she developed her love for discussing politics and liberal ideas and graduated with a Bachelor's degree. Kick starting her career, Katharine went on to work for a small newspaper in San Francisco, California where she covered a major strike for wharf workers who wanted improvements on working conditions and gain union recognition. In 1938 Katharine began working for her father at The Washington Post. Shortly after married to Phillip Graham in 1940.

Phillip Graham would go on to become publisher of the Post in 1946, after Eugene Meyer handed over the newspaper to him. Katharine wasn't hurt by this action, in her autobiography Personal History she wrote, "Far from troubling me that my father thought of my husband and not me, it pleased me. In fact, it never crossed my mind that he might have viewed me as someone to take on an important job at the paper." Katharine Graham would go on to be publisher for the Post after her husband's death in 1963.

Katharine & Phillip Graham

She held the title of publisher from 1969 to 1979 as well as holding the title of chairwoman for the board from 1973 to 1991. Katharine would also become the first ever female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in 1972 for her title as CEO of The Washington Post. 

Being a woman in the publishing world she was often looked down on and not taken seriously by many of her male co-workers and employees. According to The Washington Post's article about Katharine Graham, they wrote, "There certainly were few female role models for her to emulate or colleagues she could look to for camaraderie. Women were all but excluded from positions of power in news organizations at the time, and held less than 20 percent of newspaper jobs overall." Due to this fact, Graham would often find herself being the only woman in the boardroom.

The Washington Post Writes 
About Nixon's Resignation

Graham would go on to publish two very risky pieces in the Post. The first one being the Pentagon Papers which exposed the United States government involvement of the Vietnam war. The other being the biggest piece she published; the Watergate Scandal. Although the Post was facing legal threats from the Nixon administration and the United States Supreme Court was reviewing the First Amendment issue. Graham decided to go ahead and publish the story anyway despite the possible risk for the paper's future. 

Despite being a woman in an incredibly man dominated industry, Katharine Graham went against the odds and made a name for herself. From being the first female CEO in the Fortune 500 to exposing President Nixon into resignation; Katharine Graham is one of the most inspiring woman in journalism and a role model for all woman in the field. 

EOTO #1

 The First Newspapers to Grace Our Colonies

As we all know our speech hasn't always been protected. During the time of the colonies when we started to grasp the idea of independence, Britain didn't appreciate that the colonies wanted separation from the motherland. But as we know if enough people get behind a movement a chance for change may happen; but how do you spread motivation for a movement as quickly as possible? You print it.

Benjamin Harris and Richard Pierce were the men who chose to air out the dirty laundry that existed around Britain and the Colonies. Pierce and Harris wrote and published the first newspaper to grace the colonies: Publick Occurrences.  Unfortunately the first and last issue of Publick Occurrences was published on September 25, 1690 and was shut down that very same day. 

Publick Occurrences was considered to contain provocative content such as: News about King William's War, conflicts with Native American tribes allied with the British and French, outbreaks of diseases like Smallpox, local gossip, and rumors about King Louis XIV of France. Since the content of Publick Occurrences was deemed provocative it was shut down by Boston Authorities. Along side the issue coming to an end, Benjamin Harris was jailed for printing and publishing Publick Occurrences due to not having a license and violating printing laws at the time. 

While some people in the colonies collected the courage to fight for their independence, others wanted to stay loyal to Britain. Being over seas and way from your home land is difficult when it comes to Britain's current events and other important information that needs to be shared with the colonies. What better way to do that then spreading information by newspaper. This is why the Boston News-Letter was born. 

The Boston News-Letter was printed and published by John Campbell a Scottish man. This paper became the colonies first consistent newspaper, publishing weekly with the first issue coming out on April 24, 1704. The issues contained content that was pre-approved by the Royal Governor and sent out after approval. The newsletter consisted of topics such as: News directly from England (Articles about the French, threats to Scotland, Ireland, and England), local events (maritime arrivals, actives, and more), and pirates (the Boston News-Letter published about Blackbeards' death). 

Due to this news letter being pre-approved and run by British officials it was able to continue publishing regularly from April of 1706 until February of 1776. The Boston News-Letter only stopped publishing when the British withdrew from Boston during the Revolutionary War.

Although both Publick Occurrences and the Boston News-Letter stood for two different clauses at the time, they both helped the United States create a foundation for future news papers to come as well as help our founding fathers decide how press and freedom of speech should be protected in the United States. 

Through these two news papers we can reflect on biased and unbiased information as well as censorship within media and compare it to today's society. In the Boston News-Letter we can clearly tell that all information was given and approved by the British government; creating and biased and positive point of view to anyone who chose to read it. 

On the other hand Publick Occurrences aimed to expose Britain and help encourage independence within the colonies leading the issue to be censored and shut down immediately by Boston Authorities, along with it's publisher being arrested for printing the issue. As we reflect on bias opinions and censorship, and how far we've come as a country from our first newspapers to our local News 12 station, we can ask ourselves as writers and consumers media, if we believe our country is moving us backwards or forwards.

Why Am I Here?

I often get asked how I learned about High Point University and why I decided to attend this school. I tell everyone the same thing; my sister goes here, that’s why I'm here. While visiting my sister during her freshman year I realized that I liked High Point, but I never loved it. It wasn't somewhere I could see myself in that moment due to having my heart set on a school back at home. After getting rejected to the school I wanted I had two opinions: High Point University or University of Maine. Two very different schools in two very different climates. But in the end, I clearly choose HPU. My sister was here which made it an easy decision. Sometimes I think what life would be like if I didn't pick HPU and instead picked a school back at home. Having my family 500 miles away is one of the most difficult things I've had to deal with, but I know I'm nowhere near alone because my sister is only a 5-minute walk away from my dorm. 

But why journalism? I've had a love for writing my whole life. Even though teachers would tell me I wasn't good at spelling, grammar, etc. I loved writing, nonetheless. I loved the way stories made me feel, I use it as a form of self-expression, an outlet to get out all my thoughts and feelings. So, when it came to picking a major I knew I wanted to write. I told myself that I would never settle for a boring job that I had absolutely no interest in. So when I settled on journalism I knew I'd be doing what I love and I'd never be bored and most importantly I've always loved the idea of sharing my thoughts with the world and having people listen to what I have to say.

In the future I want to produce unbiased media. I feel as though in today's world there is so much question of if articles and news sights have a political bias or if they're fact checked. I want to ensure people find the right information and facts about whatever they're looking for. Especially when it comes to learning about politics because it's very clear to see that some articles and new sights favor one side over the other, and with that comes a lot of wrong information and confusion for younger generations as well as older generations. There are so many facts and information we do not know due to this bias in media and I want to help change that.