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.