Week 4, Communications 340
Monday, April 19, 1999.
Press Philosophy, News Norms in the Modern Era
1. Partisan Press Era, 1760-c. 1880. Partisan advocacy; editors as party activists. Patronage from parties.
2. Political Independence and the Press, c. 1870s-
William Rockhill Nelson, 1880 (Kansas City Star): "aiming to deal with all men and all parties with impartiality and fairness, expressing its views at all times with entire freedom and fearlessness. "
Melville Stone, 1875 (Chicago Daily News): "with no axes to grind, no friends to reward, no enemies to punish. "
Newspaperdom, 1893: "There is sentiment gaining ground to the effect that the public want its politics straight. Especially is this the fact among those who are not so immovably partisan that their information can not be added to or their convictions influenced by an honest, unhampered press."
W. S. Cappeller, 1893, Mansfield [Ohio] News: "I am not advocating a neutral press. A press that has no convictions on the great issues that come before the people, that takes no stand on public questions, is equally to be deplored with that hireling press."
St. Clair McKelway, 1889, Brooklyn Eagle: "The newspaper should rise from the role of holding a brief for or against either party to the more judicial function of sitting in judgment on both or on all parties."
3. Corruption in Politics
4. New Ideas about Journalism's role in U.S. Society: Public Service
Check on Government/Watchdog
Educates public, frames discussion and debate
Influences public opinion
5. Norms: Methods of Public Service Journalism
A. Press: non partisan, no agenda of its own. No longer partisan advocate.
eyes and ears of public
B. Press presents not opinions butfacts ('facts, facts and more facts')
Rise of reporter, emphasis on professional training, expertise
C. Which facts?
Those of interest, importance to the public
Even unpleasant facts
D. How?
Reliance on knowledgeable persons (e.g., key players in news events, others who know about them, etc.). Emergence of SOURCES.
E. For what purpose?
Betterment of society, maintenance of good government, etc.
Emergence of crusades. "Journalism of exposure "
F. Press does not tale sides; presents "both sides: and lets reader decide for herself/himself.
6. Some Consequences, Issues
Reporters: autonomy, intrusion/privacy
Power of press: autonomy, selection, presentation of news.
News of interest to many
Source influence over what is news, how it is framed
Conflicting sets of information/ no real "truth"; OK for press just to report-- no truth finding obligation in many instances.
Public service: leads to controversy, stories of controversial nature
Press reacts to events, issues; not proactive.
7. Practical Issues in Media Operations, circa 1890s -
1. Huge demand for content.
2. Need to control costs; keep costs low -- limited staffs, production quotas, long hours (emphasis on event news versus background news); reliance on non-local news and related entertaining content.
3. Highly competitive industry; emphasis on content that will catch attention of readers; emphasis on actions of important people, etc.
8. Formula for News
1. Who, What, Why, Where, When, How- 5Ws, 1H
2. Most important facts first.
3. Summary lead, ensuing development in subsequent paragraphs
4. Quotes from relevant sources; sources chosen for knowledge, importance.
5. No opinion of reporter; OK to have opinions of sources.
6. Cut from bottom.
7. Short, succinct sentences.
Tuesday, April 20, 1999
1. Film and Urban America: Rise of leisure time.
Average work week, urban America
1850: 66 hours
1900: 56 hours
1910: 51 hours
1920: 46 hours
2. Early theaters, nickelodeons.
3. Film's educational role
First view of oceans, air of realism.
4. Early film production
Aim: reproduce human motion.
Scientists
Lumiere Premiere Production. 1895.
Aim: show people moving.
Camera itself does not move.
Camera at eye level
No real plot.
Slap stick (visual) comedy.
Scientists/story tellers
Edison: Dream of Rarebit Fiend
Trick photography
Very limited story telling.
Artists
Edwin Porter. Great Train Robbery
Staple of films: the western, close ups for drama, cross-cutting, chase scenes.
5. East Coast Origins of Motion Pictures
Thomas A. Edison
Production: Motion Picture Patents Trust
Distribution: General Film Corp.
Product: 1 reelers (e.g., Adventures of Dolly)
Directors expected to produce 2 a week, sold by the foot, no name stars, no close ups.
6. Censorship of the movies
Chicago: 1907
New York City: 1907.
Rise of censorship boards.
Concerns:
Mixing of boys and girls in theaters
Unsafe conditions (ventilation, fire, disease)
Educational role of movies worrisome to some reformers
Fear about influence on poor, working class, immigrants.
7. Rise of Hollywood, Independents, 1912--
Attraction of California
David Wark Griffith
Birth of a Nation, 1915.
1st US feature film
Artistic experimentation
$100,000 investment; $18 million in revenues
Controversy over racist nature of the film.
Feature film: draws middle class.
Admission prices rise; motion picture "palaces" built.
Wednesday, April 21, 1999.
Birth of a Nation
The Clansman, Thomas Dixon. 1905.
1915. First major feature film
Technical masterpiece
Cross cutting, close ups, etc.
Story telling masterpiece
Chases, danger, excitement
Heavily racist
Freeing the slaves = anarchy
Blacks unfit for self government
responsibility
Impact of Birth of a Nation
Maturation of movies as story telling
Film quality improves
Middle class
Admission prices rise
Motion picture "palaces"
Star System
Economics
How to finance movies?
Charlie Chaplin
Mary Pickford
Theda Bara (Arab Death)
Rudolph Valentino
The Sheik
Monopoly Under Zukor
1917-1927.
Vertical integration
Production (stars, directors)
Distribution
Exhibition
Block booking
Economic stability
B films
Movies in the 1920s
Fear of Govt. Regulation
1915. Mutual Film Corp.
Movies=business; no 1st Amdt.
1920s Scandals
Fatty Arbuckle (3 rape trials)
Wm. Desmond Taylor (director; murdered)
Wallace Reid (drug death)
Will Hays/Hays Office
Do's and Don'ts
Be Carefuls
Hays/Breen Office, 1930s
Motion Picture Production Code
Legion of Decency
Thursday, April 22, 1999
Cayton's Weekly
1. Approx. 300 African American nsprs.
c. 1900
2. Finances limited, short-lived
Few patrons
3. Leading black papers
NYC. New York Age
subsidies from Booker T. Washington,
Tuskegee Institute
Crisis. NAACP subsidy
Chicago Defender
4. Horace Cayton, Seattle
Seattle Republican (1896-1913)
Republican party ties
Political advocacy
1908-1913: Increasing
civil rights advocacy
1912: Break with GOP
5. Cayton's Weekly
No party ties
Visibility
Media context
Resistance to (white) press
Resistance to discrimination
Advocacy for civil rights
Self-help theme
Education
Business
Hard work
Cultural pride,
self worth
6. Cayton's Weekly: Specific Issues
(exclusion of blacks)
Filipino Forum (Seattle)
"Independent Organ of Filipinos in the Pacific Northwest"
1928-1930; 1942-1944.
1. Philippines = US territory
2. Purpose of Filipino Forum
3. Specific Issues
4. Production quality
The Japanese American Courier (1928-37)
January 1, 1928, page 1.
Courier Hopes For
Political Identity
of U.S. born
Intends to Get People of Voting
Age to Polls; Publication In
English Necessary
….That there is a necessity for a paper all in English for the Japanese community needs no arguments today. The increasing number of American-born Japanese and the numerous Japanese American voters at the polls, are sufficient reasons why a paper is needed….In just this little duty of getting the voters to realize their obligation the paper will have been justified, to a great degree, in being founded. the outstanding problem today in the Japanese community is genuine political identification by American-born Japanese.
The Japanese problem of the Pacific Coast from years back was chiefly founded on racial differences, but also largely on the economic disturbances. However, through a more active and genuine political identification by Japanese-American citizens, the walls of misunderstanding can be surmounted at least to a satisfactory degree. In this way discrimination will start crumbling and harmony can be attained by the Japanese American people.
Editorial January 1, 1928.
… With the ever increasing number of American born Japanese in Seattle and the outlying districts, the fact is patent that there must be established some organ to be used as a medium in expression of their opinions and to guide them in the most commendable fashion, in their political actions as well as their social activities. That there is an urgent necessity for identification with the political life of the nation by the second and oncoming generations is also an obvious fact. The problem of how best to attain this object to a satisfactory degree has long been a problem and a bone of contention among the leading Japanese thinkers of the first generation….
It is high time now that the signal be given indicating the platform upon which the second generation stands. The time has also arrived when the American born Japanese must take his rightful place in the life of the community and discharge his obligations and duties that were inherited by him as a natural born American citizen. Identification with the political life and the institutions of the national, state and municipal governments has become a paramount obligation with him and that obligation must not be looked upon otherwise than the privilege that came to him by right of birth in this country.