Comm455/History of Journalism

Apple made waves in the tech world when they bridged the gap between the Macbook and iPhone with the iPad.  Now, it seems the company wants to bridge another gap – the gap between the iPad and the iPhone – with the iPad Mini.  Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: a slightly smaller iPad. Stories on the unveiling are available at Yahoo and Mashable.

Photo from USA Today

When the iPad first came out, there were many jokes about it being just a big iPhone.  Well, it seems that Apple has taken one step closer to legitimizing these claims.  The new device is essentially the same as its big brother, but with a 7.8 inch screen instead of a 10 inch screen.

Resizing existing devices is nothing new for Apple, with a gadget arsenal that includes devices such as the iPods Nano and Shuffle and the Macbook Air.  Some of these tweaks and miniaturizations are attractive to many, but decreasing the screen size of the iPad by a mere 2.2 inches just seems superfluous.

I am now imagining a world where phones, computers, and media players are offered in an array of sizes as large as Levi’s selection of jean sizes.  There will be a device for everyone: a phone sized perfectly for the average front pants pocket, an iPad with three-ring binder compatibility, a laptop optimally scaled for infant use.

However, it should be noted that Apple is a very consumer-based company, and even though these creations seem silly at times, they wouldn’t exist if Apple didn’t perceive a demand for such an item.  Perhaps when it comes to selling electronics, one-size-fits-all won’t do the trick any more.

On March 3, 1923, Time Inc. launched its first issue of Time Magazine. This innovative publication was the first weekly news magazine in existence, and would go on to be a resounding success.

Quickly breaking from its original print format, Time started to advertise on the infant radio networks. From there, a short, 15 minute news segment, “The March of Time,” was created, providing Time with more publicity, and furthering the popularity, and influence, of the organization.

Time Inc, which after 1929 was dominated by principle share holder and co-founder Henry Luce, would branch out with publications such as Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated.

As his publishing empire grew, so did Luce’s determination to share his political views with his employees and readers alike. Luce was “a stanch Republican, a defender of big business and free enterprise, a foe of big labor, a steadfast supporter of Chiang Kai-shek, an advocate of aggressive opposition to world Communism. He was also an Anglophile, but he believed that “the 20th century must be to a significant degree the American century.””

As his voice grew louder, his enemies grew in number. During the course of the Second World War, President Roosevelt forbade Luce to travel outside of the country to the different fronts, a ban that would stay in place until FDR’s death.

A right leaning bias ran through Time and it’s numerous partner publications until Luce’s death in 1967. Through an organ that spoke to millions every week, Luce inserted his views to the general public: a prime example of the power of the press.

By: Jessica Farley

We are unable to escape them. They pop up on television, in magazines, and on billboards during the morning commute. They are everywhere. No, I am not talking about the Kardashians. I’m talking about anti-smoking PSA’s.

Educators of media literacy have found a way introduce campaigns against the tobacco industry into the classroom as well, now. In an effort to both teach media literacy and provide a solid health compass for youth, media literacy educators are using tobacco advertisements as means to demonstrate the art of deconstruction.

First spearheaded by the Clinton Administration in the late nineties, the use of tobacco advertising in media literacy education has become a staple. “The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) held a series of conferences in 1996 and 1997 which brought greater awareness of media literacy education as a promising practice in health and substance abuse prevention education.”  (Wikipedia.com/wiki/media_literacy)

Today, educators continue to use both tobacco and alcohol advertisements in the instruction of media literacy. Some of the advertisements and PSA’s used include the “Live Above the Influence” campaign, “Think. Don’t Smoke,” and “Quit Now.” In addition, educators use actual advertisements promoting these products, in an effort to provide an understanding of both ends of the media spectrum.

It is important as educators to make the most of your resources. By utilizing the tobacco industry, media literacy educators are doing just that.

For any football fans or people affiliated to the DC metro area, the discussion of the Washington Redskins “getting it next year” has become all too familiar. With an amazing history of success throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the Skins started to fall short in the 21 century.

Since 2000, the Redskins have had more than 10 different starting quarterbacks, a number far too high in such a short period of time. Offenses need time to adjust to the play calling and the way a quarterback works, as each person is different the way they handle pressure, 4th quarters, 3rd down and long, etc.

However, this year the Skins really “got it.”

Robert Griffin III, a 22-year-old fresh out of Baylor University, is quickly becoming a prominent football and media star. You cannot watch football anymore without hearing news about this rookie, and Skins fans are loving it.

Robert Griffin III, a new hope

RG3, as many refer to him as, has already outdone himself, not appearing to be “rookie-like” in the slightest.

On his first game September 9th, Skins were put up against the New Orleans Saints, with hugely successful QB Drew Brees leading them, and the Skins were seen as losing that game by at least 6 points. Griffin completed 19 of his 26 passes for 320 yards and went on to beat the Saints 40-32, a huge statement to make for a rookie in his first appearance in this league.

In game 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Griffin secured the win with a 76-yard run, something that has not be done by a QB since 1996.

He has gotten 6 rushing TD’s in his first 6 games, something never done before by a QB. In fact, Griffin, along with fellow Skins runningback, Alfred Morris, is leading in rookie rushing yards this season with 479.

This is not going unnoticed, as RG3 now has endorsements with such power-house companies: Adidas, EA Sports, Subway, Nissan and Gatorade just to name a few. According to ESPN’s Dollar blog,

“He’s earned more than any other rookie in NFL history before throwing his first regular-season pass.”

Although currently at a record of 3-4, the Skins have very little of this to blame on RG3. Even one of the Skins division rivals, the New York Giants, who they played this last Sunday have to agree that RG3 is the real deal.

“That’s the best QB we’ve played this year. He’s faster in person than he is on tape. He’s very, very fast. He’s a very talented young man. He’s going to have a lot of success in this league.” – Giants DT Chris Canty

This video showcases Griffin’s highlights from games 1-6 and after viewing this, it should appear very clear that this man is going to do wonders in the league.

Norse and Scandinavian sagas can be placed into one of several different categories.  There were the king’s sagas, contemporary sagas, chivalric sagas, Icelander’s sagas, sagas of the Greenlanders, short tales of the Icelanders, and legendary sagas.

Some of these classifications resemble modern categorizations of periodical literature.

The king’s sagas are accounts of the lives of Norwegian kings. They are the primary sources of written history for Norway before the 13th century.

Contemporary sagas were written in Iceland during the 12th and 13th centuries. They were written very soon after the events they describe to try and preserve an accurate account of the event, much like a modern news report.

Chivalric sagas are, rather surprisingly, stories of romance composed during the 13th century.  They are considered inferior to other forms of saga.  Perhaps they were a medieval incarnation of Twilight or Fifty Shades of Gray.

Icelander’s sagas were written in the 13th and 14th centuries and are considered some of the most important written records of the lives of Vikings.  They mainly describe the lives of common people and their struggles around the year 1000 A.D.  Many of these sagas can be read here.

Short tales of the Icelanders are basically shortened versions of Icelander’s sagas.

Finally, there are legendary sagas.  These are perhaps what come to mind when most people think of the word saga.  They are very loosely rooted in history and filled with myth and legend, written primarily for the purpose of entertainment rather than historical accuracy. A selection of these Norse tales are available in English here.

Clearly, not all sagas are created equal.  They are written in different ways to suit the interests of different readers.  Even in an age before the printing press, there was still at least some demand for diversity in literature.

We have seen many cases, both in past history and recent news, when democratic nations have stepped in to control freedom of speech. In the United States, this is usually carried out as a protective measure when the safety of its people is in jeopardy.

Social media has played a key role in the freedom of speech vs. censorship debate. Everybody remembers SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act that was shot down by the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Twitter has been in the spotlight for instating its first form of local censorship. The website has decided to block pro-Neo Nazi tweets at the request of the German government. The Anti-Defamation League supports this decision, and adds that Twitter has a long way to go in the suppression of hate speech. However, many critics say it infringes on the right of free speech.

After World War II, Germany made it illegal to incite against people or advocate the overthrow of democracy. Twitter’s new policy only applies within Germany, not the rest of the world, and is in compliance with government standards.

Although I do not support the opinions of Neo-Nazis, I do believe in freedom of expression. However, Twitter is merely respecting the sovereignty of the German government. I would have to side with Twitter on this debate.

Writer Jean-Paul Marat wrote the eight page periodical L’Ami du peuple which comprised over 700 issues. Marat frequently ran into trouble with authorities. Publishing from England, Marat played a key role during the French Revolution. Marat was a critique of all authorities, particularly the monarchy in both France and England. Similar to Thomas Paine during the American Revolution, Marat had a similar impact on the French Revolution.

A copy of L’Ami du peuple

Marat was a frequent attendant at various English and French coffeehouses. As such, Marat began his love affair with politics when he began L’Ami du peuple. Marat attacked the French monarchy through his underground paper. Marat’s paper became very influential to the French people as he reported on the monarchy. 

Painted days after his murder, painter Jacques-Louis David painting “The Death of Marat” it is widely considered David’s best painting.

Writing in 1790 Marat attacked the most conservative officials of France, “Five or six hundred heads would have guaranteed your freedom and happiness but a false humanity has restrained your arms and stopped your blows. If you don’t strike now, millions of your brothers will die, your enemies will triumph and your blood will flood the streets. They’ll slit your throats without mercy and disembowel your wives. And their bloody hands will rip out your children’s entrails to erase your love of liberty forever. ”

Marat wielded his pen and made many enemies. Being murdered by French authorities after the Revolution, Marat still remains one of France’s most influential writers.

Muckraking is considered an early form of investigative journalism. In the early 1900’s before World War I, muckrakers reported on topics concerning crime, politics and corruption in society and were often considered watchdogs. They revealed scandal among the government and important issues that led to reform.

Upton Sinclair is a notable muckraker from the early 1900s. In 1906 Sinclair published The Jungle, a novel intended to describe the harsh living conditions of immigrants, which instead caused an uproar over the working conditions in the meatpacking industry. Sinclair established himself as a muckraker by exposing the horrors the American Factory workers experienced which led to

Another famous case of muckraking occurred in the 1960s. The scandal of Nixon and Watergate was uncovered by journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, ordinary reporters who believed they were just doing their jobs, nothing other than reporting the news. However, their investigation into Watergate would lead to the resignation of the president and forever ark them as muckrakers.

The film All the President’s Men, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, gives a pretty accurate depiction of their investigative reporting of the scandal.

The news today is constantly filled with stories of scandal in the government in politics. Journalists and reporters indulge in different types of reporting, especially investigative journalism and have turned into modern day muckrakers.

Sport is something that kept people active and in shape since the beginning of time.

Rules, books, and magazines helped get people interested and start leagues.  When television started it only helped sports rise to the top.  The start of SportsCenter in 1979 skyrocketed the popularity of sport.

On September 7, 1979 30,000 viewers tuned in to see Lee Leonard and George Grande trying to create a comprehensive stop for sports fans trying to find the latest updates and news.  They succeed and now, in 2012, SportsCenter is where most Americans get their sports news.

“If you love sports…if you really love sports, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to sports heaven,” said Leonard as he spoke the first words on camera.

The broadcast that night only lasted 30 minutes long.  After the show the station aired a number of sports including a slow-pitch softball game, soccer, and wrestling.  During the broadcast they mainly showed highlight reels of sports games. They wanted to get their audience as much information about the sports going on as possible.  They wanted to create a news outlet for sports fan everywhere.

They succeed.

Just a few short years ago, e-journalism seemed like more of a novelty than of a permanent fixture in reporting. While the idea of being able to access The Washington Post online seemed like a convenient and novel idea, it was still hard to deny the pleasure of holding a crisp, inky newspaper in one’s hands. Now, paper newspapers are quickly on the decline while electronic news is becoming the preferred medium.

With the decline of newspapers is also coming the decline of periodical magazines, including the fan favorite weekly read, Newsweek. On October 18, the magazine announced that they will be transitioning to an exclusively wed read, starting January 2013. Newsweek spokesman Rcihard Kirk says:

We have reached a tipping point in the industry at which we can most efficiently and effectively reach…readers in an all-digital format.

While Newsweek will certainly be keeping up with the times with their new format, the change will include massive layoffs in the company. In an address to the company, editor-in-chief Tina Brown said:

We realize news of a big change like this will be unsettling. We wish to reassure you the transition is well planned, extremely mindful of the unavoidable impact on our staff and respectful of our readers, advertisers and business partners

After the layoffs, remaining staff will transition to begin writing for Newsweek Global, the e-platform. Hey, at least they have until December 31st to find jobs.

Photo Courtesy of techcentral.com

Kanye’s egotism is something that is never really questioned because let’s face it..he loves himself. But he does sometimes share those gems of truth that can wake people up and help them realize what kind of world we’re living in.
As a black female aspiring broadcast journalist, it is great to see more faces like my own on television, but there’s always that voice in the back of my head that sees the brown faces are as common as not seeing Kim Kardashian everywhere.

However after interning at a television station this summer my hope was restored. I was greeted by faces that looked like mine, one of which attended George Mason as an undergrad and is now very successful. My admiration for Nicole Livas  is great and it has helped me to shape what kind of reporter I want to be in the future.

Hopefully a cross between her (for her strength in news reporting) and Oprah, because I would love to sit on a couch and just talk to people.

The Oprah Winfrey Show debuted in 1986 in Chicago. I wasn’t even born, but the path she paved for minority broadcast journalists is huge. She worked her way up just like Nicole Livas did and I plan to do as well.

Oprah showed television viewers that it was possible to be black and on television and not for things like this.
She  will forever be embedded into television history and I hope I will be too in the future.

Pictures are courtesy of Oprah and Wavy websites.