Final Blog Post

            Will Newspapers Become Extinct? 

When was the last time you held a newspaper? Last week? Last year? Newspapers revolutionized the journalism world in a dynamic way. The decline in paper media contributed to the rise of the radio, broadcast, and the internet. The downfall of print media was influenced statistically and economically from America’s founding days to the modern media era.  

Print media is vital as newspapers are considered founding documents of democracy. Both national and local newspapers are defined by societal norms as the public values their types of news.  

                                                                                  Non Doc 
A variety of popular newspapers. 

During the colonial era Benjamin Harris's revolutionary invention, “the newspaper,” had a domino effect on society. Not only could information be shared more rapidly, but it also provided the public with a more varied type of information. No longer would details of stories be diminished or exaggerated by person-to-person sharing.  The stories were the same for everyone. The public loved it. This led to economic growth, which in turn created a public willing to advocate for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. 

Print media, in the form of the newspaper, became such a vital part of life, that newspapers are considered founding documents of democracy. Both national and local newspapers are defined by societal norms as the public values their variety of news. 

The value of the newspapers skyrocketed with the speed at which the news could now be shared.  News gathered one day could be printed and placed in the hands of the public or on their doorstep the next day. This truly was life-changing for the reading population.  

                                League of Women Voters
Representation of the decline
 in newspapers.  

As more people learned to read, the newspaper readership increased due to the growing literacy rate. Once the population grew, so did the need for newspapers in major urban cities. Newspapers were flourishing, as journalism corporations were bringing in millions of dollars yearly, increasing more each decade.  

As with everything technology touches, the newspaper was not immune to the new innovations. The newspaper readership began to decline with the invention of the radio in the 1920s. As this invention competed with the newspaper for the public’s interest, the radio easily won, however, it was more of an unexpected winner. The public could not only just read the news, but they could now hear it as well.  

In 1920, KDKA became the first radio station developed for live broadcasts in order to spread the news from one part of the country to the other. Why did the newspaper appear to lose out against the radio? The answer is simple: the public could receive their news instantly from a small box rather than waiting a day to receive it. A bonus of the radio was, it brought families closer as they could gather and listen together. 

In the 1940s, another invention, the television, drastically decreased the need for newspapers by providing yet another news outlet. The television broadcasts defeated the newspaper and the radio because it could be seen and heard and required no reading to get the news. Edward. R Murrow was one of the most notable news anchors to incorporate his television broadcast which transformed America once again. 

The Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 was a law President Nixon implemented to prevent newspapers from shutting down since newspapers were needed in many communities. This act was written from a business and legal standpoint which allowed business markets to advocate for newspapers.  

Since the early 2000s newspapers have declined even more because of the next big thing, the internet. Roughly two newspapers become extinct with the coming of every week.   

                                                                   Statista 
A graph showing various age ranges 
reading a newspaper daily. 

In 2022 research was carried out and a graph representing the number of people of various ages who used a newspaper daily was created. Only 10% of young adults from ages eighteen to thirty-four use a newspaper daily. The study followed adults from ages thirty-five to sixty-four who read their news daily. Only 21% of sixty-five-year-olds and up read a newspaper daily.  

These numbers are statistical proof that the newspaper industry will continue to decline in revenue and readership because of the Internet. To modern-day journalism, companies' newspapers are considered a financial debt drain, as many have been shut down since the 2000s.  

Journalism companies are money-driven businesses dependent on the public, who control where their money is used. This is based on the most popular news outlets with the public in mind. Many journalists have lost their jobs since print media is no longer in high demand. What happens if the public no longer sees the importance of newspapers?  The answer is not particularly a positive one.

Many people would rather have digital online news articles rather than read paper articles. The public needs the option to be allowed to pick up a physical printed copy. Local newspapers are a critical item in connecting citizens to their communities.  

                                                  The New Yorker 
A visual showing the effects and
decline of print media. 

Newspapers have gone through a process to gather factual and credible information. Journalists are charged with the responsibility to protect and stamp a seal of approval by discerning against misinformation. Reading using physical paper is psychologically proven to increase literacy rates and improve individual critical thinking skills.  

Most of our news is directly found online through various website links and social media. The newspaper is losing the battle between the internet and other realms of modern-day technology. As America’s founding documents are slowly becoming extinct, the simplicity of the printed newspaper needs to be saved.

EOTO 3 Reaction Post

            Breaking News: Women Takeover 

As journalism students, we realize that there are many influential and talented journalists in our department. I Have learned a great deal from all of my fellow peers as they have presented information about various reporters and writers who defined modern-day journalism.  

 

Female journalists were immensely powerful as they broadcast and reported in male-dominated workplaces. Women in journalism give the public a different perspective than men. Most women use their voices to advocate for women and share the way they see truth on the air.  

 

Many amazing women have made a name for themselves in the field of Journalism. To name a few women of note, but clearly not the only outstanding ones, we can recognize Martha Gellhorn, Jane Pauley, Katherine Graham, and Gloria Steinem as important contributing journalists in the newsrooms.  

 

                                        SANDBOXX.COM
Martha Gellhorn was photographed
during the World Wars. 
 

Martha Gellhorn was one of the first female war correspondents to report from the frontlines on many wars during her career.  She worked directly with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as she worked to promote the increase of women’s roles in the workplace. When she reported on the Great Depression, she shared a perspective that advocated the more humanitarian effects of this era.  

Ms. Gellhorn was known for her coverage of the   Spanish Civil War and wrote her reports on stories about the bombings of Barcelona. The allies did not want women reporting on the frontlines. However, Gellhorn had a passion for reporting and pushed to be allowed to report.  She became the role model for all women war correspondents for her tenacity.  

 

Katherine Graham, another female reporter and businesswoman owned the Washington Post news publication. Her father owned the Washington Post then the rights were passed to her husband. After her husband’s death, she took over the Washington Post. This gave her control of her own company as the female CEO.  

                                                          Washinton Post
Photograph of Katherine Graham "CEO."  

Graham reported and directed in her role as the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. She wrote stories about the Watergate Scandal amid backlash for criticizing President Nixon. Katherine Graham paved the way for the prominence of The Washington Post and was very instrumental for women to have the opportunity to report on various political issues in society.  

 

                                 CBS News 
Photograph of Jane Pauley.

Another important journalistic female of note is Jane Pauely. Pauley is a female news anchor who appears on the CBS early morning show, the Sunday Morning News. She is well respected in her field as a broadcaster, reporter, and news anchor and has received the award for Broadcast and Cable News Hall of Fame. Along with her successful career, Pauley is a spokeswoman for children’s health and mental health education. 

Gloria Steinem is a woman who played a significant role in the women’s liberation movements. As a political activist and feminist, she used her voice as a tool for representing women.  

 

                                                              NPR.org
Photograph of Gloria Steinem

One of Steinem’s most famous stories, "I was a Playboy Bunny” which Steinem published to expose the sins of Hugh Hefner. She was a spokeswoman for various radical feminist events as she pushed for changes to include more women in the male-dominated society. In 1972, Gloria Steinem published a Magazine called “Ms. Magazine,” to bring awareness to women’s issues in the media.  

As legitimately talented journalists, these women were influential in changing the perception of how women were viewed in the media and the newsroom. As a female, it is inspiring to see countless examples of women using their voices to bring deserved respect to women in journalism. These ladies played a huge role in changing male-dominated views and advocating for women’s rights. These women still inspire generations to step up, take charge, and share the truth with the world through broadcast journalism.  

"Shock and Awe" Movie Review

                           "Shock and Awe" 

"Shock and Awe"  was a brutally honest movie about the reporters who exposed the little white lies President George W. Bush told the American public about America’s involvement in the Iraq War.  Knight Ridder was a newspaper outlet in which the investigative talents of John Walcott, Jonathan Landay, and Warren Strobel unearthed the secrets concerning the Iraq War that had been glossed over by the Bush administration. These men looked through the journalistic lens to discover the truth and expose the real reasons for the Iraq War. 

                                                         Rob Reiner 
    "Shock and Awe"  

The blockbuster movie is based on a true story in which Knight-Ridder’s investigative reporting was proven to be factual and correct. Their honest search for truth and willingness to expose it in spite of the potential negative consequences for themselves was truly courageous. 

To paint the picture before the Iraq War, America faced the horrific tragedy of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack that would permanently scar the American sense of security. After the attack, patriotism spread like wildfire as many young men rushed to enlist in the military. They wanted to protect, fight, and avenge the fatal insult done to our American citizen’s freedom. When the government makes bad choices, the soldiers are the ones to pay the price. 

                                                     New York Review 
President Bush addressing the military. 

Many journalists refused to dispute the story the George W. Bush administration was publicly sharing due to the fear of losing their jobs or reputations. Knight Ridder faced backlash as they were the only reporters staying true to their journalistic integrity. Because of their truth, they were ostracized. Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel would not back down since they were writing to share the truth. 

Throughout the film, a young man named Adam was one of the young men who wanted to enlist to fight in the war.  He was filled with a sense of patriotism as he watched live footage of 9/11 before his eyes on a small television screen. On Adam’s first mission, he was sent to Iraq. This would be the last time he would ever walk. The injuries he sustained in Iraq sentenced him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. For Adam, the Bush administration declaring war against Iraq, cost him his own personal freedom.  

Towards the end of the movie, the viewer sees Adam staring at a memorial wall honoring the memory of friends and army companions who paid the ultimate price with the loss of their lives. John Walcott said, “We don’t write for people who send other people’s kids to war. We write for people’s kids who get sent to war.” These eager young men were mere boys as they were sent a world away to fight in a war that America should never have participated in. 

                                                        AOAV.org
F1-16 fighter jets in the Iraq War. 

The reporters for Knight Ridder wanted the American people to know the truth as their sons and daughters were being sent away to a questionable war.  All three reporters searched to discover as many sources as possible for a connection between the Iraq War and Al-Aqueda. 

In the papers, Bush and his administration insisted that Iraq was involved in the development of various nuclear weapons; however, no nuclear weapons were found. The fear for America’s National Security caused by being in opposition to this invasion was immense.  The Knight Ridder team wanted to provide articles sharing the truth for the American citizens with information providing the reason the Iraq War was not justified in the first place. 

Knight Ridder believed the readers must be equipped with the facts such as how the American troops could be trapped in a decades-long war. No one else was reporting from this viewpoint except Knight Ridder. Journalists should always report the truth, focusing on the public rather than the government’s approval. 

Shock and Awe opened my eyes, as the one group of reporters willing to tell the truth were criticized for their own documented evidence. There were zero weapons of mass destruction found as Knight Ridder unraveled every lie sugarcoated by President G. W. Bush and his administration. 

                                                   "Shock and Awe"
Johnathan Landay (L) and Warren Strobel (R) reporting  

History frequently repeats itself, as we see the similarity in the present-day Ukraine War. President Biden continuously sends billions of dollars and weapons to Ukraine pulling America into a war that will leave permanent damage on this country. Very few news outlets actually report the truth about the US interest in Ukraine. 

Will reporters step up and take action with Ukraine like the Knight Ridder reporters did in the Shock and Awe movie, or will they choose to remain silent in complicity with the government? 

EOTO 3 Bob Woodward

                            Bob Woodward 

Many Americans called Bob Woodward “the greatest reporter of all time.” So, what made him one of the most influential journalists today? Well, fellow readers, here is his story from one aspiring journalist to another.  

                                                    Bob  Woodward 
Photographed by Lisa Berg

Woodward’s infamous story begins when he was born in Genova, Illinois on March 26th, 1943. He was accepted into Yale University and double majored in History and English. Yale is where he received his Bachelor's degree in 1965 after which he decided to enlist in the US Navy for five years. 

Once he retired from the Navy, Woodward went to The Washington Post seeking a job as a reporter. However, the first time, he failed his two-week reporter trial and was out of a job. In 1971, he was hired by the Montgomery Sentinel, a weekly newspaper that ironically referred him to The Washington Post, who gave him a second chance.  

What story was his big break as a journalist? Bob Woodward and his good friend Carl Bernstein were the two main reporters who brought to light the greatest presidential scandal in the United States history involving a sitting president, Richard Nixon.   

During President Nixon's reelection campaigns, he and his administration were caught red-handed by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein for their white-collar crimes. President Nixon and his administration were secretly pilfering legal papers and bugging telephone calls to ensure that he won the election. However, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were thick as thieves to capture and reveal Nixon’s suspicious crimes which changed reporting forever. 

                                            Bob Woodward 
Bernstein (L) and Woodward (R) discuss Watergate.    

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein discovered and deciphered the clues that would put President Nixon in the hot seat exposing his illegal activities. Their reports won them a Pulitzer Prize as they both wrote a number-one bestseller book called “All the President’s Men.” Their novel gained so much national attention that President Nixon resigned in 1974.  

Now, as a journalist, you must have a source for your information. Who was Woodward and Bernstein’s source? They got their top confidential information from an incognito source called “Deep Throat.” In 2005 Deep Throat was unmasked to be W. Mark Felt, a former director of the FBI during Watergate.  

For the first time, journalists were able to expose a President by gaining mass media attention and providing factual information to the American people. Both young reporters were determined to expose the story of the Watergate Crimes and attempted coverups. Woodward’s reputation skyrocketed as a reporter due to his coverage of this massive scandal.  

As journalists, the government tried to implement a “stonewall.” The US government ridiculed Woodward and Bernstein for their reports. In 1972, The White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler said that their reports were extremely inaccurate and full of false interpretations. A year later, he apologized to the Washington Post, saying both reporters deserved credit and praise.  

Bob Woodward is the author of more than a dozen books about Watergate and on various U.S. presidents. Ten of his stories won Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting.  

During Bill Clinton’s Whitewater scandal, Bob Woodward wrote “The Agenda” which became a bestseller immediately as he exposed the Clinton administration for their wrongdoings in failed economic investments. Bill Clinton said, “The Woodward book tore my guts out....” For the first time, a President feared a journalist and admitted it publicly.   

                           Bob Woodward
Collection of his novels about
the Iraq War.

Bob Woodward interviewed President George W. Bush on his 9/11 responses as well as his involvement in the Iraq War where violence peaked. Many Americans risked their lives in this multi-year war.  Woodward stated Bush could never be a leader and used a positive attitude to divert the American people from the President. Woodward wrote several novels about America’s involvement in the Iraq war.  

During the Obama years, Woodward focused on America’s involvement in Afghanistan and in the Pakistan War including Obama’s responses between the White House and the military.  

Recently Woodward wrote a novel called, “Fear” depicting President Trump’s term in the White House and his outlook on foreign affairs.  

Bob Woodward was so famous that many tried to destroy and find flaws in his reports and books. Most of the books that Woodward wrote became bestsellers in the non-fiction category. He focused on the truth and used his method of “show up and shut up.  

Presently, Bob Woodward is still a reporter and a bestseller author sharing some of the greatest stories depicted throughout his career.  

                                                      Bob Woodward 
Reporting on a live live broadcast. 

Other reporters were intimidated by Woodward due to his determination, perseverance, hardworking spirit, and how his reporting style was always one step ahead of the game. Bob Woodward was a modern-day muckraker who put his factual reports first and his reputation second, causing him to be remembered as one of the greatest reporters in America.

"Good Nigh and Good Luck" Movie Review

                         "Silenced Screams" 

Broadcast Journalism in the 1950s should have been a time for America’s breakthrough in live reports on television; however, censorship was on the prowl more than ever before. Good Night and Good Luck is a movie depicting and illustrating journalists fighting for their unalienable rights as citizens and as American reporters against McCarthyism's accusations of communism.  

Journalists' role in society is to report the truth by presenting facts to the American people. These “Red Scare” issues at the beginning of the broadcasting television era are prevalent in today’s modern-day newsrooms. This is an era I would give the name “McCarthy’s Screams and Journalists Silence.”   

Senator Joeseph McCarthy and his political agenda accused journalists of being communists. He wrongfully accused journalists of disagreements over the government’s policies. Journalists were forced to choose what was more valuable to them, their reputation, or the truth. Arguments against the government meant that a journalist needed to be silenced instead of seen as a hero.  

Edward R. Murrow was a well-known broadcasting name who was a news anchor on Good Night and Good Luck. Joseph McCarthy was against communism, yet anyone who was against him was in trouble. The truth should be information that belongs in the hands of the public for them to form their own opinions and make informed decisions.  

The case that would be an ongoing battle between the press and McCarthy was about a man named Milo Radulovich. An Air Force officer in the United States Military was fired for the accusations about his sister and father being communists because they read a Serbian newspaper. A man, willing to risk his life and fight for a citizen, even McCarthy was wrongfully convicted as a madman.  

Murrow and the journalists working on his broadcasting segment wanted to share how these governmental accusations were false. The military wanted to approve the news segment on CBS News about Milo Radulovich. This created a News Blackout that meant the government was trying to censor any argument against McCarthy and his political party.  

News reporters were being censored. News anchors had to sacrifice their positions to stick up for their beliefs and values. Murrow’s boss believed that McCarthy would self-destruct, but if Murrow does not tell the truth, then who will? The act of sandbagging was not an option for him as he was a loyal American Patriot.  

In 1954 Murrow broadcast a segment about McCarthy stating that American people should know the facts. Reporters take an oath and should be guaranteed their rights to freely speak and write. After his segment ran, many reporters viewed Murrow as a symbol. They saw Murrow as the spark to ignite civil arguments against McCarthy.  

After the uproar, Radulovich was reinstated and was no longer seen as a communist threat. On April 6th McCarthy wanted to appear on Murrow’s broadcast in hopes that him being a powerful senator would defeat what he called a know-nothing journalist. His main argument was that Murrow was the main leader of the communist party.  

  A week later, McCarthy fired back as American people should be aware of the truth. Due to all the mass media attention, the Senate investigated McCarthy and his politically fueled agendas. The truth would prevail one way or another.  

CBS News fell into the chilling situation where they feared legal accusations against Edward R. Murrow’s news broadcasts. Bill, the boss, moved his segment from Tuesday to Sunday afternoons in hopes of protecting their reputation rather than protecting their loyal and most trusted journalist.  

Edward R. Murrow shared factual information to the public on Good Night and Good Luck to bring awareness and attention to the American public. McCarthy was the one making hasty communist accusations however, he was depicting himself just like a communist leader. As an aspiring journalist, this movie Good Night and Good Luck meant that journalists have a right to disagree, a right to speak out, and a right not to be controlled. Our government has the responsibility to protect these rights.  

The same issues seen in Good Night and Good Luck occur today across various news networks. The government tries to promote and control certain political parties while censoring and hiding others. As journalists, we should be outraged. However, as American Citizens, we need to advocate and remember we can form our own opinions and hold true to our values and beliefs.  

The press can question the government. They can speak out about the government if it is crossing the boundaries of our rights. A name I give to this Modern Era is “Silenced Screams,” because many news reporters chose to keep their reputations rather than go against the government. What would the journalism world look like if all reporters, broadcasters, and anchors told the truth? “That’s all folks… Good Night and Good Luck!”