The Front Page Movie Review

The Roaring Twenties meant raging journalism news stories throughout America. The term jazz journalism provided readers and listeners with new stories that would gain attention with catchy headlines and promising stories on dramatic daily events. In this era, many people were tired of reading newspapers about war and censorship. The public wanted to be entertained and read stories about sports, celebrity gossip, crime, and everyday living. A perfect example is the comedy action-packed film “The Front Page” which exhibited what a reporter would have been like in a newsroom in this jazzy decade.  

  Journalism was a power-hungry entity that sought to give the best stories to the public, beating competitors by selling the most copies possible. With the technological invention of the telegraph, news was spread faster to the public. Headlines were always used as the hook grasping readers’ and listeners’ attention. Journalism saw newspapers and the telegraph become revolutionary as the news was a first-class job at the time.  

     The characters in the film were depicted as to what the relationship was like between a respectable reporter and his boss. Walter Burnes, an editor for the Chicago newspaper was the definition of a journalism empire in which he craved power and saw his newspaper as the best out there. Hildy was a trustworthy and popular reporter who was ready to retire and marry Peggy, the girl he loved. Hildy wanted to go into Peggy’s family business and learned from Walter “Never end a sentence with a preposition.” However, boss man Walter Burnes could not let his best source and storyteller leave. Throughout the film, Hildy tries to retire from his storytelling days when Walter Burnes wants him to author a once-in-a-lifetime story about a psycho criminal who just escaped from prison. What reporter would not want this story? Walter Burnes wanted the right reporter at the right time and that reporter happened to be Hildy.  

 

  The newspaper business was in its prime when people could report on attention-grabbing stories such as Hildy's breaking criminal escapist news story. Reporters were very secretive where they could get the most information, be able to draw conclusions, and pinpoint the clues leading to various crimes committed. Investigative journalism was used as a tactic so reporters could ask questions and get the latest information before any news competitor could. The exclusive stories are what makes a journalism empire. Once Hildy was face-to-face with the framed criminal, he knew that he would get the best story by asking private questions to publish the answers first. Investigative journalists will do about anything for a gossip-filled news story. Hildy and Walter Burnes collaborated to get the best story of their careers. Reporters were able to eagerly report to the public. Hildy took notes right away and tried to get the jazzier information about the framed criminal and release it creating a story that would define investigative journalism. Once this news story got out the community and society would be introduced to a new form of journalism. Hildy got right to the scene of the crime by keeping all the other reporters out of the newsroom to ensure that he and Walter Burnes would be the only ones to know about this special undercover interview. Once an investigative journalist had a lead, they could report a crime that they knew would be the gossip of the town.  

    Freedom of Speech and Press allows journalists to speak their minds freely providing knowledgeable information to the public. Under this law, the rights of reporters are protected, however, once politics gets involved certain leaders try and take their voice away from the people. Hildy and Walter Burnes were able to dig up information on the mayor and his white-collar crimes fueling his political agenda. Journalism was fueled by political reasons and affiliations. From the movie “The Front Page” I learned about various issues that journalists and reporters faced in the Roaring Twenties and prevalent in today’s newsroom.

  

  

 

EOTO Reaction Post of Journalism

 

 EOTO Reaction Post 1  

                                      

The Eras of Journalism  

     For our first presentation assignment, my partner and I focused on the very beginning of American journalism. In the colonial era before America gained its independence, readers of the news read only the information the government wanted them to know. In 1660, the first-ever American newspaper was called the Publick Occurrences and was published by Benjamin Harris who was the first journalist in the colonies. However, the paper was shut down after the first issue. The British government was outraged when the colonists were introduced to the new journalistic writing style. In 1704, John Campbell published the second American newspaper which he called the Boston News-Letter. This paper gained the government's praise and approval This was the first continuously published newspaper in the colonies.  

 

  

     During the Penny Press Era, journalism was money-driven and sold for one cent per copy. In addition, there were sections added to newspapers about daily life and current events. The New York Tribune represented the Whig party and advocated support for the Republican party from 1841 to 1924. This was followed by the New York Herald, an independent paper in 1861, and was popular among the citizens. Then, along came one of the most well-known papers of the present day, which is The New York Times. At the time, this newspaper was Republican and started to endorse certain candidates for president. These three newspapers became known as the journalism superpowers.  

 

   As the Penny Press era continued, journalism was constantly innovating and changing for the future. The Associated Press was created as a non-profit news cooperative and held ambitious standards within the workforce. This newspaper was one of the first to report on daily life. Reuters was published in the 1850s and was operated by a reporter who used a carrier pigeon as a source of transport to and from destinations. The expansion of the telegraph rapidly increased the spread of news. An interesting fact I learned was that in 1911 the first report of the Titanic tragedy was spread after just two hours to the rest of the world. Reuters covered all political sides and angles. With the invention of the telegraph, ready access to the news was revolutionary. The Hearst News Empire became a phenomenon that had two dozen newspapers under one company umbrella. Hearst wrote many headlines and provided illustrations which modernized the newspapers. These media techniques are primary factors in developing the current newspapers of today.  

 

     Towards the end of the Penny Press Era, newspapers focused on spreading the influence of journalism. The American Newspaper Publishers Association founded in 1946 prioritized the use of visual journalism and encouraged journalists to share or publish their visual elements freely. The Society of Professional Journalists was founded by ten students and stood upon four principles in journalism, which marked the first historic club for journalism. At the time, to join this club, you had to be a male. It was not until a journalism convention that women were finally allowed to join. This journalism club advocated freedom of speech and press for journalists around America. American journalists were expected to report and edit accurate information. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists was a society that helped students and editorial cartoonists. Cartoons were known to be an opinion and not news. These visuals were designed for all ages and were extremely popular in the papers. The American Society of Magazine Editors was an organization that edited, produced, and advocated for First Amendment rights by the media.  

 

    The history of journalism is incredibly fascinating to me. To see how influential historical newspapers were in the shaping of America is quite eye-opening. As an aspiring journalist, listening to my fellow peers’ presentations helped bring the birth of journalism to life for me. The eras of journalism were defined by freedom of speech advocates, technological innovations, and the introduction to modern journalism.