Kathlyn Carney's Media Participation Project

           For my media participation project, I chose to write a story for” Her Campus Maryland.” “Her Campus” is a nationwide college girl’s online magazine started by two girls from Harvard. “Her Campus Maryland” is a branch of this magazine that is both its own entity and part of a larger whole. They offer love advice, fashion tips, ideas for recipes, and much more. I wanted to do my media participation project at “Her Campus Maryland” because I would love to be a writer or an editor for magazines like Cosmopolitan or Seventeen! I also thought it would be the most interesting publication on campus to write for.

When I emailed the editors of “Her Campus Maryland” about writing a story for them, they told me I would have to fill out an application and apply to be a part of the online magazine team. I was nervous at first because on the application it said you had to write at least one story per month if accepted and my original goal was to fulfill the media participation requirement. However, I am so glad I did it! I was accepted to “Her Campus Maryland” and assigned a time to meet with the editors to discuss my first story. At this meeting they told me that they usually want a girl’s first piece for the magazine to be a Campus Celebrity story or a Campus Cuties story because they are easiest to do. The editors wanted to see how well I can pitch a Campus Cutie story and complete the story by the deadline. I completed these tasks and my Campus Cutie article was published on October 24, 2013. I wrote the Campus Cuties article on my best friend, Jesse Stathis. I knew he would be the perfect person to interview because girls fawn over him and he is a funny guy. The editors of “Her Campus Maryland” really enjoyed the interview and knew I could take on bigger tasks.

 By the time my Campus Cutie article was published, I was also working on two other stories for next month’s issue of “Her Campus Maryland.” I wrote, 20 Television Characters We Miss and Cute Winter Outfits. 20 Television Characters We Miss will be published on November 6, 2013. Writing these stories made me realize that I was good at interviewing people and I can easily pitch ideas and meet deadlines. I also discovered that I love writing for this type of magazine and am seriously considering writing for magazines like this as a possible career choice. I have always been a “girly girl” and “Her Campus Maryland” lets me express that side of me. I now want to work hard at “Her Campus Maryland” and write at least one or two stories a month. One day I would love to be the editor of “Her Campus Maryland,” and then a writer for a magazine similar to Her Campus, like Cosmopolitan. I’m really glad that we had to do a media participation project and that I chose to become a writer for “Her Campus Maryland.”  

Here is a link to my published Campus Cuties story:

http://www.hercampus.com/school/maryland/jesse-stathis

Media Participation Project: The Diamondback

Before I arrived at University of Maryland, I had spent many days anxiously awaiting an email from the photography editors for the school's publication "The Diamondback." In high school I had always hoped to one day have my pictures published in the prestigious newspaper, but assumed an opportunity like that would only come in my Junior and Senior year. So when I had received an email from the Journalism school stating that the paper was looking for photographers I was slightly over excited and quickly submitted my application.

After pacing in front of my laptop for about two days I finally received a response. Opening the email, I acquired my first assignment: to submit five photos taken in my home town within a short deadline. Four days later, I nervously submitted my pictures and apprehensively awaited my fate. Soon after I was invited for an interview on campus and would eventually be selected as a photographer for the publication.

At the Diamondback, I usually cover anywhere from two to five assignments per week. I mostly photograph sports like soccer and field hockey. My most challenging assignment was shooting the Hornbake Library Archives Acceptance ceremony. There were several extremely important figures there including President Loh and Maryland State Senate President Mike Miller Jr.

For this assignment, I have submitted one of my pictures that was published for the women's soccer game against Boston College that occurred on Sunday. The game was an easy shoot with perfect sunlight, nice weather, and also a great game. The Lady Terrapins would lose in overtime 0-1, which made for dramatic pictures as they fought to gain control of the game. In my picture I captured Defender Amanda Gerlitz grappling for the ball overtop a BC player.

Working for the Diamondback has been a phenomenal experience, not only because I am pursuing one of my dreams already in my Freshman year, but also because I am learning an incredible amount about my camera and photographing style. I believe that I have gained much more than I have given to the Diamondback and hope to continue working for the publication throughout the rest of my college career.

Media Participation Project (Article for campus publication "The Mitzpeh")

Horoscopes and Zodiac Signs

Horoscopes and zodiac signs, terms we have become readily accustomed too, have been around for quite some time and have become increasingly popular among our generation. A sufficient amount of controversy has always surrounded this subject of whether there is some credibility to horoscopes and zodiac signs, or if they are simply just bits and pieces of random information that people misconstrue as reality. 

The question is where does this infatuation from zodiac signs and horoscopes stem from? Is there some truth to it, or are people so easily manipulated into making any sort of information applicable to their lives. 

Judaism speaks indirectly about the subject of zodiac signs and horoscopes in the form of stars. The Jewish thought is that our future is mapped out in the stars, a manifestation of G-d’s doing of course. Does this mean that there is no such thing as free will? That we are all just G-d’s puppets to control as He wishes? On the contrary, this misconception is explicitly shut down in Parshat Lech Lecha when G-d took Avraham and lifted him “above the stars” (Genesis 12-17). G-d told Avraham that he and his children were no longer subject to what the stars had planned. In this moment Hashem gave us the ability to rise above our destiny by making meaningful choices. 

Rabbi Ari Israel the head of the Hillel on campus contributes some of his thoughts on the issue referencing Maimonides saying that we all contain a superpower called psychological credence. Our minds are so unimaginably powerful that we can make ourselves believe anything to be true. Therefore, though Judaism does speak about the stars and their power, it is forbidden to read the stars or go to anyone who can tell the future. 

In an age where people are desperate for something to believe in and struggling to find their identity, it is very easy to get caught up in reading the tabloids and seeing what our “future” has in store for us. The controversy of whether zodiac signs and horoscopes are true or if they are just vague generalizations people apply to themselves, will probably be a never ending one. However what can be taken from this article and from the Jewish perspective is that in the the end our lives are dependent on what we make of them. We can make the choice to subliminally follow what our horoscopes and zodiac signs tell us, or we can make our own decisions living life and seeing where it takes us as we go along. 

Career Fair

The only table I had time to visit at the career fair was the DC Internships table. There, I spoke to a representative about the program and how it worked. In this program, students participate in an internship working approximately 30 hours a week, and also take classes that count for college credit. The internships that students have participated in include working at a variety of newspapers, online publications, public relations firms, and television and radio stations. I learned a lot about the internship program and put my name on a list to receive emails from the organization. However, the program (along with housing) costs $8000 to participate in. Even though internships look great on a résumé, I don't think it's worth it to spend money on an internship, when there are many other opportunities to get paid on an internship. 

I did not expect to gain a job or internship from this, but I did learn a lot. The career fair was good practice for future interviews and career fairs. I know how to dress, what to bring, and what kind of questions I should ask. 

Career Fair

I went to the Career Fair Monday and it actually turned out to be a really good experience. Since I am predominately interested in sports journalism, I made sure to attend the sports journalism panel, which featured graduates sharing their experiences about pursuing their careers in the sports journalism field. All of the former students rattled off numerous sports broadcasting outlets and publications that I am familiar with and I was impressed by the positions they all held.

It was encouraging to see all of these former students doing so well in a field where there are supposedly no jobs to get. They all gave really helpful advice and tips when marketing yourself for potential employers. Every person on the panel said that going to Maryland and graduating from the Philip Merrill School of Journalism put them at an advantage in the job market. After the panel was done talking, we had a chance to introduce ourselves. The one girl on the panel particularly caught my eye since she had done a three year internship with Inside Hockey covering the Washington Capitals, basically my dream job. Upon introducing myself, I shared my love of hockey and for the Caps, along with my interest in her career path. She was really nice and told me all about the internship, which sounded too good to be true. She promised to email me someone from Inside Hockey's contact information, which she did later Monday night.

Now I am faced with the task of creating a resume to send to him, which is proving to be really challenging since I barely have any journalistic experience. Aside from being completely under qualified, I am so excited to email this guy my resume when I get it together. Whatever happens with the internship, I'm so glad I took the time to go to the Career Fair because it showed me what it takes to compete in the sports journalism field and I made some connections in the process.

Abraham Cahan

  Abraham Cahan was born in small village in Lithuania and raised in its capital city, Vilna. A Lithuanian Jew, he spoke Yiddish; but because his country was under  Russian rule, Cahan learned Russian in school. Cahan resented czarist Russia and became a Marx enthusiast. Upon the assassination of Czar Alexander II, Jews became scapegoats and were no longer safe so Cahan emigrated to America. Cahan arrived in the United States at 22, settling in the rapidly growing Jewish community residing in the Lower East Side. Quickly, he could speak English fluently. He became a leading writer, editor, and lecturer for the socialist movements, having many of his articles that denounced czarist Russia and provided insight into Jewish life in New York published in papers like the World and the New York Sun. 
     In 1886, Cahan created a Yiddish newspaper emtitled, Di Neie Tzeit meaning, "The New Era" but  it was short-lived. Upon the failure of this paper, Cahan devoted his time to writing literature, publishing two novels, Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto and his renowned The Rise of David Levinsky.  In 1897 Cahan returned to journalism once again, serving as editor for the new socialist paper, Jewish Daily Forward.  When he was rendered unable to gain full editorial control, Cahan resigned but after a brief hiatus, returned to the Daily Forward at which he retained full editorial control for nearly half of a century. In charge, Cahan made changes to the paper, focusing less on long articles on Marxist economics and more on human interest stories that could appeal to average reader. Most of Cahan's success with the paper resulted from his feature called "Bintel Brief"--in English, "a Bundle of Letters"--serving as one of America's earliest advice columns.
     Initially a non-profit paper, the Jewish Daily Forward garnered large profits under Cahan's editorship, having published 12 editions in various heavily-Jewish populated cities. Though it had staunch supporters and significant readership, the paper's original base began to erode with second and third generation Jews--it's still published today but not like it once was. Cahan gave the Daily Forward character---the paper's tone, style, and copy crafted by the skillful hand of Cahan himself. It helped pave the way for American Jew's to achieve their current stature in society. Abraham Cahan wanted to be remembered as "the best foreign language editor in the United States." And for that, we do remember him today.
Sources:

American Journalists  by Donald A. Ritchie

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/cahan.html

Robert S. Abbott

Robert S. Abbott was born on November 24, 1870 in St. Simons Island, Georgia from former slave parents. He studied the printing trade at Hampton Institute from 1892 to 1896 and then received a law degree from Kent College of Law, Chicago, in 1898. Despite his successful completion of a law degree, he was unable to practice law due to racial prejudices. He attempted to establish law offices in Indiana, Kansas, and Illinois, but he was unsuccessful.

Abbott’s most notable accomplishment was that he founded The Chicago Defender in 1905.  He initially invested 25 cents into the newspaper and had a press run of 300 copies.  The first issues of the newspaper were formed in 4-page, 6-column handbills filled with local news items and clippings from other newspapers. From there, it grew into the nation’s most influential black weekly newspaper by the advent of World War I, with more than two-thirds of its readership base located outside of Chicago. In 1910, Abbott hired his first full-time paid employee, J Hockley Smiley, and they worked together to help The Defender attract a national audience. The paper started addressing national issues and Smiley incorporated yellow journalism techniques to boost sales and to dramatize various racial injustices in America such as lynching, rapes, and assaults. The Defender’s most successful campaign was in support of “The Great Migration” movement. The Defender had job listings and train schedules to try and convince southern blacks to migrate North. It was very successful, considering that at least 110,000 blacks came to Chicago alone between 1916-1918, nearly tripling the city’s black population.

Robert S. Abbott became one of the first self-made millionaires of African American descent. He died on February 29, 1940 of Bright’s disease and left The Chicago Defender to his heir and nephew, John Henry Sengstacke. 

Source: http://www.pbs.org/blackpress/news_bios/defender.html

Samuel McClure

Samuel McClure was very important in investigative journalism. McClure was born in Ireland, but moved to America not long after he was born. McClure first worked with print in college, at Knox College, where he edited his student newspaper. After he graduated from college he founded a magazine that focused on the bicycle craze- this magazine was called Wheelman. He then moved to New York City. In the late 1800s he established the first US newspaper syndicate, the McClure Syndicate, that serialized books and sold literary works to newspapers.

McClure's second magazine, McClure's Magazine was co-founded and run by him in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. His paper began as a literary and historical journal, but later became the nation's leading muckraker. McClure ran his newspaper differently than people in his time- rather than expect and require articles to be completed virtually immediately, he gave his journalists more time to do research on what they were writing. This magazine published articles that were influential by respected authors and journalists. McClure's Magazine came to an end because of health and financial reasons, as well as his temper leading writers to leave his paper. One of McClure's greatest contributions, appearing in this paper, was in his publishing of Dr. Maria Montessori's teaching methods, which are now used in the education system.

Outside sources: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmcclure.htm

Career Fair

I was nervous walking into the career fair because I had no idea about what to expect. I did not know what to anticipate with the set up, what to ask about at the different tables, or even what people would be wearing. I could see no one that I recognized, so I stood in a relatively short line for a media group I had never heard of simply for the experience of talking with some of the representatives. It turns out that this was a good idea for me, because now I know what to expect when I go again in the future and I will not be as nervous.

Unfortunately the major news corporations had lines that were longer than I could wait in because I had a class to go to. According to other freshman that attended, however, I did not miss out on too much because freshman are not targeted at this particular event. I was informed of opportunities that will be available to me in four years after graduation, but this will be virtually useless information to me since I have no idea where I will be in four years.

I was only able to meet with one representative, a meeting that left me with no more idea of what I want to do than before, but I feel much more confident for returning to the career fair (or any career fair) in the future and actually taking away opportunities and possibilities. I now know what to expect for these events in the future- what to bring, what to say, and even what to wear. It was definitely a good experience for all freshman there simply because we will feel more comfortable when the time comes for us to actually reach for the opportunities offered to those who attend this fair.

David Graham Phillips

David Graham Phillips was an American novelist and journalist born on October 31st, 1867. He was born in Madison, Indiana. His tradition when it came to writing was the muckracker tradition. 

Education & Career

He graduated high school and went on to attend Asbury College, which is now known as Depauw University. After graduating college he went on to receive a degree from  Princeton University in 1887. His first job after obtaining a degree was in Cincinnati, Ohio as a newspaper reporter. From 1890 to 1893 he was a reporter for The Sun in New York City. Phillips then became the editor and a columnist at New York World until 1902. 

During his free time he wrote a novel called The Great God Success which produced enough revenue for him to become a freelance journalist as well as a fiction writing. Throughout his years of freelance he gained a reputation for being an excellent investigative journalist. He was considered, as stated earlier, a muckracker as well as a Progressive. A Progressive was someone that had the political idea that "the idea of progress" went with technology and science. A muckracker is someone that mostly wrote for popular magazines but it was investigative pieces.

In March of 1906 he wrote an article for Cosmopolitan called "The Treason of the Senate" which gave him a lot of national exposure. The article threw certain members of Congress under the bus by providing facts where these members of Congress were receiving payments and rewards from campaign contributors. This article, along with a few others, were the reason the Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution was created. Phillips also exposed big business corruption by the Standard Oil Company.

All of his investigative work paid off. His boss, William Randolph Hearst, asked that Phillips and his co-workers investigate corruption within the United States Senate. After months of investigation they discovered that two Senators from New York, Thomas Collier Platt and Chauncey M. Depew, were being very corrupt. Just Depew had received $50,000 from other companies. This work also prompted and inspired the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

Death

His reputation cost him his life. On January 24th, 1911, Phillips was shot outside the Princeton Club in Gramercy Park in New York City. The murderer was a paranoid man that thought Phillips had used his sister as a character in one of his stories. After Phillips died, his sister put together his final manuscript and had it published. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Graham_Phillips

Red Smith

When you think about the epitome of sports journalism, you think about Red Smith. Born Walter Wellesley Smith, he began his journey in journalism at Notre Dame. At the conclusion of his college experience, Smith mailed off applications for journalism positions at 25 various newspapers. Unsuccessful Smith did not receive one job offer.

In the latter of the same year however, Smith acquired a job with the Milwaukee Sentinel. At this paper he did not earn much of a salary. Dissatisfied, he applied to the St. Louis Star wanting to be a copy editor. Though, due to a massive issue with bribes in the sports department at the Star, he consequently became a sportswriter. Smith believed that becoming a journalist where you are a "newspaper man first and then a sportswriter next," was the most appropriate way to become a good sports journalist.

With very little experience writing sports stories, Smith used his opportunities as a "rewrite man" to shape his unique style of writing. Smith's style was that of a spectator, he always wrote as if you were sitting right at the game alongside him. In 1936, he took his new style and went to write for the Philadelphia Record where he ran a sports column. People loved his column and there in Philadelphia is where he began to used the byline of "Red Smith." The choice to use "Red" as his name stemmed from the fact that he disliked his real name, and his hair was red.

Still not getting paid enough to support his family, Smith looked for another way to make money. Smith began writing a children's book entitled Terry and Bunky Play Football.

In 1945, Smith got a job offer from the New York Herald, and in no time was the head sports columnist. Smith was distinguished in that he was known to not write down any notes while conducting an interview. He preferred to keep the conversation fluid and then use his memory to create the imagery of the interview. This contributed to the subtle, yet sought after writing style that Smith delivered. After 20 great years at the Herald the newspaper shockingly closed in 1966.

Succeeding the Herald, Smith got a job at the New York Times as a sports journalist. He stayed at the Times for the remainder of his life. The biggest accomplishment that occurred before his death in 1982, had to be in 1976 when he received a Pulitzer Prize. Smith then became the third sports journalist to receive this award.

Red Smith had a very successful career in sports journalism and served as one of the founding fathers to sports journalism as we know it today.

Works Cited

Ritchie, Donald A. "Red Smith." American Journalists: Getting the Story. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. 226-30. Print.

Society's Critics: Lincoln Steffens

During the 20th century, a time where magazine writers strived to document and uncover the social evils found throughout the world, one "muckraker" stood above all the rest- Lincoln Steffens.

Joseph Lincoln Steffens- who went by his middle name- was born in 1866, and went on to spend a picturesque childhood in Sacramento, California. With his mother, Elizabeth Symes, and father, Joseph Steffens, Lincoln lived in a large white mansion which later become the governor's home. At age 15, his independent and rebellious ways unfortunately landed him in a military boarding school. Steffens later attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he excelled in English and history, but graduated near the bottom of his class due to his lack of interest in other classes.

Despite his efforts to keep Lincoln close to home, Joseph Steffens reluctantly gave into his son's persistence on pursuing philosophy and agreed to pay his way to the German universities at Heidelberg and Leipzig. There, he fell in love with fellow student, Josephine Bontecou, and the couple secretly married in 1891. He finally returned to New York in 1892, after attending the Sorbonne University in Paris for a year.

A message from his father, telling him "to say in New York and hustle", fueled Steffens to pursue his journalistic career. He got a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Post, a highly respectable and conservative newspaper that ignored the scandalized stories published in the Pulitzer and Hearst papers. Here, he first uncovered the secrets behind Wall Street, becoming fascinated with J.P. Morgan. Later, he shifted to the police beat and reported about the workings of the immigrant slums of the Lower East Side, sweatshops, and crime. He also grew close to the energetic young police commissioner of New York, Theodore Roosevelt. Inspired by the Post's veteran crime reporter, Jacob Riis, Steffens made it his duty to delve deeper into crime, in order to discover the root of the human-interest stories.

In 1897, Steffens traded reporting for a position as city editor of the New York Commercial Advertiser.   He attempted to make the paper livelier by hiring fresh young reporters, but his efforts ultimately failed, and he moved on to try his hand at writing fiction. When this did not work out either, he joined the staff of McClure's Magazine, first as an editor and then as a writer.

It was at McClure's that Steffens truly shined, as the magazine exposed the truth behind social ills, such as corporate monopolies and political machines, horrible working conditions, and the contaminated food and drinks of the time. Steffens traveled from city to city, uncovering and revealing stories of corruption to the American public. Steffens complied his exposés into a single publication- a book called The Shame of the Cities.

In 1906, Steffens, along with other journalists such as Ida M. Tarbell, left McClure's to publish their own American Magazine, which highlighted "good people...coming out on top." Steffens continued to exploit more than just the corruption in nations around the world, but the underlying roots and foundation of the issue.

Steffens was very significant to the field of journalism as he went beyond the normal realm of muckraking, and pursued the notion of providing his readers with factual details in order to portray how the world truly is. His goal was to, "shame them into taking action to reform the system." (Rtichie)

-Emilie Boyer

Works Cited:

Baker, Kevin. "Lincoln Steffens: Muckraker's Progress." NY Times. NY Times, 13 May 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Ritchie, Donald A. "Society's Critics: Lincoln Steffens." American Journalists: Getting the Story. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. N. pag. Print.

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Career Fair

Yesterday, October 21, 2013, I attended the Career Fair focused on the Phillip Merill College of Journalism. With my first step through the door, I was immediately overwhelmed by tailored blazers, tweed skirts, and an overarching sense of competition.

I originally went to the Fair to survey possible opportunities, and to get acquainted with how it functions, for future references. Since I have realized that I will most likely not be pursuing a career in journalism, I decided to just become familiar with the expectations for an internship.

I quickly learned, as I had expected, that most internships were not very interested in Freshman students, mostly due to their lack of experience in the field. However, for those who went to the Fair in pursuit of a specific platform, they were pleased to see a wide range of opportunities- from print media  and sports journalism (USA Today Sports) to broadcast journalism with a multi-platform/broadcast journalism panel.

Every potential intern in the room looked eager, prepared, and determined. The whole experience was ultimately valuable as it made me realize how significant it is to research and prepare yourself to succeed in the real world. Internships are such a great opportunity to rise above your peers, and ultimately land you with that dream job.

-Emilie Boyer

Career Fair

Going to the career fair actually turned out to be a more enriching experience than I imagined. Because I had never been to any sort of job fair before, I didn't really know what to expect. When I got there, I saw that a majority of tables required you to sit down and have an interview; this made me very nervous. I knew no one was going to hire freshman, so I felt like I might be wasting people's time by talking to them.

My nervousness quickly subsided after sitting down for my first "interview." I told the woman that I'm a freshman who is just seeking advice and information for future opportunities. She was happy to tell me about the opportunities with her company and she even took my resume and gave me her business card so I can apply next year. I only had time for one more interview, so I sat down with USA Today. They gave me their information as well, and encouraged me to get involved with any on campus publications and to take as many classes as possible so that I will be ready to obtain an internship in the future.

Attending the career fair opened my eyes to all the opportunities out there, and it gave the the advice and confidence needed to get a head start on my career. I'm excited to attend more career fairs and gain knowlege and experience for my career field.

Arthur Knock

November 16, 1866, Arthur Krock, future Pulitzer Prize winner and newspaper manager, was born in Glasgow, Kentucky.  He was raised by a bookkeeper and homemaker, and graduated from high school in 1904, ready to take on college life at Princeton. Due to financial issues, Krock was forced to drop out of the prestigious school and return home to obtain an associate in arts degree from Chicago’s Lewis Institute (Leab).

Krock’s minor setback in getting a quality higher education didn’t stop him from achieving success. He started his first job as a general assignment reporter for the Louisville Herald in Kentucky. However, the newspaper faced financial difficulties the next year, so Krock allowed himself to be laid off. Krock then worked as a deputy sheriff before becoming a night editor for the Associated Press in Louisville. In 1909 he became the Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Louisville Times as a result of his romantic involvement with the daughter of the newspaper's owner (Leab).

After the death of two wives in the course of about 30 years, Krock moved to New York City and worked briefly for the movie industry's newly established lobbying body. Krock soon became an assistant to Ralph Pulitzer, the publisher of the New York World. This connection brought Krock to become an editorial writer for the New York World. After policy disputes with World’s editors and Pulitzer, Krock moved to The New York Times as an editorial writer, and soon became the head of the paper’s Washington bureau (Leab).

A workhorse, Krock often wrote the paper's lead Washington stories and dominated its government coverage. According to Time magazine he was "closer, longer to the power centers of U.S. politics than any other man, journalist or politician" (Leab). Krock had the scoop on all the major political events in his time, and won three Pulitzer Prizes for his coverage of the New Deal, an interview of President Roosevelt, and an interview of President Truman (Leab).

Arthur Knock is the perfect example of what a good, hard-working journalist looks like. He worked through his adversaires to make it to the top. His outstanding coverage led a beautiful example for furture journalists to follow as they enter the political world.

Bibliography:

 Leab, Daniel J. "American National Biography Online: Krock, Arthur." American National Biography Online: Krock, Arthur. Oxford University Press, 9 July 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

 

Henry R. Luce

            Henry R. Luce will forever maintain a spot in history as one of the most important people in journalism because he founded Time magazine. In addition to Time, he and his partner founded Fortune, Life and Sports Illustrated magazines. His support of photojournalism paved the path for the rise in that, and his dedication allowed for some of the most successful publications to date.

            Luce was born in 1898 in China. He attended a British boarding school, and from there, he eventually transferred to Hotchkin in Connecticut. He was a star student at all of the schools he attended, and he eventually became an editor of Yale’s publication. Yale is where he met his future business partner, Briton Hadden.

            The two writers decided to start their own weekly newsmagazine, and Time was their personal political outlet. The magazine faced criticism for publishing such slanted news, to which Luce responded that his magazine would display "a prejudice against the rising cost of government; faith in the things which money cannot buy, a respect for the old, particularly in manners." The magazine was also influential in creating a style of writing that used double adjectives, and inventing words such as “tycoon,” from the Japanese word for prince.

            Despite the magazine's immense success, Luce is noted for living inconspicuously and paying his workers generously. People from all political ideologies respected Luce’s policies and work ethic, and anyone who worked for him respected him even more.

            Luce was Editor-in-Chief of all of his publications until his retirement in 1964. Time Inc. is a prime example of media synergism because the empire expanded based upon the needs and desires of society. Each magazine covered a specific area of media, and each complemented the other, creating an extremely profitable and successful corporation. Time and Sports Illustrated are among the few publications that are still holding strong. Therefore, Luce’s legacy will remain intact and important as long as the magazines remain relevant.

Additional sources: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0403.html; http://www.biography.com/people/henry-r-luce-38240; http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350535/Henry-R-Luce 

Society’s Critics: Eleanor M. “Cissy” Patterson

Born into a family where news was always the topic of discussion, Eleanor M. “Cissy” Patterson was destined to be a publisher. Patterson was born on November 7, 1881 to Robert and Elinor Patterson in Chicago, Illinois. Originally named Elinor Josephine Medill Patterson; Eleanor changed the spelling of her first name and was commonly referred to by her childhood nickname, Cissy. Patterson’s grandfather, Joseph Medill, was the mayor of Chicago and owner of the Chicago Tribune, later passed down to her first cousin Colonel Robert R. McCormick. Continuing in the Journalism tradition, Patterson’s older brother Joseph Patterson was the founder of the New York Daily News.

Eleanor “Cissy” Patterson was a socialite. She, along with Alice Roosevelt, and Marguerite Cassini, were labeled the “Three Graces.” The friendship between the “Three Graces,” especially Patterson and Roosevelt, was littered with scandal. Both Roosevelt and Patterson had affairs with Senator Edgar Borah. Patterson social escapades, failed marriage to Count Josef Gizycki, and the tragic death of her second husband (attorney Elmer Schlesinger) mirrored some of the spicy social gossip stories of Patterson’s newspaper, the Washington Times-Herald.

Cissy Patterson’s claim to journalism fame was her revival of the Washington Times-Herald. Patterson persuaded a good friend, William Randolph Hearst, to allow her to take over the paper. Patterson’s style of writing was personal and sharp witted. She possessed conservative political views and opposed President Roosevelt and the New Deal. Patterson’s other endeavors included campaigning for home rule for the District of Columbia and a program for hot-lunches in the District’s school systems. One of the first women to head a major daily newspaper, Patterson introduced flashy headline, scandalous stories, and local gossip. After her death in 1948 the Washington Times-Herald struggled for many years. The paper was later sold to the rival Post, now known as the Washington Post.

Sources:

American Journalist by Donald A. Richie

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446831/Eleanor-Medill-Patterson

http://www.nndb.com/people/085/000205467/