The liberal bias of the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" has been well-documented, but memoranda between editor-publisher Joseph Pulitzer II and two of his key editors, Julius Klyman and Irving Dilliard, reveal a tug-of-war over the newspaper's liberal treatment of communism from 1940 to 1955. Klyman, editor of the "Pictures"…

A content analysis of selected print media examined press coverage of the shuttle Challenger explosion. Press sources identifying and explaining technological causes were tabulated for two major newspapers, three popular newsmagazines, and one trade magazine, during the 30 days following the event. Results revealed (1) a failure to provide timely…

The following 11 papers, on a variety of topics, were given at the 1990 meeting of the American Journalism Historians' Association: (1) "They Hang Editors Don't They?: Free Speech and Free Press Issues in the Haymarket Case, 1886" (Nathaniel Hong); (2) "G. K. Chesterton and the British Press, 1911-1933" (Dean Rapp); (3)…

Through a case study of Minnesota daily newspaper editorials, this paper examines the extent to which one state's newspapers championed the freedoms of speech and press during the national crisis of World War I. The historical relationship of the press and First Amendment defense is briefly reviewed. Guided by the question "How did the…

To assess the roles of TV news commentators during times of crisis, a study examined network news commentary during the 10 days following each of three crises--Spiro Agnew's resignation (October 10, 1973), the Saturday Night Massacre (October 22, 1973), and the seizure of the American merchant ship "Mayaguez" by Cambodians (May 11,…

A case study examined a 1920 controversy between two newspapers. One of the last vestiges of the era of "yellow journalism" was the editorial "war" between the Kansas City "Star" and the Kansas City "Post" which culminated in a 1921 showdown. The "Star," a champion of main street interests and…

To measure the editorial advocacy of influential newspapers concerning the membership of the Supreme Court, a study analyzed editorials from such newspapers concerning the last five Supreme Court nominees of President Ronald Reagan (William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Robert Bork, Douglas Ginsburg, and Anthony Kennedy). A telephone survey of 100…

A study examined the coverage of the 1984 Jesse Jackson presidential campaign in the "New York Times,""Washington Post,""Chicago Tribune," and "Los Angeles Times," noting (1) the number of stories that mention Jackson; (2) the total column inches devoted to the stories mentioning Jackson; (3) subject matter…

Jacques Ellul defined "prepropaganda" as the subtle and sophisticated use of news services to improve an authoritarian government's public image. Because its value is directly related to its being used sparingly, he predicted that prepropaganda would increase when an authoritarian government felt threatened and decrease when it once more…

Describes how school districts with even a modest budget can improve their public relations by giving someone in the district the responsibility to act as a liaison between the school district and the news media. (Author/DN)

Virtue in journalism implies a clearsighted expansion of outlook and requires determined attempts to cross boundaries separating the journalist from society, journalist from subject, journalist from journalist, journalist from ideas, journalist from sentiments and feelings, and journalist from "inner abundance." Some of the requirements for the…

Dr. Maria Montessori's 1913 visit and lecture tour to the United SLates is described in detail with numerous citations from newspaper coverage of the event. The enthusiastic reception extended to the European physician and educator is reviewed, and her meetings, notably with Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Graham Bell, President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson,…

The predicament of journalism as both an objective observer and a subjective participant is examined in this paper. Among the topics discussed are some basic ethical entanglements involved in the dilemma; regional newspapers that have been legendary for personal-involvement journalism; current evidence that journalistic performance is being…

The objective reporting of news is discussed in this paper as a moral obligation for professional journalists. Russian journalists' disparagement of objectivity is described briefly, and three basic assumptions to which journalists in the United States should subscribe are listed: (1) there is such a thing as objective reality, (2) that reality…

This book attempts to show how the relationship between the American daily press and other social institutions determines the press's definition of news, where it seeks news, and how that news is presented. Chapter 1 discusses news as a force of information, examines news as a sociological problem, and describes the difficulty of defining news.…