Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Communication
Media History from
Gutenberg
to the Digital Age
Textbook:
Ukraine, about 1925. Would journalists really set type on the back of
a truck in the middle of a wheat field? Was it staged, or faked, or
part of a serious effort to get journalists close to the people?
John Reed (1887 – 1920)
American journalist who wrote
passionately about the Russian
revolution of 1917.
“As we came out into the dark and
gloomy day all around the grey
horizon, factory whistles were
blowing, a hoarse and nervous
sound, full of foreboding. By tens
of thousands, the working people
poured out … and the humming
slums belched out their dun and
miserable hordes.”
From Ten Days that Shook the
World
India’s non-violent revolution
Nazi
revolution
Germany 1920s -
1945
Took over all
newspapers, wire
services Nazi book burning,
All journalists who Opernplatz, Berlin, May 10,
resisted were killed 1933.
Absolute censorship “A scene not witnessed since
the Middle Ages, and a
harbinger of disaster,” said
correspondent William L.
WWII and the US press
Furious debates on US home front
Pre-war links between US and Nazi
industries infuriated Americans
Censorship by military on front lines
◦ But that didn’t stop news about incidents
like Gen. Patton slapping shell-shocked
soldiers
Reconstruction of press in Germany &
Japan was a top post-war priority
WWII correspondents
“There is an agony in your
heart and you almost feel
ashamed to look at them.
They are just guys from
Broadway and Main Street,
but you wouldn’t remember
them.… If you could see them
just once, just for an instant,
you would know that no
matter how hard people work
back home, they are not
keeping pace with these
infantrymen.”
“The God-Damned--Infantry” was among Ernie Pyle’s best –
Ernie Pyle
remembered articles. A soldier’s writer, Pyle concentrated on the
ordinary guys, not the generals and the grand strategies.
WWII correspondents
“The liberation (of Dachau)
was a frenzied scene …
Inmates of the camp hugged
and embraced the American
troops, kissed the ground
before them and carried them
shoulder high around the
place.” -- Marguerite
Higgins, May, 1945
Reporters David
Halberstam (NY Times),
Malcolm Brown (AP) and
Neil Sheehan (UPI)
typified slightly critical
attitude towards the war.
Literary Journalism
In 1960s, newspaper & magazine
feature writers broke the molds
Used literary devices to make non-
fiction read like a novel
◦ Dialogue, scene-by-scene construction,
status detail, omniscient narration
Writers included Tom Wolfe, Joan
Dideon, John McPhee
Example: The Right Stuff (about US
space program) by Wolfe.
Gonzo Journalism
First person participation
Not objective
Often used alcohol, drugs
Hunter S. Thompson
◦ Fear and Loathing series
◦ Solace in excess like Great Gatsby
◦ Thompson agreed with Faulkner that "the
best fiction is far more true than any kind
of journalism — and the best journalists
have always known this.”
Environmental news
Not a new phenomena –
◦ Water pollution was covered by
Benjamin Franklin in 1730s
Major new interest due to
energy crisis, Earth Day, oil
spills, nuclear disasters and
climate change
Specialized science writers
emerge to handle complexities
of coverage
◦ National Association of Science
Writers, Society of Environmental
Journalists
End game for the press?
New technologies made
printing more profitable in
1970s …
Leading to consolidations
and mergers … but
Monopolies grew
complacent
Wall Street demanded
even more profit (20-40%)
Press was in a weak
position to meet the digital
revolution 2000 – 2015
Some say this is a ….
The usual bromides
Book & newspaper publishing is dead
We’re in a post-literate age
◦ Nobody reads (not true, actually)
Emerging new publishing models
◦ Educational non-profit 501c3
Politico, Climate Central, Env Health News
◦ Subcompact publication
Apple Newsstand, Amazon, Kindle
◦ Self-publishing and eBooks
Aggregators, foundation
funding
New ideas: Taz.de
Berlin daily newspaper & consumer co-op
Community media co-ops
Video TEDx, interest group
Sharing, classes, Co-ops yearbooks (sports, music)
competitions