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Alex Wise
Marty Russell
Liba 102
8 March 2011
Propaganda in Journalism During World War II
Propaganda is a common theme in all forms of journalism. Whether it is a political race or a world war, the theme of spreading rumors to better one’s self is a recurring theme. World War II is no exemption to this fact. During the second World War, propaganda was spread through radio, newspapers, advertisements, editorials, and posters. There were many repeated themes and people in these forms of propaganda. All countries involved in the war used journalism as a tool to get their people involved in the war effort.
Women were played a large part in the journalism world in the United States of this time because for the most part they were the only people at home. At this point, women began to take over the jobs that were held by the men before the war effort. One of the main characters in the editorials and advertisements was Rosie the Riveter.
Rosie the Riveter became the symbol for all women that took to the factories that were known prior to World War Two as “men’s jobs.” At this time “housewives across the nation took manufacturing jobs building bombers, ships, tanks, and the munitions they would fire” (Kimble and Olson 534). The images of Rosie the Riveter included in the journalism world, are credited for gathering support of the war from the women. This advertisement was a huge step for women workers.
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Editorial cartoons, as in today’s society, was in extra tool in spreading propaganda. Although the fact that Dr. Seuss was a political cartoonist is often overlooked for his children’s books, he was the chief cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM for two years (Minear). David Low was another cartoonist who lived in London, England and used Adolf Hitler as his main focus in many of his cartoons. Editorial cartoons are popular because they subtly deliver the message or opinion of the cartoonist. In many cases, the cartoons are a subliminal message to all that enjoy them.
Radio played a large part in the spreading of propaganda during this World War II. As television had not been invented yet, many families spent their evenings sitting around listening to the news from the day on the radio. Radio use was not just running rampant in the United States, propaganda was being passed out to families world wide by broadcast journalism. In Nazi Germany, one of the most well known radio hosts was Joseph Goebbels. He is often referred to as “the minister of propaganda for Germany.” Goebbels job was to “present a favorable image of the Nazi regime to the German people” (Heiber ).
Posters, advertisements, editorial cartoons, and radio are only a few of the ways propaganda are spread, but they appear to be the main fountainhead of propaganda during World War II. All countries involved relied on these forms of journalism to make their cause and involvement in the war seem better than those they were fighting against. The world of journalism expanded during World War II by using propaganda to gain more of a following and appreciation.
Works Cited
Heiber, Helmut. “Goebbels, Joseph.” Britannica Biographies. 1994-2011. Web.
Kimble, James, and Lester, Olson. “Visual Rhetoric Representing Rosie the Riveter: Myth and Misconception in J. Howard Millner’s “We Can Do It!” Poster.”
Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2006): 534. Web. 8 Mar 2011.
Minear, Richard. “A Catalog of Political Cartoons by Dr. Seuss.” n. pag. Web. 8 Mar
2011. http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.htm.
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Alex Wise
Marty Russell
Liba 102
8 April 2011
Margaret Bourke-White
Journalism exists in many different forms. There is radio, print, and broadcast. One often overlooked area of journalism, however, is photojournalism. To many, this is one of the most powerful kinds of journalism because it relies on pictures to tell the stories as opposed to words. One of the most well known photojournalists to date is Margaret Bourke-White.
Margaret Bourke-White was born on June 14, 1904 in Bronx, New York. She graduated from Plainfield High School and attended many different colleges. Her interest in photography started at a young age, and grew to more than just a hobby after taking a class from Clarence White at Columbia University (Wikipedia
Bourke-White’s early work included pictures of steel work and after attending college in the Mid-West she moved back to New York and began working for Forturne magazine. Her work extended beyond Fortune, and she eventually ended up working for Life, and Time magazines as well (Margaret Bourke-White). She is noted as one of the first of the world’s photojournalists.
In 1929, Bourke-White began her work with Fortune magazine and during her time working here, she was the first western woman allowed into the Soviet Union. It was following a trip in 1931 that led to her published work, Eyes On Russia (. In this
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book, she explores much of Russia’s industrial areas. This book was a large landmark in her life because she was, as stated before, the first female to go to the Soviet Union. The pictures and narratives had never been seen before by the people in America.
Bourke-White’s focus changed during the Great Depression. It was during this time that her work became focused on politics. In her trips to the Soviet Union and across the American Midwest, her photography style changed towards the dramatic. The magazines Bourke-White worked for exposed readers to the true problems across the world.
Soon, however, Bourke-White was back to traveling overseas. During World War II, she accompanied American troops on many of their missions and was allowed to take pictures of their trials and work. On one of her trips to Europe, her ship was torpedoed and sank. Miraculously, Bourke-White survived, and was able to share the story of that traumatic experience (Encyclopedia Britannica).
Margaret Bourke-White was a woman of firsts. Her life was dedicated to photography. She used her talent as a tool to teach all of America about what was going on around them, in their country and across the world. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and on August 27, 1971 she passed away.
Works Cited
“Margaret Bourke-White.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th. Columbia University Press, 2010. Web.
"Margaret Bourke-White." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 08 Apr. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/75883/Margaret-Bourke-White>.
“Margaret Bourke-White.” Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr 2011. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAPbourke.htm.
“Margaret Bourke-White.” Wikipedia. N.p., 04 04 2011. Web. 6 Apr 2011.
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Alex Wise
Marty Russell
Liba 102
29 April 2011
Print Journalism: The Past and the Future
Journalism comes in many different forms. From broadcast journalism to photojournalism, and everything in between, all of the forms play an important role in people’s lives. No one form is more important than another, but some forms seem more popular than others. In today’s society with the growth in technology, broadcast journalism as well as digital journalism is growing quickly. So quickly, in fact, that print journalism seems to be falling back in its followers. Is the future of print journalism extinction? In order to understand the future of print journalism, you must first understand the past.
Print journalism had its unofficial start in 1452 when Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press with movable type. Until this invention, all books and print were done by hand, which was a very time consuming trade. Soon after the first printing press was invented, the production of printing presses flourished as well as the printing of books. Gutenberg, however, never collected a large sum of money because of his invention because he never collected patent royalties (“Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press. Gutenberg and the Early History of Printing”).
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The linotype was the next step in growing print journalism. Ottmar Mergenthaler is credited with this invention in 1885. Mergenthaler is known to some as the “Second Gutenberg,” as they both played pivotal roles in the growth of print. The linotype combined two machines, one that would stamp the letters and another that would cast them in metal. He carved the molds for the letters from the wooden molds that are used to make German cookies. This machine allowed for an entire line of type to be cast ( “Zion Church History”).
Print journalism has changed throughout the centuries in many ways. The forms of printing in the journalism world were not the only changes this art form underwent. Many people often overlook exactly how the newspapers reach us. Following the influx of immigrants to America up to the year 1890, the press reached its Golden Age. With little job opportunities for boys, many were arrested for drunkenness and crimes. At the same time, however, other boys found jobs with press companies selling the papers. The New York Sun was the first paper to be sold by boys, some as young as six years old. Many of the boys selling the papers were doing this as their only means of survival. Homeless and parentless, this job was their only hope for a better life (Eckel). These newsboys led the way for the bike carries and the people found on the streets to this day selling newspapers.
Since the invention of the home computer in 1977 by Apple, the use of digital newspapers was inevitable. Newspapers joined the digital world in an effort to gain money by the advertising, but the presses were not making as much money as they had anticipated, costing the presses too much money. With the lack of income from the online
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editions and the upkeep of the printed editions, many companies found they needed a new approach.
The New York Times is the first to try this new initiative of making regular online readers pay for the digital editions. This is an attempt to gain more money that they have been losing since the newspaper became available for free online. “Covering the news the right way is a very expensive proposition. It takes a lot of money to send platoons of reporters to the Middle East and Japan. It’s costly to have high-priced investigative reporters spend months on important projects” (Rieder).
To some, the thought of paying for online material may seem extreme, but in this initiative, you can read 20 stories a month before you would have to start paying. This idea is to test the readers, to see if they are willing to pay for online editions. It is also, however, an attempt to make a subscription to the printed version more important (Rieder). Another article emphasizes how important print journalism is for the revenue of the press. In a statistic provided from an article from the Editor and Publisher,
“In 2006, the average time spent reading a newspaper was 29 minutes per day, while the average revenue per user was just under $287. In contrast, in 2010, the average time spent reading online news was less that 1.2 minutes and average revenue was just under $29” (Natividad).
One movement that has played an essential role in the downfall of print journalism is the “Go Green” movement. In many people’s opinion, print journalism is a waste of money and an unnecessary form of journalism. The “Go Green” movement has made many points about the importance of trees and forests, and its followers simply
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view print journalism as outdated when the digital world is much safer for the environment. Although the impact of this movement may have seemed minimal at first, the supporters have grown exponentially in numbers, and their campaigns and messages have started to become major enough to have a greater effect.
Companies realize how important it is to change with the times. Many news sources, local and national, have turned to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook to spread their news and inform their audience of news as it happens. For
example, in the recent storms that struck the southeast on April 27, 2011, news sources such as the “DM” and “The Weather Chanel” had minute-by-minute updates throughout the day. These are only two in the climbing numbers of news sources that now depend on social networks. With people checking these sites every minute, it is the fastest way to get breaking news to the public.
In today’s society, and with this generation’s dependence on the digital world, print journalism simply does not stand a chance of remaining prominent. For more reasons than one, this generation refuses to accept print journalism as its source of news. Whether the exposure to the digital world since birth is to blame or not is still up for debate. The digital world has just made this generation’s life so much easier, and many view print journalism as a large step backwards in the advancement of today’s society. If this generation is the “future of the country,” then the country must move forward in its advancements. Print journalism is just one of the many aspects that is facing a change.
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Also in today’s society, people can find out important news instantly by checking online or watching television. News is only important when it is, in fact, new. By the time people receive the daily newspapers or magazines, they have already been informed of the stories by online sources or broadcast news channels. This generation is accustomed to getting the information they need immediately, there is no reason to wait for something as important as news or weather forecasts. The generation seems to have become “impatient.” Getting the news a day after it happens is waiting too long to get the news. People would choose getting their news immediately as opposed to waiting for their paper the next day. The name breaking news has taken on a whole new meaning in today’s world of media. Breaking news is readily available within seconds after the occurrence online and on television, print media absolutely cannot keep up with this evolution.
For those people who refuse to move forward, they will only be left behind. Technology and the digital world is evolving everyday, and the press understands if they do not stay up to date on the changes, they could quickly be left behind. Although the digital world may not be ideal for press, the world of print media is slowly dwindling and companies understand that they have to move forward and learn to adapt in order to stay alive in the competitive world of media. Charging for stories is just the first step in trying to gain back some of the lost profit. Although print media is an art form, it is no longer an acceptable way of getting news because the digital world has made access to headline news instant.
Works Cited
Eckel, Peter. “Father Christopher C. Drumgoole Shepard of the Homeless Newsboys.” N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr 2011.
“Johanes Gutenberg and the Printing Press.” Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press. Gutenberg & the Early History of Printing (2009): n. pag. Web. 26 Apr 2011.
Natividad, Amanda. “Infographic: How Print Vs. Online News Consumption Compares.” Editor and Publisher (2011): n. pag. Web 26 Apr 2011
“Ottmar Mergenthaler.” Zion Church History. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr 2011.
Rieder, Rem. “An Important Initiative.” American Journalism Review (2011): n. pag. Web. 26 Apr 2011.
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