EOTO 1 Presentations What I learned

 The two presentations that left the largest impression on me were the presentation on William Randolf's Heart and the Presentation about Winifred Sweet Black. I enjoyed learning about these two people because they both heavily contributed to yellow journalism. Hearst and Pulitzer are considered the pioneers of yellow journalism. While Ms. Black is considered a pioneer of investigative journalism. 

William Randolf Hearst

William Randolf Hearst was born in San Francisco California. He was given control of the San Francisco Examiner by his father after his father, a mining executive used the paper to run for California Senator. Heart used sensationalism to become popular in California. After Heart became a success in California, he used part of his family's fortune to buy the New York Morning Journal, a small New York newspaper. When Hearst arrived in New York City, the largest newspaper was owned by Joseph Pulitzer. Hearst was able to hire journalists away from Pulitzer by paying them more. He hired the creator of a popular cartoon known as The Yellow Kid. The Yellow Kid helped highlight many issues in society such as poverty and corruption. Hearst also was able to increase his circulation by selling his papers for one cent each.

The Yellow Kid

During the Spanish-American War, the popularity of Heart's paper, then known as the New York Journal, increased massively. He depicted the Spanish Empire as evil. Hearst was able to pin the US Maine exploding on the Spanish Empire. This was used as a justification for war against Spain. After the Spanish-American War, Hearst entered politics. He ran, as a progressive, and failed to win the New York City mayoral elections of 1905 and 1909, however, he was a representative for New York's 11th district from 1903 to 1907. 

Hearst became more conservative after the end of World War 1. He expressed support for American isolationism.  He supported FDR in 1932 but became an enemy of him after he supported unions. Hearst is mostly known today for his pioneering of sensationalism and starting the Spanish-American War, which paved the way for further US imperialism. 

Winifred Sweet Black

Winifred Sweet Black was born in 1863 in Chilton Wisconsin. She worked as a reporter and columnist for Heart's San Francisco Examiner writing articles about celebrities and other sensational stories. Ms. Black is known for pioneering investigative journalism. She was said to do anything to get a story. She once snuck herself onto a train to interview President Benjamin Harrison. She also wrote about problems in San Francisco emergency care, which resulted in a new ambulance being purchased. Ms. Black also disguised herself as a man to report on a tidal wave that killed 7000 people in Galveston Texas. She was able to persuade Hearst to set up a hospital there which saved the lives of many people. Winifred Sweet Black is best known today for being one of the pioneers of investigative journalism and being willing to do almost anything to get the truth.

Yellow journalism and investigative journalism helped expose our society's corrupt elements. They helped bring attention to the wrongdoings of the powerful to the average American, without these two techniques being pioneered by Hearst and Ms. Black, we would not have such a vibrant discourse in our country as we do today. 

Why am I here?

This semester I decided to take JOU-1300, as an elective course, that would cost my parents additional money. I chose to do this because I admire the professor, I hope to learn about journalism's importance in our society, and I hope to become a better writer. I have known Professor Smith, the instructor of this course, for a little over 2 years. I took his Media, Law, and Literacy class and learned a lot from it.  He is a man who is deeply concerned with the issue of freedom of speech. I think freedom of speech is an important cornerstone of American Civilization. In our country, we need to be able to have a variety of perspectives to encourage change.  Many people wish to censor free speech today to try to prevent political opponents from speaking. Some think that the United States should criminalize racial slurs with hate speech laws. I think that while we should condemn hateful language, we should not criminalize it. I think that America has a history of being racist, and it has grown a lot from the past. I believe that individuals like our nation can grow. 

The second reason that I chose to have this course was I want to learn about journalism's importance in our society. I would say nearly everyone has some awareness about the importance but I wish to have a deeper understanding. Journalism helps keep our institutions in check. Every organization is prone to some kind of corruption, journalists at their best can help expose these institutions and push reform. I believe that many of the Institutions in the United States have become corrupt. Global warming, the rise of AI, and wealth inequality are all serious issues that I believe the government is unwilling to fix at the present moment given the corruption inside of it. Throughout this course, I hope to gain further awareness about how journalists have exposed corrupt institutions in the past and how I can either be a part of or encourage the change I want to see in our society.  I have a deep appreciation of American history and I know by looking into the past we can find solutions to our present problems and learn from our mistakes. 

The last reason that I am taking this class is that I hope to become a better writer. Writing is an important tool of communication. How you write something will affect how many people are willing to read it. Many younger do not read as much as previous generations. If I become a better writer, I will be able to make it so that what I have to say can be appreciated by people who may not like to read. Different types of writing require varying degrees of formality. My purpose in these blogs is to develop a semi-formal tone that I can use in business. My chief priority will always be to deliver my message clearly. I think becoming a better writer will make me better able to express my thoughts. I have a variety of opinions that I want to share with the world. I am aware that sometimes, I can deliver my message in a clunky manner and I am also aware that I have a lot to learn. Practicing my writing will make me better able to deliver my message clearly. In addition to this, practicing writing will make me more informed because I will have to research so I can relay information credibly. 

This class and the blogging exercise will make me more aware of American history, have a greater understanding of the issues of free speech in our society, be better able to communicate my thoughts, be better able to think critically, and be a more responsible citizen.