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"Blessed Be the Critics of Newspapers": Journalistic Criticism of Journalism 1865-1930

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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2010 "Blessed be the critics of newspapers": journalistic criticism of journalism 1865-1930 Yasmine Tarek Dabbous Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Dabbous, Yasmine Tarek, ""Blessed be the critics of newspapers": journalistic criticism of journalism 1865-1930" (2010). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1190. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1190 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. “BLESSED BE THE CRITICS OF NEWSPAPERS:” JOURNALISTIC CRITICISM OF JOURNALISM 1865-1930 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Manship School of Mass Communication by Yasmine Tarek Dabbous B.A., Lebanese American University, 1999 M.S., Boston University, 2001 August 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................iv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1 2 A CULTURAL HISTORY APPROACH TO PRESS CRITICISM ................................11 Press Criticism Literature ...............................................................................................13 The Cultural History Approach ......................................................................................20 3 THE EXCITEMENT OF A NEW PROMISE ...................................................................28 A New Journalism ..........................................................................................................29 Praise and Pride ..............................................................................................................31 Boasting about Power and Prestige ................................................................................35 Focus on the Transitional 1880s .....................................................................................38 The Democratic Promise of News ..................................................................................43 A Reflection of Postbellum Optimism about US Potential ............................................50 4 THE BUSINESS OF A NEWSPAPER .............................................................................56 Anxieties and Optimism .................................................................................................57 Commercial Journalism ..................................................................................................60 Sensationalism and the Yellow Press .............................................................................62 Disappointment about the Sensational Press ..................................................................63 Hope Despite the Disappointment ..................................................................................70 Journalism: A Business or a Profession? ........................................................................77 5 THE PRESS OF THE PROGRESSIVE ERA ...................................................................84 A Generation of Progressives .........................................................................................85 Journalism as a Progressive Tool ...................................................................................88 Praise and Optimism .......................................................................................................89 Criticism of the Scandal Mania ......................................................................................95 Muckraking the Press: Will Irwin‟s Investigations ........................................................97 6 THE TURNING POINT ..................................................................................................102 Censorship and Propaganda Campaigns ......................................................................103 Calling for Freedom of the Press (1917-1918) .............................................................108 New Awareness: The Subjectivity of News (1919-1922) ............................................111 7 MEDIOCRITY AND DISCONTENT .............................................................................120 Of Consolidation, Public Relations, and Standardization .............................................121 Attacking the “Mediocre” Press ....................................................................................129 The Attack on Reporters ................................................................................................134 Of Sensationalism, Entertainment, and Tabloids ..........................................................136 Positive Implications ......................................................................................................142 The “Crazy Twenties” ....................................................................................................144 ii 8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................149 WORKS CITED ..........................................................................................................................155 APPENDIX: LIST OF MAGAZINES WHERE CRITICAL TEXTS WERE ANALYZED .....171 VITA ............................................................................................................................................173 iii ABSTRACT This study examined journalistic press criticism between 1865 and 1930. It sought to understand how the first modern journalists conceived of their profession in a period of great transitions. As the study revealed, journalists writing about journalism between 1865 and 1930 discussed recurring themes such as commercialization, sensationalism, advertising, and ethics. They expressed ambivalence toward the rise of big business in their field and the consequences it could have on the quality of the work. In the process, journalists also defined journalism as a profession providing a public service or as a business aiming solely for circulation and profit. Definitions shifted depending on the period during which the journalists wrote. Criticism during the period under study often reflected the social and cultural trends journalists witnessed. During the postbellum era, it mirrored the belief in the American Dream of wealth, well-being, and democracy. In the 1890s, criticism focused on the downsides of commercialism, expressing the fears people felt toward the new corporate giants. During the progressive period, the writings of press critics revealed the pride they felt in the civic services journalism provided. But World War I brought an end to progressivism. During the 1920s, disillusioned journalists criticized “mediocre” journalism. Their frustration echoed that of the old generation of progressives. Underlying the journalists‟ criticism was also the perception they had of news. Excited about the democratic promise of this new concept, postbellum critics praised journalism more than they criticized it. During the 1890s, and despite the downsides of commercialism, journalists never lost hope because, for them, news democratized information. The progressive period seemed to confirm the democratic potentials of news, promoting pride among critics. But the iv propaganda campaigns of World War I broke the spell, as critics realized that news was potentially susceptible to propaganda. The establishment of public relations as a profession based on the spinning of news during the 1920s further aggravated the problem. Journalists, who had kept their optimism throughout the previous fifty years, became concerned, in the 1920s, that many newspapers did not live up to the democratic promise of the press. v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Although George Smalley criticized the sensationalist papers of the 1890s, admitting that they “trade in filth,” the New York Tribune correspondent still felt proud to be a journalist. “I am ready enough to stand or fall with the profession and with my colleagues in the profession if there be any question of attack or defense,” he wrote.1 The journalism Smalley talked about was relatively new. It originated in the penny press of the 1830s and slowly assumed its modern character after the Civil War. Providing millions with information about local and world events, the post-war press filled journalists with “so deep a draught of that matchless elixir.”2 Envious young men frequently wrote the papers to ask how they could join.3 Those who did felt “a delightful sensation that approximates intoxication.”4 Smalley spoke for his colleagues in the trade. Journalists in postbellum America frequently highlighted the nobility of their calling and the thrills of newspaper work. Their excitement was not without basis. Newspapers were the first mass media the world experienced. Seen as a modern institution, they guaranteed
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