2014 Accepted Research Papers (Alphabetical by Authors’ Last Name)

2014 Accepted Research Papers (Alphabetical by Authors’ Last Name) Stephen A. Banning, Bradley The Whitechapel Club: Bohemian Journalists Shun Elitism in Nineteenth Century Chicago Recent research has revealed elitism among nineteenth century journalists, and a desire to self- identify as professionals. This is important to the development of journalism in that it emphasized university education, codes of ethics and professional organizations. These factors came to fruition in the early twentieth century with university schools of journalism at Missouri and Columbia University, the formation of Sigma Delta Chi and the American Society of Newspaper Editors and their codes of ethics. Bohemian press clubs seemed to contradict this, being the antithesis of the concept of a elite expert working class. Some of these clubs existed even late into the nineteenth century. This research examined Chicago’s Whitechapel Club in relation to how and why it differed from the elite press clubs. Katie Beardsley, Temple, and Carrie Teresa, Niagara Narrative Analysis of the Central Park Jogger Story in the New York Amsterdam News On April 19, 1989, a white female jogger was attacked and raped in New York’s Central Park. Although there were no witnesses or physical evidence to tie suspects to the crime, five Black and Latino youths were eventually arrested and convicted of the time. Existing scholarship on the Central Park jogger case has suggested that the mainstream press portrayed these five teenagers as animals who preyed on an innocent white woman. This paper fills a gap in scholarship by offering a case study of the narrative of the Central Park jogger case outside the mainstream press. Through a narrative analysis of coverage in the New York Amsterdam News, the paper argues that journalists writing for the Black press in the 1990s—much like those working for Black press papers during earlier periods of the 20th century—encouraged critical citizenship. Ulf Jonas Bjork, Indiana University This Island of Infuriated Blacks: American Press Coverage of Haiti, 1790-1820 This study used the results of a search of the America’s Historical Newspapers database to examine coverage of Haiti in American newspapers between 1790, when first unrest in the French colony first began, and 1820, when the country was reunited and entered a period of relative stability. One of the few studies previously made of Haitian news in the U.S. press faulted American scholarship for focusing too much on narratives of black violence and considering that commercial concerns loomed large as well. This study found a sizeable amount of news about U.S. trade with Haiti, but also many articles where race surfaced, an almost inevitable outcome when editors dealt with news about the world’s first black republic. Not all of these stories concerned themselves with black violence however; a considerable number found black rule intriguing, and some even saw Haiti as an inspiring example of former slaves realizing their true potential. Ginger Blackstone, Florida Fishing for Future Ratings: Can a New Documentary Initiative save CNN? After the ratings success of Blackfish, CNN has launched a new documentary initiative branded as CNN Films. Looking back at the history of the documentary genre on broadcast and cable/satellite television, one can see that the medium has had a troubled past in terms of ratings generation, although there have been notable-but-rare successes. Unfortunately, a number of channels that once embraced documentary programming abandoned the genre and replaced it with so-called “reality” shows. Incorporating expectancy-value theory, one can assess that in order for a documentary initiative to be a successful ratings generator, the content must build a high amount of expectation among viewers and deliver a high amount of value. But it has been quite difficult for programming executives to successfully predict which documentaries will generate the solid ratings they seek. Given these factors, this manuscript argues that the CNN Films push is a risky move by CNN President Jeff Zucker, and it is doubtful that the strategy can deliver the ratings surge the embattled network needs to beat its competition. Katherine Blunt, Elon Yesterday’s News: Media Framing of Hitler’s Early Years, 1923-1929 This research uses media framing theory to assess newspaper coverage of Hitler published in the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Washington Post between 1923 and 1929. Nearly 500 articles contained at least passing mentions of Hitler, and of those articles, about 250 offered substantial information about his activities and influence and warranted closer examination. An analysis of the selected articles revealed “creible” and “noncredible” frames relating to his political influence. Prior to his trial for treason in 1924, the credible frame was slightly more prevalent than the non-credible frame, but after his conviction, the noncredible frame dominated coverage, for reports often presented Hitler’s failure to overthrow the Bavarian government as evidence of his lack of political skill. When he reentered the public sphere in 1930, correspondents necessarily had to reintroduce him to the American public and reassess the scope of his influence. Casey Carmody, Minnesota-Twin Cities Developing Journalistic Protections for the Confidential Source: A Historical Analysis of Wisconsin’s Journalist’s Privilege In 2010, Wisconsin enacted the “Whistleblower Protection Act,” a shield law granting journalists a testimonial privilege to protect confidential sources in court. Wisconsin joined numerous other states that had decided to provide such protections, but the timing of the law’s passage was far removed from any Wisconsin controversies related to journalists protecting sources. This study examines what factors played a role that led to Wisconsin’s adoption of a shield law through a historical lens. Past bills are examined to determine what factors influenced the timing of a bill’s introduction. The analysis suggests that precipitating events, such as high profile cases of journalists facing legal issues related to confidential sources, spurred legislators into action. Wisconsin legislators often turned to other state statutes as basis for the creation of their own law. The 2009 bill was ultimately successful because a cost- benefit analysis indicated there was little value in the legislature waiting to act. David Dowling, Iowa Emerson’s Newspaperman: Horace Greeley’s Promotion of the Radical Counterculture Six years before the debut of the New-York Daily Tribune in 1841, Horace Greeley launched the New-Yorker, a weekly designed as a populist version of literary journals like Blackwoods and the Knickerbocker. His editorial agenda in both was to bring the radical counterculture to the masses, particularly the social reform writings of Albert Brisbane and Ralph Waldo Emerson. This study examines the paradox of Greeley’s aggressive commercial promotion of Brisbane’s Fourierism and Emerson’s Transcendentalism, movements that sharply critiqued the corrosive effects of free market capitalism. Greeley’s relentless promotion of the antebellum counterculture did not contradict his support of the associationist movement, as some historians have suggested. Instead his commercial method—as reflected in his correspondence and his published writings—of reciprocal advertising arrangements was consonant with the counterculture’s core tenant of shared resources and mutual support. Greeley reinvested revenue in socialist utopian experiments to promote his labor reform agenda. Kathleen L. Endres and Andrea Ferraro, Akron From War Hero to Sports Icon: The Transformation of the Goodyear Blimp This paper examines the transformation of the Goodyear blimp from war hero to sports icon against a backdrop of social unrest, technological change, broadcasting and sports innovation, and public relations experimentation at a tire company in Akron, Ohio, during the 1960s. Two research questions were developed: 1) How did Goodyear blimp float its way into sports broadcasting history in the 1960s? 2) What implications did the success of the blimp have on Goodyear’s public relations department and the corporate brand? The researchers utilized two methods: archival research and interviewing. In response to research question 1, the researchers outlined how a new director of Goodyear public relations repackaged the blimp, transforming it into a sports icon. In response to research question 2, the researchers identified how public relations contributed to the success of the blimp program in sports broadcasting and how the blimp’s rise in this new field enhanced Goodyear’s brand. Michael Fuhlhage, Wayne State To Limit the Spread of Slavery: A Boston Journal Correspondent’s Multiple Roles in the Kansas Free State Movement This study examines how a correspondent for a leading daily newspaper, the Boston Journal, constructed the reality of “Bleeding Kansas” for readers in a city that was central in the Abolition movement. Albert Richardson boosted Free State town projects, ran for the Free State legislature, gave speeches, and used his regular letters from Kansas to Journal to attract capital and settlers to Kansas during the fight over the abolition of slavery in the territory in 1857 and 1858. Primary sources include his memoir, personal papers, and hundreds of his newspaper reports. Julien Gorbach, Nicholls State The Old New Journalist This study traces the last years of Ben Hecht’s writing career, arguing

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