"Shock and Awe"

 Shock and Awe was another movie which allowed us to see the insightful information of the Iraq War and how that in turn, affected the journalists' careers. 

The movie explains how there could be varying point of views from journalists, as the U.S. government is preparing to raid Iraq. 

Many were reluctant to dig deep into the behind the scenes of this case, except for some specific journalists. While researching, I found it interesting to find the meaning behind “Shock and Awe” which technically is a military strategy that displays force and overwhelming power and that would base off why the movie is named that way. 

In the movie, the journalists investigate the Bush Administration in regards to numerous claims that Iraq possessed numerous weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and he was aware of it. These claims proved to be false and unfounded.

Overall, this movie displays the harsh reality behind George W. Bush and the false information that he whole-heartedly supported as reasons for entering into combat and going to war with Iraq. 

Another example of how journalists provide insightful information in regards to how and what is being reported and how that information is being reported. 

"Good Night and Good Luck"

 Good Night and Good luck presented to up and coming journalists a true example of what should be exposed in the field of journalism, and field work that would be considered corrupt. The premise of Good Night and Good Luck was to expose Senator Joe McCarthy on the false accusations that he sent out on their association with Communism. 

In a word, the best way to describe Joe Mccarthy is a "bully". People were afraid to speak up to him because of the threats that he often made to his opponents. However, one person that wasn't afraid to speak up to him was Edward R Murrow, who was a widely respected and trusted Broadcast Journalist.

During a major speech, Murrow was adamant on his obligation to call out McCarthy on what is known as McCarthyism, a campaign spreading fear of supposed communist influence on Americans. This movie displayed the true job of journalists, which was to expose the truth about corrupt people in our society. 

It is the responsibility of journalists to educate the public on matters related to our nation's government. Without journalists, like Edward Murrow, the public would not have the truth about McCarthy's true intentions and misdeeds.

What Murrow did at CBS is unlike anything we have ever seen before. He single-handedly exposed the truth to protect others from the harsh and inappropriate actions that McCarthy immersed himself in. By Murrow putting himself out on a limb and taking a risk to help others, shows the true dedication of journalists like himself. 

In the movie, we see a trial between a woman and the senator, and even with little to no evidence, McCarthy tries to unfairly accuse her. With the help of Murrow, she is able to get a fair and equal trial as she deserves.

The censorship that is utilized to prevent certain individuals from speaking should not be tolerated or condoned. This movie gave me a new perspective on how important it is to understand the importance of the accuracy of reporting in today's society. 

The CBS team, along with Edward. R. Murrow, accomplished just that, and in turn, allowed for the censorship to be removed and the truthful information to flow freely.

The title "Good Night and Good Luck" originates from how Murrow would sign off from his reports, most significantly during this battle of the press and the ongoing McCarthyism plaguing the United States. 

Front Page the Commedy

 The Front Page was a comedy created in 1974, and was filmed in Chicago during a time when journalists were relentless and competing against each other for the best stories. Throughout the comedy, we see Hildy Johnson announce his retirement, but soon after he backs down on his word because of a breaking story. 

    Hildy Johnson was on the cusp of making the move to Philadelphia with his wife when a prisoner escaped police custody causing breaking headlines everywhere. Upon this news, the newspaper he was working for had quickly got in contact with him asking him to return. 

    As we see through the comedy, this show displays a different perspective of journalism that we don't see today. The manner in which these reporters conducted themselves is not something that ordinarily ever happens. These reporters were all surrounded by gambling and smoking, while waiting for more breaking headlines, but today, we see the journalists out in the field pressing these officers on the scene and reporting to the newsroom.

    As seen throughout the comedy, journalists during this time were willing to give up anything to get the story out. Hildy even took the prisoner who had escaped, and hid him to make his story seem better than it actually was. 

    This shows the fierce competition between the journalists to secure the best story. Peggy, his now wife, with whom he is getting ready to make the move was all set to hit the road when this prisoner escapes. Peggy gets fed up but Hildy doesn't leave because he knows that he will get the best story. Soon after, Hildy does and the prisioner comes through the window and Hildy locks the windown and doors to interview the prisoner. 

Now althought this action packed story is so fast-paced and far-fetched, the main story is from the journalists, and this happened during a time where people were looking to sell the most and get the most views. It was this mindset that prompted them to pull out all the stops and do anything to beat the competition. 

Smoking and gambling at the table 

People during this time looked for this action packed breaking news stories and the newspapers fed off of this revenue as seen by the connection between Hildy and his respected boss. Gossip was not ruled out of the stories as well, since they would be sure to spice things up. 

Journalists have the right to be themselves and speak freely to report the news that everyone wants to hear, although sometimes people attempt to limit what they can say. Even though the world of journalism has evolved through time, some things are long-standing and will always remain constant. 

Journlists have duties and those duties are followed and trusted by the public. It was amazing for me to see how even Hildy would not turn down the opportunity to engage and publish one last story, even if it meant losing his soon to be wife.

EOTO 3 Reaction

 Although I was watching this presentation online and not in the classroom, it was by far my favorite presentation and EOTO that we have done so far. The three individuals that I want to focus on the most are Bernard Shaw, Howard Cosell and Bob Woodward.

Bernard Shaw was one of the most influential journalists of his time. He was interested in journalism at a young age and since then, had always known it was this passion that he wanted to pursue as a career. He grew up watching Edward R Murrow, one of the most famous journalists ever, and gained great inspiration from him. 

Shaw would report and write for various newspaper companies before he secured his first television job with CBS News in 1971.  His success would only accelerate from there, where soon after he was offered a position to be a correspondent, but ultimately declined that offer to join ABC. 

Shaw would leave ABC to pursue a career with CNN where he would help start up the major company and be a premier anchor on the show, where his legacy acknowledged. Shaw's accomplishments would soon be recognized by the numerous awards he would win.

Shaw passed away in 2022, but his memory continues to live on today, as he will always be regarded as one of the best journalists of his era. 

Howard Cosell is best known as one of the most recognized sports broadcasters in our history. However, not all of his on-air commentary was well received, as he had his fair share of controversial comments. 

His domination in the sports world stemmed from him supporting Muhammad Ali and his hard hitting opinions with no censor to protect him. 

After a seemingly racist comment about a boxer named Alvin Garret, Cosell's broadcasting career would come to a close. He gained much support from those that he was supporting and even Garret himself, his intended target, came to Cosell's defense.

Although he had these negative interactions, the positives were still obvious as he was honored for several of his most outstanding achievements.

Finally, there was Bob Woodward who was hailed as the "greatest reporter of all time". He attended The Yale School of Law where he completed two degrees, one being in English and the other in History. After his time dedicated to our country, he went to the Washington Post where he was seeking a job as a reporter. His attempt failed and he would not be granted a position there, but soon after, he would join a smaller newspaper company that would soon refer him back to the Washington Post.

He partook in many journalistic activities such as exposing the truth on presidents, something that previously couldn't be done before. He is also a dedicated author where his books have received numourous accolades. His book "The Agenda" became a best seller as it exposed the secrets of President Bill Clinton. 

Woodward was so successful that many tried to search his books and call him out for "fake news" reporting to make him second guess himself that his reporting was not completely factual. However, his sources were accurate and respected sources who trusted Woodward with their confidentiality and his reporting skills. 

Woodward is still alive today where he lives with his wife, Elsa Walsh, who is also a journalist. Their dedication towards effective and truthful reporting still lives on. 

EOTO Reaction 2

 My classmates taught me so many valuable lessons from this presentation. I especially loved learning about the Early History of Radio and television in sports because it is something that surrounds us every day but people never know the back stories behind it. 

Sports are something that most people will either watch or at least scroll through when they are watching television or listening to the radio but most people do not know that the first radio broadcast that involved sports was in 1921. That sporting event was a boxing match between Johnny Ray and Johnny Dundee. 

As an avaid sports fan, I watch/listen to sports everywhere, whether its in the car and I'm listening on AM radio or in the house watching on the TV this is a topic that intrested me drastically. I was intrigued to learn that the first radio station to broadcast a sports event was KDKA. 

KDKA radio station

Radio and television were only up from there. Later that year the first college football game was broadcast, this game was between the University of Pitsburg and West Virginia University. Something that I found interesting was that the attendance didnt drop at these events instead it grew, and grew drastically because more people were being reached without having to travel. 

Then came television and in 1939 the first-ever baseball game was broadcast. "The effects of TV were tremendous for teams to generate money," said Akenna Rootes in her presentation, and still to this day the sports industry is growing as different camera angles and ways to reach the population are discovered. 

The other thing that was intriguing was the gossip presentation. I had no idea that in Newspapers there was a section dedicated to gossip, something that now I will be sure to look for. 

The first known gossiper was James Boswell who was a colonist and a "hypochondriac", he would gossip about things going around in the town but not about the people in the town. He would twist the things in the town to make things worse and always put a bad taste in people's mouths.

Today we still see a lot of gossips, especially just for the "clicks" or "views". It is mostly found in popular magazines and in digital media. This should be considered fake news because this gossip has a connection between fake news.

EOTO 1 Reaction!

I gained so much knowledge from watching and listening to the presentations of my classmates. There were a few individuals that I had known about, but one person that stood out to me was Winifred Sweet Black. Winifred was an American reporter and colonist who displayed incredible courage and persistence, and never seemed to back down from a challenge,  even when facing obstacles.

As Victoria stated in her presentation, Winifred was known for her unorthodox ways and methods of getting stories. She founded the NY Journal, but then left there because she disliked the city so much. She would then start writing for William Hearst. 

One piece of fascinating information that I learned was in 1900, she disguised herself as a boy and was able to bypass the police lines to get the information out to the public. She would be the first to give an inside view to the devastating Galveston flood disaster that was occurring in Texas. The death count of this tragedy would rise to 700 victims, and she was able to report firsthand on this significant tragedy. 

The overall demeanor of Black was that she didn't shy away from the truth, even if it meant risking her own life in the process.  She was determined to secure the truth and sought to expose those who violated or misrepresented it. She was also generous as seen by her opening a temporary hospital with the funds that Hearst had accumulated to support those in need. 

The other presentations that impressed me were the SPJ, NPPA, AAEC, and ASME programs which was presented by Ella and Mila. The first of the three, the Society of Professional Journalists was founded in 1909, and was followed by the National Press Photographers Association in 1946, the American Editorial Cartoonists in 1957 and finally, the American Society of Magazine Editors in 1963. 

These four programs are all extraordinary, and the main one that I will focus on is SPJ because of its continued popularity and the fact that it's actually a club that exists at High Point University. Their mission is to provide "the perpetuation of a free press at the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty." The SPJ provides professional development and career support, while facilitating connections in the industry and providing journalism advice to its members. 

Another organization that I found to be interesting was the N.P.P.A. The purpose of the N.P.P.A is to advocate for the visual journalists of the industry. Their mission is to ensure that journalists have the opportunity to write freely, and will make a proper living from this work. 

John Costa was the founder of this organization, but he was originally a photographer and edited for multiple different newspapers. They have such a vested interest because this is their career and livelihood, and they want to make sure that they are being both represented and understood. 

Overall, I learned a great deal from the various presentations.  It was very interesting how they distinguished themselves from each other and they were all very informative. I really look forward to gaining more insight about these programs throughout my journalism career. 

EOTO 2 Photojournalism

 Photojournalism is a key and important way of getting the correct images out to the public and ensuring that the images used are also providing context to the article you are reading about purpose. The best way to easily sum that up would be to state that it is the connection of news through photographs. The popularsaying "a picture tells a thousand words" is extremely important in the journalism field because most people skip over large blogs and headlines and go directly to the images for context. 

Photojournalism not only helps "enhance a story, but it tells a story of its own as well". Many believe that the choice of photos utilized throughout a story will either make or break a story. Photojournalism is defined as the main process of using photos to accurately tell a story. 

The presence of photojournalism is evidenced throughout news stories and is an extremely popular venue that is employed. While most of the time photojournalists use still images in their writing and segments, a video is a viable option as well. 

The introduction of photojournalism has a long and storied history. Photos have been accompanying news articles since the start of the Civil War in 1861.  In the 1920s, photojournalism entered a Golden Age, with the arrival of smaller cameras such as the 35mm Leica which was invented in Germany in 1925. 

This Golden Age was pivotal because people would begin to see actual images of what was going on throughout the wars that were being fought, which allowed us to understand current newsworthy stories in real time. Even during this time that may not have been exactly prosperous, the photos that were received allowed for visual storytelling and reporting.

There were many individuals who were pioneers in this industry, and one of the most significant was William Eugene Smith. He is widely described as "perhaps the single most important photojournalist". Smith was a photojournalist for Flying Magazine, and then later LIFE Magazine.  He became interested in photographty at the age of 14,  and since that point, he was dedicated to making sure that his photos told the truth of what was really going on. He spent the majority of his career covering the wars that were underway. 

Another key photojournalist is Robert Capa. The actual images of war that he captured made him a truly remarkable and respected photojournalist. Robert would often put himself in very dangerous situations to ensure that the images that he was securing were effective and truthful.  His famous quote was always "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough". During his time, he covered the responsibilities of shooting 5 different wars. 

Roger Fenton is the third and final journalist who was a pioneer in the photojournalim industry. His dedication to truth was seen through his images. An accomplished photojournalist, Fenton was highly regarded for his landscape and architectural photographs during the wars. Fenton also is acknowledged as the first journalist to photograph a war, which was known as the Crimean War. 

Overall, photojournalism is a means of photography which has drastically evolved and improved during the last several decades, and it is still a highly effective and popular communication tool that is employed worlwide today. Photos help tell stories, convey feelings, provide insight, enhance our perspectives and even allow us to reconsider and form more actual and reliable judgements. Without the presence of photojournalism, there would be no evidence to either prove or disprove what the public considers to be factual information.

Barbra Walters EOTO 3

    Barbra Walters was one of the most influential and highly respected journalists who "broke down barriers" for other women. Known as a first among TV women, Walters was born in 1925 in Boston, Massachusets. During her early years, she attended many public and private schools before attending Sarah Lawerance College, a small, private liberal arts college in Bronxville, NY. She graduated in 1952 with a Bachelors Degree in English.                                                         

 Walters began her journalism career as a writer and a producer at WNBT, NBC's flagship station in New York City. In the 1960's she transferred to become a segment producer for the Today Show and remained for over a decade, before her popularity grew and in 1974 she was named the co-host of the Today Show. 

    Walters was part of many groundbreaking television networks. She left NBC in 1976 and became an anchor at ABC where she was called a "million dollar baby" after she signed her record-breaking contract with ABC for 5 years and $5,000,000. With this massive contract, Walters became the highest-paid journalist among both male and female anchors. 

    Although things did not work out as planned for this show, she showed her trademark resilience and tenacity and never backed down. Instead, she stepped into multiple other roles, including serving as an ABC News contributor. Soon thereafter, she started to appear on all of ABC's shows including 20/20 where she would soon be reunited with Hugh Downs, her former co-anchor at NBC. This duo became the show's permanent hosts in 1984 and enjoyed a long-lasting friendship and successful collaboration both on and off-screen.

    People remember Walters for her remarkable interviewing skills, often catching her subjects off guard with her probing and pointed questions. Persistence soon became her most identifiable trait because if she didn't feel that the answer that she had received was sufficient, she wouldnt hesitate to ask the same question again to get the desired and truthful answers that the public and her followers were seeking. It wouldn't be uncommon to see her guests literally shift in their seats or show obvious signs of unease or discomfort during her no-nonsense questioning approach. 

    It was this trailblazing interview style that led her to accumulate a groundbreaking list of the world's most accomplished and prominent leaders. Barbara was known for getting the most sought-after, and relevant interview opportunities at any given time.  Furthermore, her dominance was not confined to one genre, as she was best known for interviewing the "A" crowd which included everyone from renowned world leaders and presidents to famous movie stars to world-class athletes.  It was often believed in Hollywood's inner circles that a person's career and legacy were either made or broken by how well they performed during Barbara's interrogation.

    Due to her enormous success, Mrs.Walters created her own show "The View" which still runs today and is in its 27th season.  The View featured a panel of  4 or 5 women all of varying backgrounds, ethnicities, and opinions. The purpose of this show was to discuss the hot topics of the day, which often led to spirited discussions among the cohosts.  This semi-controlled chaos was a ratings sensation, as the public was drawn to the no-holds barred atmosphere the show facilitated. It often seemed that no topic was either off limits or too controversial either as the panel tackled political allegiance, racial equality and discrimination, and women's rights to just name a few. 

    Barbra Walters later annonced that she would be retiring from The View in 2014 after she spent 17 seasons as a premier anchor on the show. She did come out of retirement several times, highlighted by her final post-retirement appearance where she conducted a major interview with Donald Trump, who was running as a presidential candidate. 

    During her distinguished career, Mrs. Walters received incomparable praise among her peers and the journalism industry as a whole. This success translated into numerous award nominations and victories. During her career, she was nominated for 61 Emmy Awards and won 19 of them. In the year 2000, she received her most prominent award which came in the form of a "Lifetime Achievement Award", and in 2007, she was granted a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.

   In her later years, Walters' health deteriorated and she suffered from many serious health ailments. She passed away in 2022 at the age of 93 after suffering from dementia. In her final words, it is reported that she said "No regrets- I had a great life".  Today, many of the most recognizable and influential female journalists and anchors credit Barbara Walters for the success they enjoyed in their respective careers and the profound impact she made in the field of broadcast journalism.

        

        

EOTO 1

  

Julis Reuter 

 Reuters News Agency is one of the most respected and relied upon news companies in the world. Reuters was created in 1850 by Julis Reuter. Before his historic entry into the news business, he worked as a bank clerk. Born in 1816, Reuter was known for being an entrepreneur who was a pioneer in the telegraph and news industry. 

  Reuter started his company back in 1850 using telegraph cables and a fleet of carrier pigeons. He would soon gain a reputation for "speed, accuracy, integrity, and impartiality". These attributes would be the foundation from which Reuter would distinguish himself from his competitors. 

    This system would work because the birds were sent by rail each day to Brussels and would return each day with key information. The bird's return took two hours, which was much quicker than by rail. This expedited transfer of information proved to be very effective. 

Carrier Piegons 

   Reuter expanded his company, Reuters, in 1858 with his first newspaper client, The London Morning Advertiser. The ability to report on topics at a record speed was unprecedented. Reuters was also the first to report on stories of international importance, with the assassination of Abraham Lincon being one of those premier and history-making stories.

    Reuters has been around for decades, and through its tenure, has been on the frontline to many of these historical events. Here are just a few key points that Reuters was the first to report on. In 1863, a telegraph link was placed at the furthest point of Ireland allowing for the delivery of news before ships reached the port. In 1900, Reuters was the first to report on the relief of Mafeking in South Africa during the Second Boer War. Ahead of all other news sources by two hours, Reuters was the first to report on the crash of the Titanic in 1911. In 1938, Reuters was the first to report that Hitler had assumed command of the Australian Army. In 1989, they were the first to report that East Germany opened their borders and dismantled the Berlin Wall, and most recently and perhaps most significant, they were the first to report that top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq. 

     Reuters stands out from its competitors in the field of news reporting and writing in several ways. First and foremost, it is world-renowned (been around for 170 years) and it holds its journalists to incredibly high standards. Secondly, Reuters is a global news agency which means that it doesn't solely focus on one specific place, but rather the whole world. They do not target one political group, and use all the available resources to ensure the news gets circulated without agreeing with one political party. 

Reuters Journalist who was killed in the attacks by Lebanon

   

 Reuters has proven that it can compete with the top news outlets in the world and they should be credited for their accomplishments. Reuters employs thousands of journalists around the world, assuring that effective news reporting happens truthfully and unbiased. Furthermore, they even produce their news in 16 different languages.  

   Some of the largest companies that we know extremely well have joined forces with Reuters by using its state-of-the-art fact-checking technologies. For example, Facebook has joined forces with Reuters to target plagiarism and fact-check sources that circulate on the internet. 

Reuters Fact Checking Services 

    

Today, Reuters News is part of Thomson Reuters, a corporation that is listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges. They are well-liked and respected among other news agencies with their ratings still doing very well. To this day, Reuters continues to be one of the leading news services in the world and is now based out of Toronto, Canada, with its appeal and following still far-reaching. 

Why I am here!

Since I was a little kid, I’ve always had this passion, but what exactly that passion was and why I had such a hard time expressing myself for what I love to do, has always presented itself as such a challenge. Why is it so difficult to see myself in my natural element doing what I love to do, and just submit the video without hesitation? Over time, I quickly understood and felt more comfortable being myself. To stand in front of that camera, in total command, equal parts awed and terrified reporting on things that I love, things that have moved me is how I developed my passion and love for journalism. 

When I was a little boy, I always wanted to be a news reporter. I would recruit my entire family and give them various tasks such as weatherman, sports, and traffic, and I, of course, was in the middle of it all, putting it all together. It was a passion that only grew as I aged, and still remains my career choice. Growing up in the number-one market in the world, I’ve always been accustomed to outstanding professional writing and reporting that I was able to reap the benefits of as a viewer. My outgoing personality, paired with my nosiness, has proven me successful in what little I have accomplished so far, but there is still so much to learn and grow from to become the best version of myself that I could be.

Something that I have always struggled with has been my writing. Whenever my mother used to read over my writing when I was younger, she would often joke with me that I wrote as if commas had never been invented. When I was contemplating what I wanted to do and study when I was in college and told people that I wanted to be a journalist, their first reaction was disbelief, because of my inadequacies as a writer.  From the end of middle school and throughout high school, improving my writing was a focus that I gave my all to, and worked day in and day out to become better at. I spent countless hours reading and writing to try to better myself at it. As time went on I started to write more age appropriately, using stronger terminology and even inserting my enemy, the comma, and other punctuation appropriately. Something else that I began to notice is that although I didn’t like writing very much, I began to enjoy it when it gave me the opportunity to write about things that mattered to me. 

As an aspiring Broadcast Journalist, I am aware of the challenges and obstacales that I will face throughout my journey to where I want to ultimately go. This is one of the most competitive professional fields that there is and it is far from a cakewalk, but through the next 4 years, I hope to continue to grow and learn and challenge myself in all aspects of my craft. Through this course of Journalism, I hope to not only improve  my writing, but also incorporate what I learn and use it to conduct better research and enhance my storytelling and writing. The history of Journalism is one of the most complex and interesting times that has ever existed, and it is fascinating to learn about its history and origins. There are not many professional fields where times and events are changing so often and give you the opportunity to have a front-row seat to not only watching history unfold, but also being a part of something spectacular, memorable and possibly life-changing.