istory of Journalism Project
Directions (read carefully):
Pick a partner in your class and select one of the topics listed below
to complete for a major grade in the History of Journalism Unit.
Proposals are due at the end of class today.
PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM
You and your partner will also receive credit for daily logs which you
must fill out at the end of each class. The log will be placed into your
journalism folder and should be called "history project daily log". The
log entries will count as a separate grade from presentation you will
make. A brief summary of work done that day and a description of what
you will do the next day will need to be written into the log.
Projects will be presented in in two weeks to the class orally by using a
PowerPoint, video or Prezi presentation. Your presentation must not be
read to the class, so avoid putting text on your presentation media and
use visual and acoustic items to augment what you say in class.
1. Printers: Find out about famous journalists (at least 3) that devoted
themselves to improving the print industry. Show and discuss the
progression of printing through the years. How have techniques changed
and what impact did each change have on the newspaper industry? Tips –
Johannes Gutenberg, Ben Franklin, Letterpress, Offset Printing.
2. Reporters were sometimes found to be “radical” in different periods
of history. Look at people like Martin Luther, Horace Greeley, John
Upton Sinclair, Sam Adams and others who used their journalistic skills
to fight for people’s rights. See “Muckraking.”
3. Discuss the concept of libel and slander vs. the truth and how the
John Peter Zenger trial and its outcome is important today. What types
of cases have happened recently that reflect the same concepts?
4. Coverage of politicians’ private affairs – How does the media handle
cover personal situations in politicians’ lives? How have they done this
in the past and what has the development has occurred?
5. Examine the history of the papers owned and run by Joseph Pulitzer
and William Randolph Hurst during the period from 1895 to 1905. How
sensational can reporters write without becoming a “yellow journalist”?
6. Beginning with the area of the “Penny Press,” going through today,
discuss the cost newspaper subscriptions and the evolution of
advertising. How does advertising help finance production costs? How
much revenue is generated today vs. years ago? How does the industry
decide on the price of the ads?
7. Stunt Journalism – Does it take reporters engaging in “dangerous”
acts to get stories and to make it in the field? Ideas: look at someone
like Nellie Bly and compare her to the people and type of reporting
today which is similar. How has it made a difference in society?
8. Compare coverage of the Civil War vs. Vietnam War and Desert Storm.
Show how reporting and photography has played a major role in shaping
the public’s opinions of U.S. involvement. How has reporting changed
over the last 100 years? Where do reporters, called correspondents, get
their information?
9. Trace the course of the woman’s involvement in journalism from the
colonial days to the present time. Use the Anne Catherine Green story as
a basis as well as others Fanny Fern, Margaret Fuller, Middy Morgan,
Jane Grey Swisshelm, Winifred Black (Annie Laurie), Bessie Bramble,
Margherita Arlina Hamm, Julie Hayes Percy, etc. Find some current
successes and compare stories. What has made them so successful?
10. After examining the First Amendment and the Hazelwood Case, look for
ways in which student rights differ from those of the public press, and
ways that they are the same. How can student publications remain
independent of the school administration’s desire to use publications as
a public relations tool? Should that be the purpose of student
journalism? Use the ACLU and Freedom Forum as sources to investigate.
11. Since “The Yellow Kid” began in 1896, trace the changes an evolution
of the nature of comic strips. Why are some humorous, some adventurous;
why are some self-contained in one day, and some continuing stories?
What purposes do comic strips serve?
12. Trace the lines of communication that went up across America from
the telegraph to the telephone and radio stations. Show how the
discovery of waves in the air led to broadcast journalism where sound
could come into homes and eventually into cars. What was impact of
Samuel Morse’s invention? How did each new invention or discovery change
the way we communicate? Discuss AM and FM frequencies. How have Bill
Clinton’s radio broadcasts affected the public in comparison to
Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” when he was in office?
13. How did David Sarnoff’s discovery of the television set off a phase
of coverage in the media? From NBC, CBS and NBC networks to stations
like CNN how does the explosion of news available to Americans
throughout the world affect the public’s views of coverage?
14. Technology, faxes, satellites, home computers and Internet access
have caused a technological surge in the past 10 years. Investigate the
pros and cons of the industry. In what ways have they improved
communication in personal and business? Include specifics on programs,
Internet, and other technology. Discuss the development of the
technological age.
15. Minorities have often had difficulties breaking into the media
industry historically. Research and discuss historically minorities who
have made it in the industry. What challenges did they face? How were
they able to break into the industry when so many tried to shove them
out? What was it about the people who were successful that helped them
to made it? Did they have any advantages?
16. How and why does the media work as a “watch dog” or society? How has
investigative reporting helped the “betterment” of America? Discuss
what influence the book, “The Jungle,” and stories such as “Watergate”
have done to impact and better society. Include examples of current
journalists doing similar things .
17. Choose your own project that explores the history of journalism (Your proposal needs approval).
