Introduction
To read of Nellie Bly, one would come to think the woman a pioneer in journalism; a hero for women's rights; and an American icon. These beliefs would be true if not for the fact that Bly was so much more. She was much more a woman, much more a writer, much more a hero and much more than most could ever be. Bly not only took on a world of injustice and stereotypes, but conquered it and changed the way the field of journalism works today.
Elizabeth Cochran, a.k.a. Nellie Bly was the first known female reporter. Bly's life spanned Reconstruction, the Victorian and Progressive Eras, the Great War, and its aftermath (Kroeger, 1996). And, even though there remains no fully organized collection of her life's personal or professional works, her legend still lives on.
Here, though regrettably abbreviated, is her story . . .Growing up in the 19th Century
Born on May 5, 1864, in Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Jane Cochran was the third of five children. As a child, Elizabeth was given the nickname, "Pink," for her avid affection of that color on clothing. Though born into a wealth, Cochran's family suffered from financial setbacks when her father, a wealthy former associate justice, passed away when she was just six years old. Cochran's mother remarried three years later, but her new husband was rumoured a drunk and the couple divorced when Elizabeth was fourteen.
In her teen years, Elizabeth changed her last name to Cochrane, in an attempt to add sophistication to her surname by adding an "e." In 1879, at the age of fifteen, Elizabeth spent one term at the Indiana State Normal School. It was a lack of money that forced her to withdraw from school and find a job to help with household expenses (Wildemuth, 1999). The fami...
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...do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%President and Fellows of Harvard University.
Sowell, M. (2004, Summer). Nellie Bly's Forgotten Stunt: As the First Woman to Cover a Championship Prize Fight, She Claimed to Have Gained Rare Access to Jack Dempsey. American Journalism, 21(3), 55-76.
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Kaufman, Debra R. and Richardson, Barbara L. Achievement and Women, Challenging the Assumptions: The Free Press, New York 1982
Throughout the 1960s, journalists were "rewriting the rules of the craft, creating a fusion of journalism and literature . . . that was often breathtakingly fresh and powerful" (32). After the release of In Cold Blood, Swanson believed Capote not only invented "a new art form", but also established a standard against which a...
Barry offers this biography of perhaps the most unconventional woman of her century. By drawing upon letters, diaries, and other documents, she integrates Anthony's personal story into the political, economic, and cultural milieu of 19th century.
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In the book Women in the Civil War, by Mary Massey, the author tells about how American women had an impact on the Civil War. She mentioned quite a few famous and well-known women such as, Dorothea Dix and Clara Barton, who were nurses, and Pauline Cushman and Belle Boyd, who were spies. She also mentioned black abolitionists, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, feminist Susan B. Anthony, and many more women. Massey talks about how the concept of women changed as a result of the war. She informed the readers about the many accomplishments made by those women. Because of the war, women were able to achieve things, which caused for them to be viewed differently in the end as a result.
Margaretta Large Fitler came from one of the richest families in the nation, attaining their eight million inheritance from rope-making. It was a “blue-nosed society that advised a girl to get her name in the papers only four times: when you are born, when you make your debut, when you are married, and when you die” (N. pag.). Even when Happy was taken in as blissful and was never seen without a smile on her face there always seemed to be an unspoken sadness that weighted her quiet disposition heavily. Perhaps this came from her mother and father separating when she was only ten, or it could be because her mother being the extremely self-centered woman that she ha...
The contrast between how She sees herself and how the rest of the world sees Her can create extreme emotional strain; add on the fact that She hails from the early 1900s and it becomes evident that, though her mental construct is not necessarily prepared to understand the full breach against Her, She is still capable of some iota of realization. The discrimination encountered by a female during this time period is great and unceasing.
I say this because there were points in which I personally could not really understand what was going on due to my lack of exposure to this problem that American journalism is facing. More specifically, terminology that was used, especially from business standpoints, and the different companies that were involved made it harder to keep up with the issue at hand. However, with a little editing and better explanation of terminology, I think that this film could extend to a wide audience that would include both digital natives and digital immigrants that are experiencing this transition within American news reporting. This paper will examine the difference between old and new journalism and its new standards, “The New York Times Effect” and its 21st century challenges, important qualifications to be a successful journalist, and the future role of journalism within American society.
In 1945, Flannery O’Connor transferred to the University of Iowa after receiving a scholarship for journalism. After a few months, she realized journalism was not her dream. She talked t...
Bonila, Denise M., and Levy, Beth, Eds. The Power of the Press. H. W. Wilson, 1999.
Mary Mahoney fought not only for the women of colour and for equal opportunities but also for educational and professional rights of the minority. She left a legacy that is just as vital today as it was when she was alive, and will continue to be just as vital in the future of
The author provides a rough timeline of the objective norm emerging in American journalism, and explains the inner origin of these co...
...cians and Creating Celebrity. The media and political process (2 ed., p. 126). London: SAGE.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman presents her content in a journalistic style. The point of view is in first