Journalistic Standards in Nineteenth-century America

Download or read book Journalistic Standards in Nineteenth-century America written by Hazel Dicken Garcia and published by Univ of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early nineteenth century, critics believed the press was destroying social structure--eroding law and order and the institutions of the family, religion, and education. To counter these effects they advocated, among other things, eradicating Sunday newspapers and "subversive" content such as news of crime, sex, and sporting events. Dicken-Garcia traces the relationship between societal values and the press coverage of issues and events. Setting out to tame the press by understanding it, she argues, critics had begun to dissect it. In the process, they articulated the rudiments of journalistic theory, and proposed what issues should be addressed by journalists, what functions should be undertaken, and what standards should be imposed.