25-point extra credit opportunity:
The history of the Arkansas Gazette was essentially the history of Arkansas.
Key names/concepts to look for throughout the 90-minute film:
• — William Woodruff
• — J.N. Heiskell family
• — Harry Ashmore
• — Hugh B. Patterson
• — Orval Faubus
• — Little Rock Central desegregation coverage
• — Arkansas Democrat
• — Walter Hussman
• — Ownership (vertical, horizontal)
• — Joint Operating Agreement
• — John Robert Starr
• — Advertising
• — Antitrust
• — Ethics
• — Gannett Corp.
• — Al Neuharth
• — Dillard's
• — Orville Henry
Assignment:
1 — Since you didn't live through this era, what is your reaction to the film? Were you able to understand what happened?
2 — Thinking about today's political environment, do you think Arkansas would be different now if the Gazette had not died? Why or why not? If so, how?
3 — What is your personal reaction to the death of the Arkansas Gazette?
1 — Since you didn't live through this era, what is your reaction to the film? Were you able to understand what happened?
ReplyDeleteI could understand what was happening because I heard of many of the historical events that happened during that time. Also they were having a financial crisis, which is similar to what many companies now face. Recently, a lot of companies that were popular a few years ago had to file bankruptcy because they were losing business due to all the competition. They were experiencing an audience shift because their usual customers started to turn against them since the news that the Arkansas Gazette was covering was not what the people wanted to see anymore. I think that the film made me feel sad for them because they were giving out neutral news to everyone but people stopped supporting them because the people wanted more “biased” news. The people wanted to hear about news that was in their interest rather than be informed about the reality of our world.
2 — Thinking about today's political environment, do you think Arkansas would be different now if the Gazette had not died? Why or why not? If so, how?
I don’t think it would change much because many people already know what they believe in and it’s hard to change their beliefs. If the newspaper would have stayed in business then there is a possibility that there would be more diversity in the way that people are educated. I think that now the papers are really biased.
3 — What is your personal reaction to the death of the Arkansas Gazette?
I did not know much about it, but as I kept watching the movie I started to feel bad for the former employees and business because they were really hard workers and they served the public, but people did not care much about them. I think it is a good thing that they reported news and did not pick what would attract their readers attention. They stayed true to their values and they were not very biased.
My first reaction, is that I wished I had a chance to experience the Arkansas Gazette. For a paper to take a stand on character and standards was a huge decision. They took a huge loss but they will forever go down in history as the best newspaper. I understood what happened, most of the film. I did get a little lost towards the end because I didn’t understand what was actually happening between The Democrat and The Gazette when they went to court. But, I soon realized that the Gazette was losing a lot of money because of the ads and they had no choice, but to sale it.
ReplyDelete2. Yes it would be totally different. We would have a different perspective in the media. A newspaper that would bring about change,because they were going to say what was right. They were not just going to say what the people wanted to hear. I do believe they probably would’ve still got judged even harsher now for certain decisions, because many people in the United States like bias media. The Gazette was not bias, they were going to support the law and what was right.
3. Personally, I feel sad, I wish it was something that they could’ve done to save it. I admire the hard workers they had, that were passionate about their job and the Arkansas Gazette. Although, there will never be another paper like the Arkansas Gazette. I do believe the legacy lives on.
1. I was really surprised how much history the Arkansas Gazette has. I had no idea the struggle Woodruff went through. From losing his parents at an early age, and travelling such long distances and going through economic trouble, the Gazette has so much more history in it to the state of Arkansas than I ever imagined. The film even talked about how Woodruff cemented the spelling of our state.
ReplyDelete2. I think there's definitely some things that would be different if the Gazette had never died. It seemed to be so influential and rich in history, it's hard to imagine the paper wouldn't have had many effects on Arkansans over the years.
3. I really wish that it could have gone differently and the Gazette wouldn't have struggled so much financially and went through so many hardships. I think that having the Gazette still around would only be beneficial and it's interesting to think about what could be different if it was still around.