Presentations reflection

Elise Coby

Coutant.org

    This past Thursday, various groups of our class did presentations on influential individuals within the field of journalism. I really enjoyed learning about them and how they helped to create the building blocks of modern-day journalism. 

        Here are just a few of the many things I learned :

Mary Ann Shad was an anti-slavery activist as well as a journalist, publisher, and teacher. She was the first black woman to enroll in law school and the first black woman in Canada to publish and edit a weekly newspaper. When she became a teacher, she established and taught in schools and was also an advocate for women's suffrage.

50 Plus World

William Randolph Hearst was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician. He was known for "yellow journalism" and eventually owned 28 newspapers, 18 magazines, several radio stations, movie companies, and news stations.

Horace Greeley was an editor and politician and was the founding editor of the New Yorker newspaper. Everyone in Congress disliked him for his legislation and strong opinions- he established the republican party.

Biography.com

Ida B Wells was an American investigative journalist and educator. She was one of the founders of the NAACP. She was inspired to write after one of her close friends was killed by an act of white supremacy. Once people discovered her writing, problems ensued and she was forced to move. She was also criticized by women in the suffrage movement after proposing that women become more inclusive of African-American women.

Mary Margaret McBride was one of the most prominent women in journalism during the great depression. She was a radio talk show host that was able to talk about controversial issues in her shows regardless of what people thought of her.

Frederick Douglass was educated while he was held in captivity as a slave and learned to read and write. He was able to escape slavery and was inspired by William Lloyd Garrison who is an abolitionist and publisher and ended up publishing his own newspaper.

These individuals are just a few of many responsible for the framework of modern journalism today. They showed resilience and grit during racial, social, and political divide. As a college student aspiring to be a journalist, I hope to embody the strength, wisdom, and knowledge these individuals once had.