“The conflict between the men who make and the men who report the news is as old as time. News may be true, but it is not truth, and reporters and officials seldom see it the same way. In the old days, the reporters or couriers of bad news were often put to the gallows; now they are given the Pulitzer Prize, but the conflict goes on.” – James Reston Pulitzer Prizes were first awarded on June 4, 1917. There were four awards presented. Herbert Bayard Swope of New York World received the award for Journalist for his series of articles entitled “Inside the German Empire.” The New York Tribune received the award for Editorial Writing for an article written on the first anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania. J. J. Jusserand was awarded for his Historical Work, With Americans of Past and Present Days. And finally, the award for Biography was given for Julia Ward Howe written by Laura E. Richards and Maude Howe Elliott with Florence Howe Hall. Joseph Pulitzer was born in Makó, Hungary in 1847. He sought a career in the military but was turned down due to his poor health and eyesight. He was not deterred and emigrated to the US in 1864 to fight in the Civil War. After the war, he settled in St. Louis, Missouri and began careers in both journalism and politics. He bought and sold newspapers, building his wealth. He had a knack for turning non-profitable papers into money making ventures. He did this by printing what the people wanted to read. Yellow journalism is scandal-mongering sensationalistic “news.” It has been called “not quite libel.” Pulitzer became a wealthy man. A libel suit brought against him was dismissed; while it was heralded as “freedom of the press” others found his unscrupulous editorial style to be untenable. In 1892 he offered Seth Low, president of Columbia University, funding to establish the world’s first School of Journalism. He was turned down. In 1902, Nicholas Murray Butler, the new president, was more willing to negotiate with Pulitzer. It was not until after his death in 1911 that the school opened.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 13:09:39 +0000
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