Table of Contents

Introduction
1—Securing Humane Care for the Mentally Ill
Entering the Newspaper World
Growing Restless
Going Undercover to Do Good
Exposing Doctors as Incompetent
Exposing Patient Food as Inedible
Exposing Living Conditions as Inhumane
Exposing Treatment as Abusive
Creating a National Sensation
Propelling Positive Change
2—Waging War on Urban Slums
Getting a Close-Up View of the Slums
Pioneering as a Photojournalist
Reaching a National Audience
Turning to Long-Form Journalism
Finding a Champion in Teddy Roosevelt
Propelling Positive Change
3—Protecting America’s Children
Giving Voice to Young Workers
Illuminating the “Nation’s Shame
Condemning Child Labor as “Early Slavery”
Campaigning for Child Labor Laws
Propelling Positive Change
4—Creating a Better Life for African Americans
Developing an Innovative Strategy
Becoming an Influential Voice
Vilifying the South
Glorifying the North
Creating “Migration Fever”
Resisting the Backlash
Ending the “Come North!” Campaign
Propelling Positive Change
5—Closing Down the Original Ponzi Scheme
Charles Ponzi Has a Creative Idea
Charles Ponzi Gets Rich Quick
The Boston Post Gives Charles Ponzi a Boost
Charles Ponzi Gets Richer Still
The Boston Post Exposes the “Ponzi Scheme”
The Boston Post Reveals Charles Ponzi’s Criminal Past
Charles Ponzi Is Disgraced
The Boston Post Wins Accolades
6—Assuring Citizens that “G-Men” Were Keeping Them Safe
“Machine Gun” Kelly Creates the “G-Man”
G-Men Track Down Bonnie and Clyde
John Dillinger Gunned Down on a City Street
J. Edgar Hoover Glorified as America’s No. 1 G-Man
J. Edgar Hoover Becomes the FBI’s No. 1 PR Man
More Criminals Gunned Down
Bringing an End to the Crime Wave
7—Stopping Smokers from Killing Themselves
Informing Readers That Smoking Shortens Life
Reporting a Possible Link between Cigarettes and Lung Cancer
Warning Readers That Cigarettes Kill
Reinforcing the Dangers of Cigarette Smoking
Reader’s Digest Crusades against Cigarettes
Failing Propel Positive Change
8—Celebrating a Jewish Miss America
Becoming a Beauty Queen
Winning the Miss America Crown
Making Miss America 1945 a Major News Story
Bess Myerson Being Beautiful
Bess Myerson Having Simple Tastes
Bess Myerson Choosing Music over Stardom
Bess Myerson Being Patriotic
Bess Myerson Promoting Tolerance
Propelling Positive Change
9—Breaking the Color Barrier in Major League Baseball
Branch Rickey Undertakes a “Noble Experiment”
Embracing a “Really Great Prospect”
Praising an African-American Montreal Royal
Cheering for an African-American Brooklyn Dodger
Portraying Jackie Robinson as Humble
Portraying Jackie Robinson as Congenial
Portraying Jackie Robinson as Wholesome
Downplaying Negative Stories
Propelling Positive Change
10—Giving Average Citizens More Say in Choosing Their President
TV Viewers Help Select the Democratic Nominee
TV Viewers Help Select the Republican Nominee
Dwight Eisenhower Embraces TV Techniques
Dwight Eisenhower Uses TV to Help Win the White House
TV Places the Power in the Hands of Average Americans
11—Improving the Lives of Migrant Farmworkers
Opening a Window onto a Shocking World
Giving Voice to the Downtrodden
Portraying Workers as Struggling to Survive
Exposing a Cycle of Poverty
Advocating for Change
Allowing the Other Side to Speak
Winning Praise and Support
Failing to Propel Positive Change
12—Popularizing the Birth Control Pill
Becoming National News
Downplaying the Downside
Launching a Revolution
Portraying Use of the Pill as a Feminist Act
Combatting the Catholic Church
Propelling Positive Change
13—Fueling the Space Race
Capturing the Public Imagination
Continuing to Promote the Space Race
Going Where TV Hadn’t Gone Before
Racing toward the Moon
Experiencing a Tragic Setback
Resuming the Race to the Moon
Taking a Giant Leap for Mankind
Propelling America toward a Global Triumph
14—Achieving Justice for Japanese Americans Interned during World War II
Proposing Reparations
Telling Poignant Stories of Hardship and Loss
Reporting on Internment Defenders
Exposing Racism and Politics as Motivating Factors
Labeling Internment a “Grave Injustice”
Showcasing the Recommendations
Supporting Reparations through Editorials
Keeping the Issue in the Public Eye
Politicians Taking Action
Propelling Positive Change
15—Stopping Catholic Priests from Sexually Abusing Little Boys
Catholic Officials Paying “Hush Money”
Other Publications Expand the Coverage
TV News Explores More Facets of the Story
Online Venues Take the Story in New Directions
Allowing Victims to Tell Their Stories
Propelling Positive Change
16—Redefining the American Lesbian
Coming Out on TV—and Getting Lots of Applause
Experiencing Tough Times—but Not with the News Media
Helping to Heal a Nation
Triumphing as a Talk Show Host
Coupling with Her “Perfect Fit”
Propelling Positive Change
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

About the Author

Rodger Streitmatter is professor of journalism at American University. A journalist and historian, he is the author of several books and has contributed to numerous popular and scholarly periodicals, including The Washington Post, The Advocate, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and American Journalism. In 1995, he was honored as American University’s Scholar/Teacher of the Year; he received the Roy F. Aarons Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in 2010.

Reviews

Rather than writing a long narrative that tries to connect various themes, Streitmatter provides a series of vignettes that examine specific issues ranging from how society treats its citizens to civil rights and gender.  Although this format can sometimes be chaotic, the author breaks each issue/chapter, 16 in all, into easily digestible chunks so that readers can go right to the topic at hand.  This is…a good book for those new to an issue and for novice researchers, who can get a head start on where to look for context and analytical viewpoints.  Though at times the relationship between the news media and the issues seems peripheral or even tangential to the discussion, the book offers readers a chance to get the basic facts and then think about the relationship to the media—how the media framed an issue and thus used it for good or ill. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.
*CHOICE*

At a time when America’s news media are everyone’s punching bag and bear the brunt of a laundry list of criticisms: too negative, sensationalistic, profit-oriented, ideologically biased, or even unpatriotic and lacking diversity in the newsroom. Rodger Streitmatter, a professor of journalism at American University, serves as a cheerleader for the news media. He argues that although news media deserve much of the criticisms, American news media have played an important role in making America a better place. A Force for Good: How the American News Media Have Propelled Positive Change documents an impressive list of news media’s accomplishments in improving America’s well-being in various areas: cleaning up the country’s worst neighborhoods, protecting America’s child labor laws, creating a better life for African Americans, exposing and closing down the original Ponzi scheme, assuring law-abiding citizens that 'G-Men' (federal agents) were keeping them safe, stopping smokers from killing themselves, documenting the horrible conditions in mental institutions, exposing and stopping Catholic priests from sexually abusing young boys, etc. Streitmatter argues that print and broadcast journalists have pushed important social issues onto the public agenda and helped drive social change. Streitmatter cautions that news media are not solely responsible for these changes but primarily serve as a catalyst in shaping the debates and driving for change.
*Communication Booknotes Quarterly*

This book would be an excellent addition to any university journalism class. It provides examples that demonstrate the ways in which the skills we teach have been deployed to improve society. The reader can see an evolution of changes in society’s assumptions about class, race, sexuality, and religion. Those changes and the examples of both the government’s responsiveness to and its perpetuation of injustice will be thought-provoking…. Any of the chapters could be used as a beginning for deeper investigation of the social issues represented. Every chapter could be the beginning of a discussion about the ways in which journalism makes a difference.
*Journalism History*

Streitmatter, a professor of journalism at American University, focuses on events often neglected in history courses and case studies of journalistic practice that many readers, scholars included, might not be too familiar with. . . .In addition to exploring how journalists have engaged exploited or underrepresented groups in American history, the book’s main strength features a series of choice news accounts, from 19th-century newspapers to modern television shows.
*Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly*

This masterful book is a refreshing reminder of what’s right about journalism. Rodger Streitmatter has done again what he does best: find marvelous angles of vision and develop narratives that all students can read, learn from and, yes, enjoy.
*Frederick Blevens, Florida International University*

The stories here are compelling, even inspiring, and based on a broad range of primary and secondary sources. Streitmatter is a superb historian of American journalism.
*Alfred Lawrence Lorenz, Loyola University, New Orleans*

A well-written and strongly sourced book packed with stories that appeal to students. The cases include a mix of well-known moments as well as more obscure but nevertheless important topics. In a field of often critical history, it is refreshing to reflect on the moments when journalism shined.
*Kimberly Wilmot Voss, University of Central Florida*

Streitmatter has chosen case studies ranging from Nellie Bly's ten days in a madhouse to Ellen DeGeneres's coming out on television to argue that the news media generally has promoted social change. The work should stimulate controversy and discussion among journalism students, illuminating both the power and the limitation of the mass media in American society.
*Maurine H. Beasley, University of Maryland College Park*