The Front Page

Earl, Hildie and Molly panic as other reporters return to the press room.

Reflection: Questions to Spark Your Thinking

• The movie is set in 1929. Does the behavior of the journalists strike you as completely old-timey and outdated, like reporters could never behave this way today? Describe in your own words how they conduct themselves? What seem to be their overriding objectives in doing their jobs?

• Thinking about the timelines we've been constructing in class, how would you describe the state of journalism as depicted in this movie? Use the terms and concepts we used in describing historical eras and the attributes of each era to describe what we're seeing in this movie.
  
  
• Thinking about bringing some outside resources into your post through links, think about how some terms and concepts we talked about are reflected in the movie -- the Penny Press, Yellow Journalism, sensationalism in journalism. Why do journalists in this era seem so obsessed with reporting on "true crime" stories anyway?

• What about the relationship between the reporters and the sheriff? How did they interact? Can you imagine journalists acting similarly today? Can you think of any time you'd consider journalists acting hostile toward a government official or prominent politician? Do journalists today act openly contemptuous and mocking toward certain politicians?

• What about the relationship between the reporters and the mayor? How did they interact? Can you imagine journalists acting similarly today? Can you think of any ways in which the press might interact with politicians today as if they were in collaboration as to how to shape coverage? Do you think reporters today might suggest using the threat of negative coverage to sway politicians? Do you think politicians today ever use their position of authority to subtly threaten reporters against negative coverage?

• What about the female characters, Molly and Peggy? What seems to be their position in society judging by how the male characters treat them? Is it still that way today, or have we progressed?

Parameters: 500 words, images, links. Due: March 6.