Conventional Wisdom: A History of American Political Conventions
American political conventions haven’t always been so predictable. Before becoming scripted for television, conventions were often where pressing issues of the day got hashed out and careers were made or ruined. In this hour of BackStory we venture into the back rooms, the chaotic halls, and the streets where these dramas unfolded.
New Media & Objectivity
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Michael Kinsley, founding editor of Slate.com, talks about why he’s not worried about objectivity in the new media landscape. Excerpted from: Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press
Lunar Manbats
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Matthew Goodman tells the story of an elaborate hoax involving “lunar man-bats” in the early days of the penny press. Excerpted from: Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press
Jefferson and the Press
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press.” You can listen to the entire episode here. The History Guys discuss Thomas Jefferson’s sometimes contradictory ideas about a free press. Excerpted from: Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press
Peter Porcupine
The following audio clip is excerpted from the BackStory episode “Just the Facts?: Partisanship & the Press.” You can listen to the entire episode here. Historian Marcus Daniel explains that the bitter rhetoric of editors in the 1790s played a key role in the birth of our democracy. Excerpted from: Just the Facts?: Partisanship & [...]
The Adorable Origins of Yellow Journalism
The Yellow Kid was wise beyond his years. By 1900, he’d already sold cigars, staged a cock fight and been around the world. So what was the appeal of this unlikely pop icon? And what did he have to do with yellow journalism? Associate producer Rachel Quimby explains. *Many thanks to Catherine Moore and Jesse [...]
Just the Facts?: Partisanship and the Press
What ever happened to good, old-fashioned, objective reporting? In this hour, the History Guys turn that question on its head, and ask instead where the notion of “objective” reporting came from in the first place.
