"They Won't Forget"

            The film, They Won’t Forget, revolves around the investigation and trial that took place soon after the murder of young Mary Clay. The movie highlights the issue of the press versus the criminal justice system. Although these are two separate entities, oftentimes, the lines between the two are blurred through media manipulation, prejudice, rumors, and self-serving equivocations.

            On Confederate Memorial Day, the students are dismissed early from school to celebrate with the rest of town. Mary Clay returns back to school after being dismissed to retrieve an item she left behind. She never made it out alive.

Earlier in the film, the district attorney mentions his desire to become the next governor, but since he does not come from a long line of important family members, it is hard to acquire social and political mobility. 

Once Clay’s body is initially found, the authorities immediately suspect that it is the janitor. It is not explicitly stated, but it appears that this claim was racially motivated. It seemed as if they figured it would be easier to pin the murder on the lowly, African-American janitor.

The district attorney saw this murder investigation as a way to obtain a higher status in the eyes of the public and potentially become a hero. He thought that if he were to be the one to solve the crime and convict an unlikely or unsuspecting murderer, then he would gain the admiration of the people.

            For this reason, the district attorney arrested and charged Mary Clay’s teacher, Robert Hale, with the murder. There was little evidence to support this, but the district attorney was determined to make his mark on the town.

The case received major attention, not only by the small town, but by the rest of the United States as well. The entire country was talking about the murder of Mary Clay. It plagued news outlets everywhere. It even got to the point where a detective from New York came down south to investigate the case for himself.

This caused a lot of controversy in the small southern town, as the southerners grew skeptical of the northerners and the press got out of control. At one point, the judge even had to remind the court that the case was about whether the professor killed Mary Clay, not if the north hates the south or the south hates the north. Evidence is not rumors or idle talk. 

When it came down to the jury’s decision, they received an anonymous note that stated “vote guilty if you feel like living." The jurors ultimately found the defendant guilty of first degree murder. 

 

Following this, Hale was put on a train and sent away to prison. While on his travels, he was abducted by a group of men who proceeded to kill him in an act of vengeance. 

            At the very end of the movie, the district attorney and his colleague question if they really think Robert Hale murdered Mary Clay, proving that they themselves were not even positive about their own conviction. 

The district attorney did all of this for his image, and now because of him, a potentially innocent man is dead and a deranged murder is on the loose.

“They Won’t Forget” shows the extreme influence that the press and media hold over the public. The printed words full of rumors and biases are able to dictate the fate of man. This reveals to viewers that media manipulation is real and that everything is not always as it seems.

EOTO Reflection: SPJ

          

 Journalism has undergone significant changes over the years. Many people today are united in communities that support innovation and promote free expression. But it was not always like this.

Journalism was not as easily accessible as it is today, and the media coverage that people did receive was oftentimes misrepresented. There were a lot of injustices that took place, which restricted journalists from honing their craft.

Things began to shift when a group of ten college students interested in pursuing jobs within the journalism field formed what is now known today as the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). These students banded together in an effort to enforce high journalistic standards and inspire others to participate.

The Society of Professional Journalists is a professional organization of journalists in the United States. 

Sigma Delta Chi, the organization's original name, was founded on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. However, in 1988, it changed its name to the Society of Professional Journalists to better reflect its mission and membership.

The SPJ is dedicated to protecting the free flow of information, maintaining high standards of ethical journalism, and fostering excellence in journalism. This organization strives to improve journalism and encourage the practice.

The SPJ also works to promote freedom of the press and the public's right to know through the First Amendment. It advocates for strong journalism, supports efforts to improve media literacy, and promotes ethical reporting practices.

The SPJ has a code of ethics that outlines the principles and values that journalists should uphold at all times such as truth and accountability.

The timeline of SPJ’s development indicates significant professional growth. For starters, in 1916, it changed from an honorary to a professional fraternity. Then, it became recognized as a professional society in 1960. Nine years later, the SPJ admitted its first female member into the society.

Although the SPJ is known for a variety of things, two of their biggest contributions to journalism include Project Watchdog and Project Sunshine, both of which are still active today.

Project Watchdog was a campaign that centered on educating the public about free press, whereas Project Sunshine was a program that aimed to pick out and fight against threats to public access.

Why Journalism?

Growing up, I was always the child who would look up at the ceiling when someone said that the word “gullible” was written on it. This was not because I lacked common sense or was unintelligent but rather because I was naive. 

I used to trust the opinions and statements of others over my own, and I never took anyone as a liar, either. Not only did I see the best in people, but I saw truth in them as well.

I remember people constantly telling me that “adults know best,” so I never thought I would ever have to question the credibility of someone older and wiser than me.

The older I got, the more I realized I was not the only one, that many others struggle with differentiating fact from fiction and that their judgements have been clouded by rumors, fake news, and other people’s views.

This completely shifted my mindset, and ultimately, my future ahead. It was at this point that I knew I wanted to help those like me: the ones labeled as “gullible” or “naive.”

Most of the words I heard and the media I consumed were nothing but the biases of others. Upon realizing this, I knew that somehow, someway, I would find a way to change that.

The world of media is at a crossroads. Never before has there been so much information AND misinformation circulating around. 

As a broadcast journalist, I want to push the communications pendulum away from bias and sensationalism and towards truth.

I want to make a career out of spreading awareness, not self-serving equivocations and misrepresentations. I want to serve the public by providing them with real, authentic news, regardless of how bad and ugly it may seem because that is the job of a true broadcast journalist. 

In choosing to pursue a career within this field, I know that it will be my duty to always do what is right and just in the eyes of the people.

I cannot act on my own personal feelings and biases, I must synthesize and frame information fairly to ensure that all parties are heard, especially those that have been historically undervalued. 

EOTO #1, Institutions & Publications

Henry Jarvis Raymond, born on January 24, 1820, was an American politician and journalist who is best known for his role in the creation of the New York Times, alongside George Jones. Prior to becoming a chief proprietor at the New York Times, Raymond worked as a journalist and associate editor for Horace Greeley's New York Tribune and James Watson Webb's Courier and Enquirer. Raymond's career at the New York Tribune lasted from 1841 until 1848. It was at the Tribune where Henry Raymond met his future work partner, George Jones. There, they often spoke about their shared dream of starting a newspaper company.

At the same time, Raymond also pursued a career in politics. He served as an assemblyman, lieutenant governor of New York, a member of the House of Representatives, and much more throughout the years. Most of Raymond’s critics agree that his political career lagged far behind his journalism triumphs. 

Politics aside, Henry Raymond and George Jones devised a plan to create their own newspaper together in the 1840s, but for the next few years to follow, their plans remained stagnant. This was due to a lack of funds delaying their startup. Their dream was finally made into a reality on September 18, 1851, when the first issue of the New York Daily Times was published. Six years later, the New York Daily Times changed names and became known as New York Times. It was sold for the equivalent of thirty one cents at the time. The first issue announced, “we publish today the first issue of the New-York Daily Times, and we intend to issue it every morning (Sundays excepted) for an indefinite number of years to come” (The New York Times). The Times stayed true to their commitment of publishing six days a week, until the Civil War began. Then, they began printing everyday in an attempt to provide readers with extra war coverage.

Raymond and Jones created the New York Times with the intention of making it a neutral news outlet; they wanted it to be a source where readers could obtain access to unbiased information on a regular basis. According to the New York Public Library, the New York Times was designed to “fall between the sensationalism of James Gordon Bennett's New York Herald and the idealism of Greeley's Tribune.” This goal was made apparent when they expressed in their first publication that “we shall be Conservative, in all cases where we think Conservatism essential to the public good;—and we shall be Radical in everything which may seem to us to require radical treatment and radical reform. We do not believe that everything in Society is either exactly right or exactly wrong;—what is good we desire to preserve and improve;—what is evil, to exterminate, or reform” (The New York Times). Raymond and Jones sought to make the New York Times honest, impartial, and informational. 

They clearly accomplished this goal, as the New York Times still exists today as one of the top newspaper companies in the entire world. Since the humble beginnings of Raymond, the New York Times has grown into a mass media company, winning over 100 Pulitzer prizes and many other honorable awards. Thank you, Henry Jarvis Raymond!

Sources:

https://archives.nypl.org/mss/2532

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Jarvis-Raymond

https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-New-York-Times

https://www.historic-newspapers.com/blog/new-york-times-history/#founding-and-early-history

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/insider/1851-new-york-times-born-into-racial-turmoil-that-has-never-ended.html