"5 Star Final" reflection

    The film "5 Star Final" directed by Mervyn Leroy in 1931 is a dramatized commentary on the early years of the press, and how irresponsible reporting can have major consequences on the lives of people, especially when it comes to misinformation and slander.

    The film takes place in a struggling paper, "The New York Evening Gazette." It follows Joseph W. Randall, the managing editor of said paper, Randall decides that the best way to resurrect the paper is to dig up a 20-year-old murder case in order to stir up interest. This digging up has dire consequences, as it leads to the suicides of two people involved, Nancy Voorhees and Michael Townsend. Despite the ethical issues, 2 reporters from the gazette record the scene, and this leads to a snowball effect that tarnishes the reputation of Randall and the gazette as a whole.

Overall, I think this movie touches on many of the concepts we learnt about in class, one such being the use of yellow journalism. A lot of the issues with our victims and the press was the over-exaggeration of the story, as that was a key factor towards their demise.

Another I think was the greed of the Gazette, and Press Baron's pursuits of the best stories and moments, no matter who gets hurt or even killed in the process. The story of Nancy Vorhees is a tragic one, as it goes to show that lies can change a life.

I think the movie overall is an extreme example of Journalism malpractice, as the practices done by the reporters and editors at the Gazette are extremely out of line, and constitute as borderline illegal. 

While yes, Journalists do owe the people the truth, I feel as though it needs to be done in a manner that doesn't put others at risk, and will be seen as the generally right thing to do in context. 

I don't think the characters in this film considered this much, as the ethical choices made were extremely questionable.

Overall, I think "5-star Final" is a necessary cautionary tale when it comes to journalism ethics, and shows that no matter how bad the struggle is... there are better ways of making a quick buck then ruining the lives of others. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Shock and Awe Reflection

     How far are you willing to go for the truth? This question personifies Rob Reiner's 2017 film "Shock and Awe," where 4 reporters (Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, Reiner, Tommy Lee Jones) look to uncover what really happened with 9/11. 

    This story can be seen as especially harrowing for journalism as a whole, as the general malpractice around the country in the leadup to the Iraq war is infamous. 

    It follows the reporters at Knight Ridder, who's reporters at their Washington, DC bureau were some of the first to uncover what really went on within the Middle East, in the period after 9/11 and before the Iraq War.

    This came at a time where having the media in your pocket (especially as a politician), was as important as ever. This allowed President Bush to use support from the media in order to really ramp up talks of a war in Iraq, and while this was backed by other groups, Knight Ridder got to the bottom of it.

    The way the Knight Ridder reporters operate (at least in the film), is gutsy, secretive, and from what we can tell, not well liked by the government. This is not rare, however, as the media and government always have clashed during times of turmoil, usually over ethics.

    It starts with the government having sensitive or private information, and their race to keep it from the press, where it could have varying effects if it comes out. It's a fight between the media's job of being a public service to inform the public, and the government's job of keeping the public out of hysteria, and calm in times of war.

    The difference between the Knight Ridder journalists and other journalists boils down to one thing... compliance. While other journalists sat back and believed what the government told them, our heroic writers at Knight Ridder stood for what was right, and defied what the government told them, and in return, they were some of the only sources correct about Iraq.

    The Knight Ridder Journalists should be seen as the heroes of this story due to their sheer determination and drive to do what's right. 

    As for Parallels between the events depicted in the movie and today, there are a lot of similarities between our entry in Iraq, compared to our current illegal invasion of Iran. Both started due to misguided fear of weapons of mass destruction, despite limited proof that these weapons actually existed.

Overall, I think there is a lot that can be taken from the events that are depicted in the movie, especially as it compares to our country's current situation.

EOTO 3 Key Post

     There have been many legendary names in sports broadcast, however not many can say they've had a career as illustrious as Howard Cosell.

      Cosell was born Howard Cohen on March 25th, 1918, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Shortly after, Howard, as well as his mother and father, moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up, and eventually went off to college at New York University. While at NYU, he studied law and would eventually earn a degree (this is also where he changed his last name from Cohen to Cosell, to pay tribute to his Polish roots.) 

  While studying law, Cosell also took a liking to broadcast, specifically for sports. He started as an entertainment and sports lawyer after passing the bar in 1941 but quickly took a break to fight in WW2 from 1942 to 1942, where he would be honorably discharged with the rank of major.

    Despite having this steady job, Cosell never gave up on his dream to become a sportscaster, and in 1953, he finally broke into radio.

    Howard's first radio show involved little league baseball players getting a chance to ask questions to major league players. While it was a small show, it gave Cosell the start and confidence he needed to break into the industry.

He hosted this show for 3 years (mostly without pay), then decided to take the biggest swing of his career, leaving behind his law practice and deciding that broadcast would be his full-time career. After leaving the little league show, Cosell approached ABC executives, and with the backing of a sponsor, his weekly show "Speaking of Sports," was born.

    "Speaking of Sports" was only the tip of the iceberg for Cosell, who's career would skyrocket in the 60's and 70's. Cosell was brought on to be the pre-game show host for the expansion team Mets, as well as becoming an anchor at WABC-NY.

    One of Cosell's most famous tidbits is his genuine devotion to race relations in sports, as well as his relationship with Muhammad Ali. Cosell started as just someone who covered Ali, but thanks to their chemistry, as well as Cosell's relentless support of Ali, who had been under fire for changing his birth name, as well as being stripped for refusing to fight in Vietnam

    In 1970, Cosell was hired to be the lead voice of one of the biggest breakthroughs in nationally televised sports, that being the first edition of Monday Night Football. Along with former players Don Meredith and Frank Gifford, Cosell's "tell it how it is" style really took center stage, and it led to the success of this program. 

    Cosell did Monday Night Football until 1983, where he got into controversy. Cosell had referred to Washington Redskins wide receiver Alvin Garrett as a "little monkey." Despite having called players this in the past, including white players, as well as being defended by players and colleagues (including Garrett himself), he left MNF.

    After leaving Monday Night Football, he published his novel "I Never Played the Game" in 1985, which was met with controversy due to his portrayal of certain people in the industry. After MNF, Cosell returned to radio until 1992, where after being diagnosed with lung cancer, he retired.

    Cosell passed from a cardiac embolism in 1995, but the legacy he left will live on forever. He has been inducted into many halls of fame, including but not limited to the broadcast and Jewish halls. Howard Cosell was a hard-working, funny icon, and his legacy lives on in the sports personalities today.