COMM 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Hazel Brannon Smith, Payne Fund Studies, Fredric Wertham
12 Jun 2018
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HISTORY OF MEDIA EFFECTS
I. HISTORICAL CONCERN FOR MEDIA EFFECTS
● Index of Prohibited Books -- Pope Paul IV (1559)
● Court of the Star Chamber→
○ King Henry VIII, Early 16th-century PROSECUTED publishers of offensive material
● Sedition Act (1798)→
○ US Federalists suppressed pro-French voices
● Anti-slavery publications BANNED from 1830s until Civil War
● Espionage Act (1917) & Sedition Act (1918)
○ Criticism of US govt during WWI was made ILLEGAL
MOB VIOLENCE AS MEDIA EFFECT
●
“ederal Republican→
○ Baltimore radical Fed newspaper opposed US involvement in War of 1812
○ RESULT: People died in MOB ATTACK; Editor maimed for life
● Elijah Lovejoy→
○ Abolitionist killed by mob
● “rederick Douglass→
○ Black editor of The North Star
○ Harassed, house set on fire
● Hazel Brannon Smith→
○ Civil rights advocate & editor
○ SUED for libel; White business owners urged advertising boycott
PUBLIC CONCERN FOR INDECENT MATERIAL
● The Sun (NY, 1833)
○ Copied Enland’s trend to puli eitin stories (murder stories, romanes, etc.)
○ BAD reaction→ People thought they were promoting immoral
material
● The New York Herald→ James ”ordon Bennett
○ Disrespectful language→ He got sued, people boycotted his paper
● Payne “und Studies→ Late ‘20s
○ Concern w/ effect of film presentations of violences/sex on youngsters
● Seduction of the Innocent→ “redric Wertham (1954)
○ ANTI-COMIC BOOKS→ Thought they were too violent, erotic
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Document Summary
History of media effects: historical concern for media effects. Index of prohibited books -- pope paul iv (1559) King henry viii, early 16th-century prosecuted publishers of offensive material. Anti-slavery publications banned from 1830s until civil war. Espionage act (1917) & sedition act (1918) Criticism of us govt during wwi was made illegal. Baltimore radical fed newspaper opposed us involvement in war of 1812. Result: people died in mob attack; editor maimed for life. Sued for libel; white business owners urged advertising boycott. Copied en(cid:322)land"s trend to pu(cid:282)li(cid:283) e(cid:481)(cid:283)itin(cid:322) stories (murder stories, roman(cid:283)es, etc. ) Bad reaction people thought they were promoting immoral material. The new york herald james ordon bennett. Disrespectful language he got sued, people boycotted his paper. Concern w/ effect of film presentations of violences/sex on youngsters. Seduction of the innocent redric wertham (1954) Anti-comic books thought they were too violent, erotic. Character that only cares about sex, not contributing to society.
