Key Post: 'Five Star Final'

The film Five Star Final (1931) shows a version of journalism that can feel exaggerated or dramatic to modern viewers. However, the movie is really commenting on how newspapers actually operated during earlier periods of American journalism history. One of the clearest examples appears in the scenes with the newsboys shouting headlines and selling papers in the street. 

Their job is simple. Sell as many copies as possible. 

This idea reflects a major theme in the movie that the newspaper’s main goal is simply increasing circulation. 

Five Star Final reflects several important stages in journalism history, including the Penny Press, Yellow Journalism, and the power of Press Barons. The film also raises important questions about journalism ethics and whether the people working in the newsroom are thinking about the consequences of their actions.

Penny Press Era

The focus on selling newspapers connects directly to the Penny Press Era during the 1830s. Before the Penny Press, newspapers were expensive and mostly aimed at wealthy readers interested in politics. The Penny Press changed this by producing cheap newspapers that anyone could buy. In order to attract a large audience, these papers began publishing stories about crime, scandals, and human drama. The goal was to grab attention and sell more papers.

This same idea is clearly visible in Five Star Final. When the publisher orders editor Joseph Randall to reopen the old Nancy Vorhees murder case, the decision is not based on whether the story is important or useful for the public. Instead, it is about increasing circulation. The publisher believes the scandal will attract readers, and therefore sell more newspapers. In this way, the movie shows how journalism during this era often treated news as a product to sell rather than information meant to serve the public.

Yellow Journalism

The film also reflects the influence of Yellow Journalism, which became popular in the late 1800s through publishers like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Yellow Journalism focused heavily on sensational and emotional stories designed to excite readers. Accuracy and fairness were sometimes less important than creating dramatic headlines and shocking details.

The Gazette’s coverage of Nancy Voorhees follows this pattern. Even though the crime happened many years earlier and Nancy has already rebuilt her life, the newspaper publishes dramatic articles about the case to create interest and outrage. The reporters dig up old information and present the story in a way that makes it seem shocking and scandalous again. This shows how Yellow Journalism often prioritized attention and excitement over the well-being of the people involved.

One of the clearest examples of unethical behavior is the reporter Isopod. She pretends to be a charity worker in order to gain access to Nancy’s home and gather information. This kind of deception raises serious ethical concerns. Journalists today are generally expected to be transparent about who they are and why they are gathering information. Isopod’s actions show how the newspaper treats the family as a source of drama rather than as real people whose lives could be harmed by the story.

Press Barons

The movie also reflects the influence of Press Barons, powerful newspaper owners who controlled their publications and often made decisions based on profit or personal interests, which in the film was represented by the publisher Hinchecliffe. He is mainly concerned with circulation numbers and advertising revenue. 

When Randall expresses concerns about the story, Hinchecliffe dismisses them because the story will sell papers. Even when the situation leads to tragedy, the publisher shows little concern about the consequences. This demonstrates how much control publishers had and how little accountability they sometimes faced.

Journalism Ethics

Because of these situations, the film raises important questions about journalism ethics. Journalists have ethical responsibilities both to the people they write about and to the readers who rely on their reporting. Toward the people they cover, journalists should try to minimize harm and avoid unnecessary damage to someone’s reputation or personal life. In the case of Nancy Vorhees, the newspaper clearly fails in this responsibility. The story serves no real public interest, yet it destroys the life she built after her earlier mistake.

Journalists also have ethical obligations to their readers since they depend on newspapers for accurate and meaningful information about the world. 

In Five Star Final, however, the Gazette focuses more on entertaining readers than informing them. The sensational coverage turns a real person’s tragedy into a form of public spectacle, which shows how the newspaper is prioritizing sales over responsible reporting.

Joseph Randall seems to struggle with the situation. 

Throughout the film, he shows signs of guilt and discomfort about continuing the story. This suggests that he understands the ethical problems but feels pressured by his position and by the publisher’s authority. In contrast, Hinchecliffe appears completely unconcerned about ethics. His main focus is profit and circulation.

The character who most clearly expresses the moral consequences is Jenny Voorhees. When she confronts the newspaper after her mother’s death, she directly blames the paper for what happened. Her confrontation forces the newsroom to face the real human impact of their reporting.

Even though the movie takes place nearly a century ago, the questions it raises about the responsibilities of journalists are still relevant today. Ultimately, Five Star Final serves as a powerful warning about what can happen when journalism values profit and sensationalism over truth, responsibility, and the human lives affected by the news.

EOTO #2- Terms and Concepts

                       Election Night Results

In the early years of the American Republic, there was no election night as we know it. 

The Pre Broadcast Era

States voted on different days, results traveled by horse and courier, and it could take weeks, sometimes months, before a winner was known. There was no shared national moment. Just a slow accumulation of information arriving by post.

The Rise of "Instant" News

The first turning point came in 1845, when Congress established a uniform Election Day. Combined with the rapid spread of the telegraph , this completely changed how quickly results could travel. By 1848, the Associated Press was wiring results across the country, compressing a process that once took weeks into a matter of hours. For the first time in American history, a candidate could learn the outcome on the night of the election itself.

Broadcast Era

Newspapers recognized the dramatic potential of this moment and leaned into it. They projected results onto the sides of buildings, drew enormous crowds into the streets, and competed fiercely to be first. The New York Times debuted its electric zipper sign in Times Square in 1928, scrolling live results to thousands of spectators and once beat a radio broadcast by ten seconds.

Radio extended that reach even further. In 1920, KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcast the presidential election results live the first time Americans could follow along in real time from their own homes. The experience of election night began to feel genuinely collective.

Television transformed it entirely. 

The Television & Computer Revolution 

By 1952, roughly one third of American households owned a television set, and CBS introduced a computer called UNIVAC to project the results. When UNIVAC predicted an Eisenhower landslide early in the evening, producers were skeptical and chose not to air the prediction. Hours later, they were forced to acknowledge the computer had been correct all along. It was a turning point from that night forward, networks became consumed with the race to call results first.

That ambition, however, carried real consequences. In 1948, the Chicago Tribune had already printed "Dewey Defeats Truman" on its front page based on faulty early projections. And in 2000, the networks called Florida for Al Gore, retracted the call, called it for George W. Bush, and retracted that as well  all within the same evening. The chaos of that night led news organizations to form the National Election Pool, a shared data consortium designed to prevent a repeat.

The Digital & Data Era 

Today, coverage is defined by real-time data, interactive touchscreens, and wall-to-wall streaming across multiple platforms. And yet, election night has grown longer. The widespread use of mail-in ballots means that final results are often not known for days, creating what analysts call the red mirage where one candidate appears to lead on election night, only for that margin to shift significantly as later ballots are counted.

Across every era from horse couriers to the telegraph, from UNIVAC to the magic wall the actual counting has never changed. Local election clerks count paper ballots by hand and report upward through official channels, exactly as they did in 1788. The role of journalism, in every single era, has simply been to gather those results and deliver them to the public as quickly as the technology of the moment allows.

The technology keeps changing. The urgency to know never does.

 

EOTO #1- Institutions and Titans

The American Newspaper Publishers Association

The American Newspaper Publishers Association was a major trade organization for the newspaper industry, founded in 1887 and ran until 1992. They represented newspaper publishers' business and technical interests, focusing on issues like labor relations, newsprint costs, technology, and industry standards. 

The ANPA developed and maintained technical standards for everything from advertising dimensions to wire service formats.

Most importantly, they standardized advertising measurements and billing practices, which facilitated national advertising campaigns across multiple newspapers. Since newsprint typically accounted for roughly 20-30% of a newspaper's operating expenses, the ANPA closely monitored pricing, supply chains, and tariff policies. The association lobbied against tariffs on Canadian newsprint which was a major source for US papers and worked to ensure stable supply during shortages.                                                     Union Impact

The ANPA played a central role in collective bargaining with printing unions, particularly the International Typographical Union (ITU). During the mid-20th century, newspapers faced frequent labor disputes over wages, working conditions, and especially technological changes that threatened traditional typesetting jobs. The ANPA coordinated industry positions during strikes and helped member newspapers navigate the transition from hot metal typesetting to computerized systems. This was crucial because labor costs represented a major expense for publishers, and coordinated bargaining gave newspapers more leverage than individual negotiations would have provided.

New Technology

The APA was instrumental in researching and promoting technological innovations. They established research facilities to test new printing technologies. photocomposition systems, and eventually computer based production methods. During the Hot Metal Era leading up to the 1960's newspapers used Linotype and Intertype machines where operators typed on keyboards that cast entire lines of text in molten lead. 

The machines were huge, hot, and the lead was toxic. 

From the Cold Type Revolution from the 1960's trough 1970's the industry shifted to phototypesetting. Instead of metal, text was photographically set onto film or paper. 

This was faster, cleaner, and cheaper.

As amazing as this was, it threatened the jobs of thousands of unionized typesetters, leading to major labor conflicts.

At this point around the mid to late 1970's publishers wanted to cut costs and speed up production. 

Unions fought back hard. There were strikes, sabotage, and bitter disputes. Some newspapers lost months of publication. ANPA was heavily involved in negotiating these transitions and developing new technical standards.

Digital Shift and New Found Organizations

The transition from hot metal typesetting to digital publishing was one of the most dramatic technological shifts in newspaper history, spanning roughly the 1960s-1980s.

From the 1980's-1990's desktop publishing was eventually established in which computers and software like PageMaker, QuarkXPress, and later InDesign completely transformed the process. Journalists could now layout pages themselves on desktop computers. The entire production chain from writing to printing became digital. In 1992, ANPA merged with several other newspaper organizations to form the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), which later became News Media Alliance in 2016.

Impact

News Media Alliance now represents approximately 2,000 news and magazine media organizations across the United States and Canada. The organization focuses on public policy and legal matters, as well as revenue and audience development for news publishers. They advocate for the newspaper industry on issues like privacy compliance, digital platform negotiations, and press freedom. 

So, while the original ANPA is now part of the News Media Alliance, the newspaper industry today is supported by multiple associations that help publishers navigate digital challenges, legal compliance, advocacy, and business sustainability.

AI disclaimer- Claude AI was used to clarify dates and background information regarding the technological transitions seen from metal typesetting to digital publishing. Once finding information through the following sources: the official News Media Alliance website, the Library of Congress website,  Letterpress Commons Website, the University of Washington website I used Claude AI to clarify the dates and information gained from those sources. Since the American Newspaper Publishers Association is no longer running, but has shifted into different organizations and groups it was crucial that the dates and different group titles were confirmed through multiple sources. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me in 500 words

                                                                       Photo:Jane Morales

Valley Stream South High School Graduation Class of 2025

Above and Beyond

By Melissa Morales

              

Achievement has always been a constant in my life, not because I chase perfection. Because I refuse to settle for mediocrity. 

Excellence, to me, is not an end goal I hope to reach. 

It is a habit.

I am currently studying political science and multimedia journalism at High Point University. 

Politics is more than a career aspiration for me. It is a platform for change.

Ideas carry power, and how they are communicated can shape understanding, action, and progress.

Being an overachiever is often misunderstood as simply “working hard”. To me it means holding myself to a higher standard even when no one is watching. It has meant choosing discipline over comfort.

Preparation over procrastination. Growth over complacency. 

I thrive in environments that challenge me because challenge forces evolution. Whether in academics, leadership roles, or personal goals, I am always asking myself how I can do better, learn more, and contribute meaningfully.

I believe achievement carries responsibility. I want to be someone who uses their education and platform to advocate for others, amplify unheard voices, and engage critically with the issues shaping our world. 

Growth is ongoing. And failure, when it occurs, is not a stopping point but a lesson. My life has taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of perseverance. Even when progress feels slow or uncertain. Setbacks do not diminish ambition, they refine it. Each challenge I have faced strengthens my sense of purpose and sharpens my commitment to my goals.

I believe deeply in potential, both my own and that of others. I am driven by the belief that effort, integrity, and education can open doors not just for individual success, but for meaningful change. 

I want to be someone who leads with intention, listens with empathy, and acts with conviction. I am driven by the idea that people are capable of growth, change, and achievement when  given the opportunity and support to do so. 

I see potential not just as what is visible in the present, but as what could exist with effort, guidance, and perseverance.

This belief has also been a fault. 

Sometimes seeing the best in people can lead to overextension, misplaced trust, or disappointment when others do not share the same level of commitment or accountability. 

In believing so strongly in what people can become, I have had to learn the difficult lesson that potential alone is meaningless without action.

I am learning to balance optimism with realism. Rather than diminishing my belief in potential this has strengthened it. 

This balance has made me more grounded, more strategic, and ultimately more effective. 

Who I am is not defined solely by grades, titles, or achievements, but by the consistency of my work ethic and the impact I hope to make. I have set high standards and through everything I have done I refuse to stop learning. 

This is not just who I am now, but who I am committed to becoming as I move forward. 

Driven, disciplined, and determined to make a difference.