The Liberator

 Throughout class and hearing about many different topics centered around Journalism, I had the chance to learn a lot. One topic that stood out to me was "The Liberator" mostly due to the main tie-in that it had to slavery. It's not so often that we get the chance to hear about slavery, civil rights, abolitionists, etc. in the world of journalism. Before this class, I didn't know much about my own ancestor's history nor did I even really have a desire to if I'm being honest, but this presentation changed my mind and intrigued me quite a bit. The Liberator was a weekly abolitionist newspaper that was created, printed, and published in Boston by William Llyod Garrison from January 1, 1831 - December 29, 1865, and then by Isaac Knapp until the final issue listed on January 1, 1866. I was intrigued by the fact that the paper was more religious than political because I had never heard of a paper being centered around topics such as these which could so easily become political. The papers main demographic was free slaves, fellow abolitionists, people who believed in the cause, and those who were just outright curious. The paper tended to resonate with the morality of the readers along with their conscious which was urging them to then demand immediate freeing of slaves. This paper was mainly used for abolitionists to have a platform regarding equality, slavery, and occasionally politics which each issue having its special illustration. The Liberator was said to have been the most influential antislavery media in the pre-Civil War period of U.S. history. As far as readers go, it could only reach up to about 3,000 but was able to reach a large audience due to its uncompromising advocacy for immediate emancipation for the millions of slaves being held up in the South. Although society has changed drastically, we do still have a long way to go and I would be very interested to read more about media that is centered more around minorities and specifically African-Americans mostly because I am African-American. 

Reuters News Wire Service in England

 Before doing a project on "Reuters", I had no idea what it even was and the impact that it has had on media. Reuters is an international news agency that began in 1851 and was founded by Julius Reuter. Reuter was a businessman that wanted to capitalize on innovation surrounding the pioneering work of others before him in the field of journalism and telegraphy. Reuters initially began as the transmission of stock market quotes between London and Paris. Telegraphs and undersea cables helped increase the ability to spread stories, and as the company grew it then became an outlet for general and economic news around the world. In the fall of 1851, Reuter set up his "Submarine Telegraph" along with negotiating a contract with London Stock Exchange. Heading into 1865, Reuters' firm was reconstructed and became a smaller and more limited company known as the Reuters Telegram Company. By 1883 the company began transmitting messages electrically to London newspapers and soon hit a rough patch roughly 31 years later in 1914. During the war, many people believed that enemy citizens were shareholders of Reuters which hurt their reputation and their financial status. The rumors turned out to be false and they soon were back on track moving into the 1960s. To stay relevant just as anyone would, they took up new information technology to stay in touch with what people found interesting at that time. Reuters expanded in London to over 19 different addresses while also redeveloping in the United States, Europe, and Asia throughout the 60s and 70s. Moving into the 1980s, Reuters began operating as one of the greatest and largest private communications in public in the world. Once The Reuters Foundation was started, it helped the company to reach an obligation in which they adopted a policy of constructive charity. In todays' changing world and society, Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency that reaches more than 1 billion people worldwide throughout many different platforms. There are now over  2,600 working journalists, more than 200 locations around the world, along with reports coming in over 16 different languages. 

The Reason Why I Am Taking This Class

     Hello all, my name is Kendall Goins and I am taking (JOU-1300-01) because I wanted to learn more about Journalism itself and if it's a path I really want to go down with my career. I know that I want to be a part of the entertainment industry and involved somehow with film and television theatrically, streaming-wise, and other mediums of that kind. I have always had a genuine love for reading and writing, writing especially and I wanted to strengthen my skills to be prepared for my future. I still have no idea exactly if I want to be on the inside of the industry directing, screenwriting, or maybe even acting or being on the outside operating as a film critic. Either way, I felt that this class would help me grasp a better understanding of certain ideas and ethics of a strong journalist which would aid me no matter what it is that I end up deciding. As far as selecting my major goes, I struggled going back and forth between Journalism and Communications which in my head went hand in hand but I was not sure exactly what I wanted to focus on. I ended up going with Journalism because I realized my love for writing, media, and history overpowered everything else and I just wanted to better explore that and get a better understanding of everything. I have recently been thinking about adding media production as a minor because of my love for film and that industry but I have not been able to make a decisive decision yet. So far I have really been enjoying this class and the discussions we have had, and I am very excited to see where it leads and what all I can learn and contribute going forward throughout this semester.