Pulp Era Journalists

[assault]

I've been thinking about creating a couple of journalist characters.

 

What I would like assistance with is how they would have become journalists.

 

While at least one school of journalism existed during the Pulp era, it appears that most journalists learned the trade some other way. Googling various historical journalists has provided some hints, but very few have their early careers outlined in useful detail.

 

Basically, what I like are people's opinions on what would be the youngest age at which it would be plausible for a character to be a journalist at a major metropolitan newspaper (New York Times equivalent), and the shortest path by which they could have got there.

 

Any thoughts, comments, links, whatever, are welcome.

[Mantis]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

Any thoughts' date=' comments, links, whatever, are welcome.[/quote']I'll just point out a possible character source is Tintin, who was a journalist.

 

Prior to the TV era I suspect most learnt the trade via an apprenticeship (the origin of the expression "cub reporter"?), rather than like today when Journalism is a University degree course. But that's just speculation on my part.

[Barton]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

I've been thinking about creating a couple of journalist characters.

 

What I would like assistance with is how they would have become journalists.

 

While at least one school of journalism existed during the Pulp era, it appears that most journalists learned the trade some other way. Googling various historical journalists has provided some hints, but very few have their early careers outlined in useful detail.

 

Basically, what I like are people's opinions on what would be the youngest age at which it would be plausible for a character to be a journalist at a major metropolitan newspaper (New York Times equivalent), and the shortest path by which they could have got there.

 

Any thoughts, comments, links, whatever, are welcome.

 

I have a character that I use in my convention games, a Canadian female journalist. She is a believer in women's equality and is tough as nails, but of course can clean up when needed. Always gets the story and is fearless. Her story is she started as typist at a newspaper then did society reporting then crime reporting (cub reporter route).

 

She is a NPC in my two pulp games. Interviews of your players are a great role-playing experiences!

[Yansuf]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

In the pulp era (and for some time thereafter) many reporters started out as copyboys. If you remember the TV show "Lou Grant", which was in the period when the old manual system with typewriters was changing to the new, computerized systems, in one episode he commented "Well, I started out in this business as a copyboy."

[assault]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

In the pulp era (and for some time thereafter) many reporters started out as copyboys.

 

Hmm...

 

I found this link: http://www.courierpostonline.com/125anniversary/carty.html

 

I'll keep digging.

[pinecone]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

My impression was that many reporters "got on" with the paper doing anything, and sort of freelanced to get noticed,then became "cub" reporters, and if they showed talent they became full timers...in old movies the fastest way to get a fulltime job was uncovering a conspiracy hardie boys style on your own time...so in theory a nosey paperboy could make cub status just by hanging around pool halls and make reporter at a very early age....

[assault]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

So, a "Lois Lane" type might have freelanced for the Podunk Herald while she was at college, and worked as a secretary over her summers at the Metropolitan Daily, managed to bring in a couple of scoops, and attracted the attention of the Crusty Editor for her enthusiasm and commitment (and well-turned ankles), becoming a gossip columnist at the ripe old age of 21.

 

A "Clark Kent", on the other hand, is probably more of a freelancer, who managed to wander in off the street with the scoop on the latest Mystery Man. Of course this scoop wasn't dumb luck... He could be about the same age as the "Lois Lane" type, who might be quite annoyed by this hayseed coming out of nowhere "stealing her stories".

 

Finally, of course, there is "The Nephew". Good old Uncle Randolph got you a job as a copyboy. If you take advantage of your opportunities, you will get ahead...

 

One thing I have noticed is that a lot of "foreign correspondents" seemed to have been exactly that - people who wrote letters from overseas. The main requirements seem to have been being on the ground, being literate, and being known by somebody who knows the editor...

 

---

 

So I think the answer to my question is: a journalist can be any age. While, realistically, older characters are more likely, pulp journalists, especially PCs and special NPCs can be any age you can handwave an origin for.

 

Cool. And now I will admit that this is for a Pulp Champions game, rather than a true Pulp game. I've just worked out how old "Clark Kent" could have been in 1938...

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

Another cool route might be the guy who started out as a newsboy, selling the paper on street corners. ("Extree, Extree, Read all about it!") By keeping his eyes and ears open while on the streets, he finds out useful information, which he provides to his paper as scoops, tips, etc., eventually working his way into the "cub reporter" path, and so on.

[BlackSword]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

If you're interested in reading about a journalist you might try

 

The Skeptic : A Life of H. L. Mencken; by Terry Teachout

 

Besides following his career, it also hits some of the high points of the era and provides one of the brands of politics during the time.

[Agent 13]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

The first journalism school (the Missouri School of Journalism) didn't open its doors until 1908, with Columbia starting classes in 1912 and Medill in 1921. J-school trained reporters, would be, while not a rarity, still few and far between in the pulp era.

 

A good role for a degreed reporter would be as wide-eyed naif, someone for the crusty older ink slinger to take under his wing and show how things work in the real world. (Care must be taken, however, to present at least a couple of problems that can be solved with the newbie's book learning, so as teach an old newsdog new tricks, and not make the PC seem completely incompetent and out of his depth.)

[assault]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

J-school trained reporters' date=' would be, while not a rarity, still few and far between in the pulp era. [/quote']

 

On the other hand, reporters who studied "other stuff" at college don't seem to have been uncommon, from the results I obtained while googling. In a lot of cases they seem to have dropped out!

 

This is more or less what I was assuming with my Lois Lane/Clark Kent types.

 

Journalism seems to have been a bit like Computer Programming was in its early days - a craft, gradually evolving towards being a profession, which drew its recruits from anyone who was bright, interested, and in the right place at the right time.

 

For PCs, it means that journalist characters could be anything from well-educated college graduates to street-savvy former newsboys!

[gojira]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

You might take a look at Jack London. He did at least some newspaper and magazine reporting. (I think a lot of magazines early in the century were more like newspapers in that they covered current events much more.) In 1906, he covered the San Francisco earthquake.

 

During his early life, he was a sailor, hobo, mill worker, power plant worker, cannery worker, oyster pirate (!), and member of the California Fish Patrol (law enforement). It's great inspiration for a hard-boiled pulp character.

 

I know Jack London is pre-pulp, but I think his life could still be easily updated to the pulp period. It's a pity the article at Wikipedia doesn't do him justice.

[Basil]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

While a journalism degree from college would be unusual in the pulp era, working on the college newspaper would be less so. Most colleges had a newspaper in those days, which would be a good place for someone to learn something of working journalism.

 

 

Another possible route to reporter-hood would be working on the actual, physical presses. A smart youngster could, conceivably, work his way "up" from the presses. Less likely than the copyboy, or even the newboy, route, though.

 

Of course, starting in a small town's newspaper and working up to a "major metropolitan newspaper" is the most likely route, IMO.

[Agent 13]

Re: Pulp Era Journalists

 

Of course' date=' starting in a small town's newspaper and working up to a "major metropolitan newspaper" is the most likely route, IMO.[/quote']

 

Truth be told, it's not completely unheard of these days. I worked as a reporter for almost a decade and only started with my experience on my high school paper and related workshops.