Existing comment:
1932
EXTRA!
Celebrity and Crime:
The kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's infant son in 1932 was called the media event of the age. It had what sensational stories need -- celebrity and crime. The story was bannered in newspapers from coast to coast. Many Americans for the first time relied on radio to get the latest bulletins. In 1935, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was convicted for the crime. He was executed the following year.
Not Just a Man's World:
Lorena Hickok was a leading reporter on the Lindbergh kidnapping. The Associated Press reporter nearly found the baby's body before police did. "I always think of the woman journalist type as a sour individual.... with the 'Listen, girlie' manner," she said. Hickok suggested "women-only" press conferences to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her advice was accepted.
No More Cameras:
The sensationalism of the Hauptmann trial led to a two-year study that recommended new rules for trial coverage. Because reporters sneaked a camera and a microphone into that trial and made unauthorized newsreels of the proceedings, most states adopted a portion of the American Bar Association code of ethics barring photos and radio broadcasting in courtrooms. |