Some days I wish I could turn back the hands of time, not because of my wrinkles or even because I want to feel younger. This wish to manipulate the clock has nothing to do with me (or does it?). I just want my teenage daughter to revert back to a dependent, more self-centered and less politically aware individual. I want her to stop watching television, especially during this election year. If she still craved cartoons, I wouldn't have to explain how a politician and his political party often depend on this medium to win elections.

This ability to vie for leadership in such a widespread and unforgiving medium is especially grueling for investors, because each televised blink of a politico's eye might mean something in the economic arena. Cora's anxiety level about her portfolio increased over the past month, because she's worried about how this election will impact the markets this year (and just a year ago, she worried more about boys).

Since Cora asked questions to which I had no answers this past week, I thought it might benefit my situation and help alleviate her fears to divert her attention. This is how we went to the history of mediums used to communicate economic and political messages. Here, at least, we could compare our current situation to past events, and possibly, maybe, perhaps, find comfort in the knowledge that this year is just like any other election year.

Although Cora and I grew up with television as a familiar medium, this electronic device wasn't used to broadcast economic or political messages on a widespread basis until after WWII. Before that time, the radio was the prominent medium for these messages. Before 1932, politicians and political parties depended on newspapers, broadsides and flyers, and word-of-mouth to compete against each other and to comfort their constituencies.

As a history major, I often find amusing anecdotes in newspapers published at the turn of the twentieth-century in my research, as journalists at that time used much more florid prose than they do today. Many newspapers at the turn of the twentieth-century didn't hide their political affiliations, and editors and journalists often created news to complete various objectives. The "who, what, when where, how, and why" of journalism was often colored by opinions, rather than factual information.

This form of reporting made their stories more anecdotal than factual, more personal than objective. From a history major's standpoint, these articles provide substantial source materials for national, statewide, and localized attitudes. However, this subjective and opinionated outlook was both misleading and, at the same time, a creative form of journalism that conservative newspapers loathed. This "yellow journalism" is defined as reporting that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers (For more about this genre, type "yellow journalism" into your favorite search engine).

Between 1897 and 1901, the debates over yellow journalism were at their height, and William McKinley was president. News focused on finances and on political relationships between the U.S., Spain, and Cuba. For an example of how journalism was used to incite emotions and opinions at this time, let's take a look at how newspapers possibly influenced America's involvement in the Spanish-American War:

"Reporting the stalemate between Spanish forces and revolutionaries in Cuba, newspapers screamed that a quarter of the population was dead and the rest suffering acutely. Public indignation brought pressure upon the President for war. Unable to restrain Congress or the American people, McKinley delivered his message of neutral intervention in April 1898. Congress thereupon voted three resolutions tantamount to a declaration of war for the liberation and independence of Cuba."*

I stated above that newspapers "possibly" influenced the way U.S. entered the Spanish-American War, because differing opinions exist about how this war began and how our nation became involved. However, we can see that the newspaper medium was a major form of communication during this time. Additionally, McKinley and other presidents before him and immediately after him toured the country to listen to their constituencies' opinions. They could not rely on radio, television, or email to help them sort out public opinion, because none of these forms of communication existed then.

The overt political overtones provided by historic newspapers are often refreshing. A reader in 1900 didn't have to research the ownership of a newspaper to discover which corporation(s) owned it, and how "facts" might be shaped to conform to corporate relationships and objectives. Newspapers today usually print opinions provided only by a limited number of individuals and, ideally, this reporting has objective goals.

This limitation on visible speculation is supposedly for the common good, but it doesn't provide us with a way to measure the boundaries of our own insights. Fortunately, "letters to the editor" and opinion articles do exist, and they help us discover observations other than those of political candidates and their supporters. Through input provided by the "regular citizen" (like us!), we can expand our perceptions and possibly find support for our opinions.

This week's project includes research into your own favorite newspaper(s). Find out who owns the publication, whether they're listed in the stock market, who their competitors are and if they are also listed on the market. Purchase a competitor's newspaper to compare the following:

1. Editorials - see what each editor's stance is on issues.
2. Advertisers - compare advertisers for size and brand.
3. News - compare how news is written. Do they carry the same facts?

Many newspapers today demand payment in advance for ads from political candidates. They also might create parameters for space allocated to each candidate, so it doesn't appear the newspaper favors one candidate over another. Over the next few months, compare political advertisements in your own paper to see whether or not this is true for your area. Look at the fine print at the bottom of the ad to find out who financed that ad. Those teeny letters can speak a ton of information.

Next week, we'll move into radio, and learn how President Roosevelt handled the nation's economic fears with his fireside chats.

Until Then,
Linda Goin

* This quote came from the White House web site's section on past presidents.