Happy Birthday, Joseph Pulitzer

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Joseph Pulitzer.
​Research Pulitzer and record your findings on your Happy Birthday Missouri sheet.

Joseph Pulitzer suffered from poor health and bad eyesight most of his life, but his natural curiosity and eagerness to learn helped him succeed as a laborer, legislator, and newspaperman.

How would describe Pulitzer's attitude as depicted in the video here?  ​Make a quick t-chart to show the things you would freely emulate and the other things you would like to avoid.

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Music Appreciation

Seize the Day

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Yellow Journalism/Fake News

The newer term is fake news​, but it has been around for years.  Joseph Pulitzer practically invented fake news in the modern age.  At the turn of the 20th Century, it was called yellow journalism​.

To sell more papers, both Pulitzer and Hearst began to write shocking stories, gory headlines, and use lots of photographs and cartoons to attract readers—a journalism style now known as “yellow journalism.” The start of the Spanish-American War in 1898 intensified the rivalry. After several years of trying to outdo Hearst, Pulitzer finally realized his folly and again tried to report only the facts.

In fiction, these types of sensational stories might be called tall tales.  Have you ever wondered where the original tall tales came from?  Were they based on real people who did real things?  Read the tall tales below, and discuss what might have really happened.

Birth of Paul Bunyan
​Paul Bunyan and the Frozen Flames
​Paul Bunyan's Kitchen

Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado
​Pecos Bill and Slue-foot Sue
​The Death of Pecos Bill

Now, think of a mundane event - maybe something that happened to you that was not exciting at all.  Now stretch that event into something unbelievable.  In other words, make it into a tall tale.  Might you be able to recreate a photograph to go along with your story?  Perhaps we can put our stories into a "newspaper" format for display.

Is this what fake news websites and certain members of the media try to do when they engage in yellow journalism?  Why might people want to spread fake news?  What is the effect of fake news on the populace?

​How can you tell the difference between fake and real news reports?

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The Prize

Pulitzer’s gift of two million dollars in 1903 helped create the Columbia University School of Journalism, which opened September 30, 1912. Today, the school oversees the Pulitzer Prize, an award given to those who excel in journalism, literature, and music. The prize began with a donation from Pulitzer and was first awarded in 1917.

Hopefully there would never be a prize given to the best fake news article or broadcast, but we need to recognize the creativity of our classroom.  Which of your classmates' tall tales are deserving of special recognition?  Let's discuss the reasons why you think so.