The Johnstown Flood of 1889 The Johnstown Tribunes Commonsense Coverage vs. Common-Practice Sensationalism

The Johnstown Flood of 1889 devastated a community, tested the newly founded Red Cross, halted the operations of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and crippled one of the nations leading iron manufacturing companies. This article reviews the first year of the weekly Johnstown Tribune's coverage of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournalism history Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 23 - 33
Main Author Wharton-Michael, Patty
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Las Vegas Taylor & Francis 01.04.2012
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
American history
Barton, Clara (1821-1912)
Business
Canals
Floods
Journalism
Johnstown Pennsylvania
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Summary:The Johnstown Flood of 1889 devastated a community, tested the newly founded Red Cross, halted the operations of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and crippled one of the nations leading iron manufacturing companies. This article reviews the first year of the weekly Johnstown Tribune's coverage of the flood and how that enabled a community to unite, survive, and prosper once again. The paper served as the primary medium to mobilize the community's informational resources, focusing on meeting the local community's informational needs rather than providing extensive sensationalized coverage. Five main themes emerged in the Tribune's first year of coverage after the flood: accounts of the flood; identifying the bodies of the victims; requesting help from the nation; informing the local community; and identifying the cause of the flood.
ISSN:0094-7679
2641-2071
DOI:10.1080/00947679.2012.12062869