Date of Award
2018
Degree Name
Journalism
College
College of Arts and Media
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Robert Rabe
Second Advisor
Christopher Swindell
Third Advisor
Janet Dooley
Abstract
This study examines depictions of the criminal transgressor in two American newspapers, the Hartford Courant and the San Francisco Chronicle, during the 19th century. Case studies are offered of two individual crimes and the subsequent trial proceedings covered extensively by these publications: the triple murder at Bull Run in Windsor Locks, CT, and the murder of newspaper editor Charles de Young in San Francisco, CA. Examination of the narratives utilized by Hartford Courant and San Francisco Chronicle journalists demonstrates the widespread use of depictions of criminal transgressors as possessing an inherent moral corruption. This study facilitates a more nuanced understanding of 19th century American newspapers’ roles in constructing social realities for their readerships through reporting on nearby criminal activity
Subject(s)
Criminals -- United States -- 19th century.
Criminals -- United States -- Case studies.
Newspapers -- 19th century
Recommended Citation
Fuller, James Maxwell, "Nineteenth Century American Newspapers and the Criminal Transgressor" (2018). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1142.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/1142
