EOTO 4: Final Exam: Shana Alexander

Shana Alexander is considered one of the greatest female journalists of all time.

Alexander paved the way for many female journalists, pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable of a female reporter and what wasn't. From her award winning columns to her appearances on "60 Minutes", she had an impressive career that still has an impact to this day.

Shana Alexander

Shana Alexander was born on Oct. 8, 1925 in New York City. Alexander came from a family of writers. Her mother, Cecelia Ager, was a well-known reporter. Ager was the first female writer for Variety and was also a movie critic for the NYC newspaper PM. Alexander's father, Milton Ager, was a music composer, writing many famous songs including "Happy Days Are Here Again." 

Cecelia Ager 

Milton Ager

While Alexander grew up around two of New York City's best writers, she didn't intend on being a writer. Alexander attended Vassar College in New York and graduated in 1945 with a degree in anthropology. At the age of 19, Alexander married her first husband, but quickly divorced. 

Her second marriage to Stephen Alexander lasted 12 years before she divorced again. Alexander had one child, a daughter named Katherine, who passed away at the age of 25.

Alexander's writing career began when she took a summer job as a copy clerk at her mother's newspaper, PM. Eventually, she began her career as a freelance writer for Junior Bazaar and Mademoiselle magazine, and her career took off from there.

Alexander moved on to work for Life magazine in. the 1960s where she had a column titled "The Feminine Eye." Her column won awards for her, and her popularity began to take off.

In 1962, she wrote an article for Life titled "They Decide Who Lives, Who Dies: Medical miracle puts moral burden on small committee." This sparked national debate in regards to the public health system in the United States, particularly when it comes to the allocation of dialysis treatment

Alexander became the first female editor for McCall's magazine (a women's magazine) but quit due to the sexist environment. Alexander spent a portion of her career advocating for women's rights and women's fair treatment in the workplace. In the 1960s and 1970s, Alexander reported on key issues such as the women's rights movement and the battle over abortion. 

A 1960s cover of McCall's Magazine

Alexander also spoke out when it came to political matters, such as Nixon's response to the Vietnam War. This earned her a spot on "60 Minutes" as a replacement for Nicholas Von Hoffman. Alexander was placed with James J. Kilpatrick on a segment of the show called "Point/Counterpoint." It was essentially a debate show, where the two hosts are given the same topic and had an allotted amount of time to discuss their side of the argument. Alexander was the liberal point of view, and Kilpatrick was the conservative side. 

Many credit Alexander's performance on the show as the kickstart for getting "60 Minutes" off the ground. Alexander's popularity soared after this. Viewers loved watching "Point/Counterpoint" because the hosts' time to deliver their argument was always organized and uninterrupted. 

Chris Wright announces "Point/Counter Point" with Nicholas Von Hoffman and James J. Kilpatrick

Alexander and Kilpatrick's debates were so popular that it was famously parodied on "Saturday Night Live" where Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd played as Alexander and Kilpatrick, where Aykryod delivered the famous line, "Jane, you ignorant slut."

While the bulk of Alexander's fame comes from "Point/Counterpoint", she always maintained that her passion and talent for writing was the root of her love for journalism. 

Alexander wrote a few non-fiction novels such as "Anyone's Daughter" and "Nutcracker" which was turned into a television miniseries in 1987. 

On June 23, 2005, Shana Alexander died after her battle with cancer.

Alexander is considered a trailblazer for journalism, paving the way for many aspiring female journalists. Her boldness for speaking out against hot button issues earned her a popularity and stardom that no other female reporter had seen. She inspired many, her work encouraging and motivating others to carry on her work after she was gone.

Movie Reflection: "Good Night, and Good Luck"

"Good Night, and Good Luck" (2005), directed by George Clooney, is an impactful film showcasing the government's involvement when it comes to silencing the media. It's a high profile movie with stars such as David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Daniels and more. 

The film follows the protagonist Edward Murrow (David Strathairn), a veteran journalist who is going toe-to-toe with Senator Joseph McCarthy in the days of The Red Scare. 

Despite the accusations of being involved in communist actions, Murrow pushes back against McCarthy and the government to expose the corruption and falsity of McCarthy. Murrow continues to use his position and show at CBS to tell the truth about McCarthyism. Murrow holds strong even when his CBS superiors are urging him to stop and threaten to move his CBS show to the Sunday afternoon slot.

Murrow works with his fellow CBS reporters and editors to create a show that exposes McCarthy for his wrongdoings. 

Edward Murrow

Murrow's actions throughout the film is a great example of how journalists should be standing up to the government in these moments of attempted censorship. Murrow's determination to tell the truth and passion for the job led to the downfall of McCarthy and his scare-tactics. 

Senator Joseph McCarthy

We're in a day and age where the government is going out of their way to put a lid on anything that could bring criticism and downfall to them. The government wants their power, and they want tight control on what the media says. 

This isn't exactly a new idea. "Good Night, and Good Luck" in and of itself is a cinematic retelling of real life events that actually happened in the 1950s. This has been going on for decades and even before then. The government has always had something to hide. They've always made desperate attempts to distract from what is really going on behind closed doors of the higher political power.

I have no doubt that this is going to get worse, and it's up to future journalists to take a stand against them. 

There's no question that it's scary, and we've all seen what happens to journalists when they speak out and get too close to the truth. But it's a risk that journalists should be taking already and a risk that future journalists are going to have to take.

After all, the future depends on it.

In theory, the media and the government should be working together. That's the ideal relationship, but not the relationship that they've had for a very long time...if ever. 

It seems that with every passing day though, we're getting further from that goal. Every year brings bigger and more unbelievable events, and some of those events never even see the light of day from the media.

Slimy politicians create a shady mess with even more questionable means of getting rid of the truth. Or, at least, getting rid of the vessel who is going to tell the truth. 

You can't run from what's true and real, but you can shut down the people willing to call you out on it. 

The polarization of this country is largely due to this. Nobody can be moderate anymore, and the ones who try to be are shunned for not choosing a side. 

In many ways, we're beginning to see a resurgence in the concept of McCarthyism...minus communism.

Cancel culture is a relatively new idea in America, and it's something that has totally exploded in the last few years. The internet's definition of cancel culture is as follows:

"The practice of withdrawing support for public figures or companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive."

On the surface, that might not seem all that bad. 

I mean, it does kind of make sense. Stopping support for someone like Bill Cosby whom has been accused and charged with numerous counts of sexual assault, sexual abuse, misconduct, harassment, etc. seems like it would make sense. 

That's what cancel culture claims to do, but that's not exactly true. Instead, cancel culture looks a little more like this:

Trump supporter? CANCELED.

Biden apologist? CANCELED.

Anti-war protester? CANCELED.

Pro-war activist? CANCELED.

No one is allowed to have an opinion anymore. Democrats are "canceling" Trump supporters. Republicans are "canceling" Biden supporters. 

Why? 

Simply because they don't agree, and they don't like it.

Political differences are hardly any reason to not support someone. Earlier last year, A-list actor Chris Pratt was publicly ridiculed and shamed after it was discovered on Twitter that he identifies as a republican and previously voted for former president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Chris Pratt

People jumped all over it. They were digging through his social media and personal information to find evidence of this, blasting his personal political and religious views in a negative way as a means of "canceling" him. 

Pratt's most famous celebrity pals such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo (who both identify as democrats) defended their Avengers co-star publicly after the internet targeted Pratt.

People are being accused of being "traitors" for not agreeing with others' ideas. In today's age, you can't have a stance or opinion on something without risking cancellation. It's our God given right to have different thoughts and viewpoints, and it's shameful that so many people are being attacked for it.

The media has done nothing to help solve this. If anything, they've caused it and made it worse.

People's lives are being ruined for being accused of these different things. Very similar to those accused of communism during the McCarthy era. It's dangerous how similar that time period is to today, and it's scary how history is seemingly repeating itself.

We need to return to a time where it was acceptable to have different opinions. A time where democrats and republicans could live peacefully together. A time where pro-abortion and anti-abortion protesters could respect one another. A time where those stuck in the middle weren't mocked and harassed.

And a time where everyone was free to tell the truth and have an opinion.