Quilted News: Creating a New Definition of News

Voss, Kimberly Wilmot

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-96214-6_6

Kimberly Wilmot Voss²

198 Accesses

Abstract

The mix of traditional and progressive news in the women’s pages led to a new kind of quilted news. The sections would weave serious topics among the traditional softer approaches to news, in much the same way women would use quilts as an art form to showcase important causes. Women were still reading about the four Fs and they were also reading about a variety of other news. There were stories about politics, education, and healthcare. In addition, stories about women in the black community and questions about both racism and sexism were addressed.

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Notes

1.
Mei-ling Yang, “Women’s Pages of the Washington Post and Gender Ideology in the Late 1940s and the 1950s” (master’s thesis, University of Maryland, 1992), 51.
2.
Zena Beth McGlashan, “Club ‘Ladies’ and Working ‘Girls’: Rheta Childe Dorr and the New York Evening Post,” Journalism History 8, no. 1 (Spring 1981): 7.
3.
Yang, “Women’s Pages,” 371.
4.
Yang, “Women’s Pages,” 372.
5.
Yang, “Women’s Pages,” 367.
6.
Sam N. Lehman-Wilzig and Michal Seletzky, “Hard News, Soft News, ‘General’ News: The Necessity and the Utility of an Intermediate Classification,” Journalism 11, no. 1 (2010): 38.
7.
Gaye Tuchman, “Making News By Doing Works,” American Journal of Sociology 79 no. 1: 110–131.
8.
Carsten Reinemann, James Stanyer, Sebastian Scherr, and Guido Legnante, “Hard and Soft News: A Review of Concepts, Operationalization and Key Findings,” Journalism 13, no. 2 (2012): 221–239.
9.
Lehman-Wilzig and Seletzky, “Hard News, Soft News,” 39. Dhyana Ziegler and Alisa White, “Women and Minorities on Network Television News: An Examination of Correspondents and Newsmakers,” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 34, no. 2 (1990): 215–223. Catharine Lumby, “Feminism and the Media: The Biggest Fantasy of All,” Media Information Australia 72 (1994): 49–54.
10.
Cokie Roberts, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters (New York: Perennial, 2000), 114.
11.
Letter from Harry Tyson, manager of the Florida State Employment Service, to Roberta Applegate, June 10, 1953, Papers of Roberta Applegate, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
12.
Letter from Miami Herald’s Editor George Beebe to Laura Ross, undated, Papers of Roberta Applegate, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri. In the letter, Beebe wrote how great these stories were.
13.
Gaye Tuchman, Making News (New York: Free Press, 1978), 147; Susan Douglas, Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With the Mass Media (New York: Random House, 1995), 157.
14.
Anderson’s files include letters to and from Dorothy Jurney, as well as correspondence with other women’s page editors.
15.
Letter from Jurney to Anderson, 1970, Box 1, Papers of Marie Anderson, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
16.
Betsy Israel, “The Sexes: Pages of Their Own?” New York Times, October 3, 1993.
17.
Janet Senderowitz Leongard, letter to the editor, “Embracing the Four Fs,” New York Times, November 7, 1993.
18.
Colleen Dishon, “The Tea Party Was Over a Long Time Ago; Please Take the Tea Cups Away,” What’s Wrong With Women’s Pages, The University of Chicago Center for Policy Study, 1971, 17.
19.
Dishon, “The Tea Party,” 19.
20.
Koky Dishon, “We’ve Come a Long Way – Maybe,” Media Studies Journal 11 (1995): 95.
21.
Edee Greene, “How to Hurdle Your Girdle Or: Sex and the City Room,” Theta Sigma Phi Seminar, Cleveland, Ohio, August 24, 1963, 2.
22.
Dick Sherry, “Women’s Page Revolt: To the Classifieds!” Editor & Publisher, December 26, 1964.
23.
“Penney-Missouri Workshop is Another Classic Event,” Southern Advertising and Publishing, April 1967, 15–16.
24.
Pam Hanlon, “Women’s Rising Status Will Affect News Coverage,” Columbia Missourian, March 17, 1967.
25.
Vivian Castleberry, “Women in Journalism Oral History Project,” Washington Press Club Foundation, Session 1, 60.
26.
Castleberry, “Women in Journalism,” 160.
27.
Ibid.
28.
Castleberry, “Women in Journalism,” 162–163.
29.
Jeannette Walls, Dish (New York: Perennial, 2000), 76.
30.
“Pages for Women,” Time, May 19, 1967.
31.
Household Hints (Chicago: Chicago Daily News, 1933).
32.
Jan Jarboe, “Heloise: Armed and Ingenious,” Chicago Tribune, May 14, 1989.
33.
Heloise Cruz, Heloise’s Housekeeping Hints (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1962), 7.
34.
Dorothy Jurney, “Talk at Carolina Symposium,” 4, Papers of Dorothy Jurney, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
35.
Kathryn Robinette, “Foster Mothers Fill Gap,” Palm Beach Post-Times, May 12, 1968.
36.
Marie Anderson, “Commencement Speech,” 5, Papers of Marie Anderson, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
37.
Anderson, “Commencement Speech,” 5.
38.
Marie Anderson, “Women in Journalism Oral History Project,” Washington Press Club Foundation, Session 1, 42.
39.
Anderson, “Women in Journalism,” 66.
40.
Jurney wrote several letters to friends while staying at Anderson’s home. Letter from Dorothy Jurney to Virginia Allen, February 25, 1980, Folder 5, New Direction for News, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri; Letter from Dorothy Jurney to Virginia Allen, January 3, 1984, Folder 22, New Direction for News, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
41.
Letter from Dorothy Jurney to J. Edward Murray, August 20, 1979, Folder 2, Papers of Dorothy Jurney, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
42.
Judy Lunn, “Dressing by Codes,” Houston Post, May 1, 1974.
43.
Judy Lunn, “Even Though School Years Are Coming to an End, Dress Code Controversies Continue,” Houston Post, May 8, 1974.
44.
The “Hunger in Kentucky” series included: Irene Nolan, “First of the month means prosperity”; John Filiatreau, “Large Families Struggle to Feed the Children”; Irene Nolan, “$9 a week in food stamps is elderly woman’s lifeline”; John Filiatreau, “Debts take a slice of mountain’s food resources,” Courier-Journal, November 23, 1297.
45.
Martha Ingle, “Take Care When House Becomes a Tent,” Miami Herald, July 28, 1965.
46.
Grace Whipple, “Tell-Tale Symptoms Signal Poor Vision,” Fort Lauderdale News, October 2, 1961.
47.
Louise Dameron, “First Aid To Speech,” Fort Lauderdale News, May 23, 1963.
48.
Jo Werne, “Music Camp … as Home,” Miami Herald, July 28, 1965.
49.
Janet Chusmir, “Menopause: Confidence, Understanding a Must,” Miami Herald, September 23, 1968.
50.
Vera Glaser, “White House Doctor Packs Her Black Bag,” St. Petersburg Times, May 2, 1965.
51.
Roberta Applegate, “‘Women Keep Peace at Home; They Can Do It in Industry,” Miami Herald, October 31, 1958.
52.
Roberta Applegate, “Dimples Don’t Sway a Woman’s Vote,” Miami Herald, August 29, 1959.
53.
Beverley Morales, “Candidate Use of Sex Appeal Woos Women,” Sun-Sentinel, October 7, 1966.
54.
Associated Press, “GOP? It Means Gals’ Own Party,” Miami Herald, June 18, 1964.
55.
No byline, “What Katie Did – Use Imagination,” Miami Herald, June 18, 1964.
56.
Vera Glaser, “What America and American Can Expect in National Politics in the Coming Decade, 1960–1970,” Miami Herald, 1959, Papers of Vera Glaser, Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
57.
Vera Glaser, “12 Who Skirt Laws,” Miami Herald, January 31, 1965.
58.
Amy Clark, “Another Note From President,” (Cocoa, Florida) Today, June 7, 1970.
59.
Doris Eastman interview with Janet Gallagher, April 10, 1985, Heritage Commission.
60.
Ibid.
61.
Robert N. Pierce, A Sacred Trust: Nelson Poynter and the St. Petersburg Times (Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1993), 244.
62.
Ibid.
63.
Dorothy Jurney, “Women in Journalism Oral History Project,” Washington Press Club Foundation, Session 4, 127.
64.
Jurney, “Women in Journalism,” Session 1, 49.
65.
Jurney, “Women in Journalism,” Session 1, 49.
66.
Roberta Applegate letter to George Beebe, February 16, 1962, Papers of Roberta Applegate, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.
67.
Ibid.
68.
Reva Berger Tooley, “untitled,” in Anyone Who Enters Here Must Celebrate Maggie, ed. Jim Bellows (Los Angeles: Ward Ritchie Press, 1972), 19.
69.
Ponchitta Pierce, “Negro News – Why Isn’t More On Women’s Pages,” Matrix, June 1968, 4.
70.
Chris Porterfield, “Practicality, Significance Prevail Over Less Urgent, Familiar Ideas,” Penney Press, March 1973, 6.
71.
Column with a Heart, “Homeowner’s On the Spot: Should He Sell to Negro,” Miami Herald, July 22, 1966.
72.
Column with a Heart, “Negro Family Helped Improve Neighborhood,” Miami Herald, July 31, 1966.
73.
Column with a Heart, “Integration Ideal Must Be Lived,” Miami Herald, August 5, 1966.
74.
Column with a Heart, “Integrated Scout Troop ‘is Welcome Anyplace,”’ Miami Herald, August 19, 1966.
75.
Column with a Heart, “Whites Can End Block Busting,” Miami Herald, September 11, 1966.
76.
Column with a Heart, “Varied Faces of Segregation,” Miami Herald, September 25, 1966.
77.
John S. Knight letter to Vera Glaser, April 15, 1970, Papers of Vera Glaser, Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
78.
John S. Knight, “The Tigress of Tiger Bay Wasn’t Shy,” Miami Herald, April 19, 1970.
79.
Ibid.
80.
Ibid.
81.
Kimberly Wilmot Voss and Lance Speere, “Quilted News: Mixing Hard and Soft News to Create a New Definition for Women’s News,” Florida Communication Association Conference, Orlando, October 18, 2013.
82.
Dorothy Clifford, “Kaleidoscope Effect: Quilters Are as Diverse as the Patterns They Create,” Tallahassee Democrat, August 1, 1999.
83.
Radka Donnell, Quilts as Women’s Art: A Quilt Poetics (Canada: Gallerie Publications, 1990), 20.
84.
Jurney, “Women in Journalism,” Session 1, 5.
85.
Dorothy Jurney, “Penney-Missouri Winners’ Banquet speech,” March 30, 1988, folder 106, 3, Papers of Dorothy Jurney, National Women and Media Collection, State Historical Society of Missouri.

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Nicholson School of Communication and Media, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
Kimberly Wilmot Voss

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Voss, K.W. (2018). Quilted News: Creating a New Definition of News. In: Re-Evaluating Women's Page Journalism in the Post-World War II Era. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96214-6_6

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96214-6_6
Published: 06 September 2018
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96213-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96214-6
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