Historians have debated when, where, and how the so-called “inverted pyramid” became the standard way to structure a news story in American newspapers. Some of the discussion by historians can be found in the “Inverted Pyramid” PDF found in Blackboard. Read that PDF before starting the assignment.

You now have a chance to investigate primary sources and add to the debate.

Write a three- to five-page, double spaced paper based on what you find in your investigation of a particular nineteenth-century newspaper of your choice. You may either scroll through microfilm in the basement of Alden Library, or search a part of the Library of Congress’s “Chronicling America” website, www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. 

Your written assignment has these parts:

1. Define “inverted pyramid.” Cite sources that give a definition.

2. Now, in your paper, operationalize that definition so that you can categorize a news story as a yes or no, as to whether it is written in an inverted pyramid.

3. Choose a newspaper on microfilm in 10-year sequences starting in the 1860s and ending in the 1890s. For example, 1865-75-85-95, or 1867-77-87-97. Have a reason for choosing a particular paper.

4. Choose one day or two days from each of the four years. Have a reason for choosing a particular day or days.

5. Choose which parts of the newspaper you will read. Only front pages? A sample of all pages? Why did you choose that method?

6. Choose which stories you will read on each page: Every story, no matter how long? Or only stories of a certain length? Stories only on events? Stories only on particular subjects, such as crime or government meetings? Have a reason for your choice.

7. Look for examples of the inverted pyramid, as you have operationalized it, on those days and on those pages.

8. Try to determine the extent to which the inverted pyramid was used on the dates you chose.

9. Quote and cite examples of stories in your paper, using Chicago style end notes.

We will discuss how you made your choices, and what you found, in class.

Our final project for this class is to create a publishable, high-quality research paper written in an academic, historical manner about mass communication history.  The paper must not exceed 25 double-spaced pages of text and 7,500 words (not including the title page, endnotes, and photographs, illustrations and/or tables and graphs).  It must include a title page and endnotes (but no bibliography) and must be typed double spaced (with the exception of long quotes, known as block quotes, which the style book will tell you are indented and single spaced).  There must be minimum margins of 1 1/2 inches on the left side of each page and 1 inch on all other sides, and all pages except for the title page must be numbered. The quality of the historical research and argument will be the main determinants of your grade.  Good grammar, correct spelling, and adherence to the University of Chicago style also will be important. You must provide me, by email, a WORD copy of the file by 8:30 a.m. April 8. The class will meet that day to exchange papers. Failure to turn in a paper long enough to be critiqued will result in points being deducted from the final paper assignment. Therefore, it behooves you to turn in the paper on time.