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The Death of James Dean

Stories in the news are addressed in different ways by different newspapers, and the manner of presentation of a story may show the particular interests of the people served by the paper, the interests of the publisher, and the relative importance given to different stories by the editors. History may or may not agree with the weight given a particular story at the time of its occurrence. A case in point is the death in 1955 of actor James Dean, which was treated in a rather off-hand manner by many newspapers while within a few weeks it would be seen as a more shattering event to a certain generation, so much so that it continues to be talked about to this day. A comparison of the treatment given to the story by three newspapers--the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Houston Post--demonstrates how the story was seen at the time.

All three newspapers are dated October 1, 1955, the day after the accident that killed Dean. None of the three stories has a by-line. Two of them are wire stories with little more than the bare details of the accident and some reference to Dean's career. The story in the New York Times is from the Associated Press (AP), while the story in the Houston Post is from Universal Press International (UPI). Both are labeled as coming from Paso Robles, California, near where the accident took place. The story in the Los Angeles Times is written by the staff of the paper and is also the longest of the stories, perhaps a reflection of the importance of the film industry to the region served by the paper as well as the fact that the accident took place in California.

The treatment of the story by the New York Times and the Houston Post may surprise many who have seen the importance accorded this story in the years since. The Houston Post does place the story on the front page, as does the Los Angeles Times, but the New York Times places it on page 2. One of the reasons why the stories receive...

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The Death of James Dean. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:23, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1692832.html