Running for reelection in 1919, Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson attacked "the lying, crooked, thieving, rotten newspaper editors." When he left office in 1931, the Chicago Tribune argued that “Thompson has meant filth, corruption, idiocy, and bankruptcy.” How did such stark hostilities develop between this politician and the press? What can they tell us about wider themes in modern American history? This talk explores the power of journalism and the politics of publicity in the early twentieth century.
Event—Public Programming
Journalism and Publicity in Chicago Politics, 1912-1931
