The Tweed Corruption Ring

I will be blogging about William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, his power over New York city businesses and politics, and the driving force of journalism that ultimately led to his demise. I will be using the text Mightier Than The Sword: How the News Media have Shaped American History by Rodger Streitmatter as reference.

     I chose this story because in some ways I find it relatable today. Corruption within the corporate and political arenas are nothing new to this country, it happened then, during the 1800s, and here we are in 2010, and not much has changed. Where we had Boss Tweed running his agenda for the financial benefit of him and his buddies, we now have politicians pushing their agendas in favor of different corporations and special interest groups. Wall Street executives abusing the lack of regulation in our market and giving themselves bonuses in the millions (and sometimes more). Where we had clever cartoonists like Thomas Nast using wit and humor to bring to light real problems to the common man, we now have political satirists and shows like The Daily Show that use similar devices to expose the hypocrisy and abuse within politics and corporations and do so in a way that is relatable to those not familiar with the intricacies of those issues. They break them down for the everyday citizen to understand, and helps them form a better opinion of what's going on around them.
     I believe the way in which you present your news to an audience is just as important as the actual news you are reporting. If you can't find a way to target an audience, your plea will fall on deaf ears. People need to be reached. Whether it's straightforward reporting like newspapers and news on television, or more creative approaches like cartoons and imagery, you need to be able to capture the attention of the people, and Thomas Nast did just that. As humorous as his political cartoons were, they did bring about serious reform, and awoke a public who, without his drawings, would have most likely been in the dark about what was truly going on at the time. This just goes to show how powerful journalism truly is. As long as you have an audience, you have power.