The tension between social reform photography and photojournalism is examined through this study of the life and work of German ?gr?ansel Mieth (1909-1998), who made an unlikely journey from migrant farm worker to Life photographer. She was the second woman in that role, after Margaret Bourke-White. Unlike her colleagues, Mieth was a working-class reformer with a deep disdain for Life's conservatism and commercialism. In fact, her work often subverted Life's typical representations of women, workers, and minorities. Some of her most compelling photo essays used skillful visual storytelling to offer fresh views on controversial topics: birth control, vivisection, labor unions, and Japanese American internment during the Second World War. Her dual role as reformer and photojournalist made her a desirable commodity at Life in the late 1930s and early 40s, but this role became untenable in Cold War America, when her career was cut short. Today Mieth's life and photographs stand as compelling reminders of the vital yet overlooked role of immigrant women in twentieth-century photojournalism. Women, Workers, and Race in LIFE Magazine draws upon a rich array of primary sources, including Mieth's unpublished memoir, oral histories, and labor archives. The book seeks to unravel and understand the multi-layered, often contested stories of the photographer's life and work. It will be of interest to scholars of photography history, women's studies, visual culture, and media history.

The tension between social reform photography and photojournalism is examined through this study of the life and work of German ?gr?ansel Mieth (1909-1998), who made an unlikely journey from migrant farm worker to Life photographer. She was the second woman in that role, after Margaret Bourke-White. Unlike her colleagues, Mieth was a working-class reformer with a deep disdain for Life's conservatism and commercialism. In fact, her work often subverted Life's typical representations of women, workers, and minorities. Some of her most compelling photo essays used skillful visual storytelling to offer fresh views on controversial topics: birth control, vivisection, labor unions, and Japanese American internment during the Second World War. Her dual role as reformer and photojournalist made her a desirable commodity at Life in the late 1930s and early 40s, but this role became untenable in Cold War America, when her career was cut short. Today Mieth's life and photographs stand as compelling reminders of the vital yet overlooked role of immigrant women in twentieth-century photojournalism. Women, Workers, and Race in LIFE Magazine draws upon a rich array of primary sources, including Mieth's unpublished memoir, oral histories, and labor archives. The book seeks to unravel and understand the multi-layered, often contested stories of the photographer's life and work. It will be of interest to scholars of photography history, women's studies, visual culture, and media history.

The editors of Life Magazine, a mass-produced picture magazine, composed picture narratives that entertained, informed, and influenced mid-twentieth-century American society. Photo-Essays about Asian American Women in Life Magazine 1936 to 1965: Hidden Narratives and Breaking Stereotypes is a rhetorical analysis of how Life Magazine’s photo-essays represented and shaped white American middle-class attitudes toward Asian American women. In the time period studied, 1936 to1965, most white Americans were exposed to Asian woman primarily through film or in illustrated drawings. Hollywood in particular created caricatures depicting Asian women as evil dragon ladies or sex slaves, both of which implied prostitution, which affected their legal and social standing in early and mid-twentieth-century America. The book illustrates the ways in which the Life editors utilized the photo-essay as a narrative art form to counter stereotypical and racist Hollywood depictions of Asian women as prostitutes and to envision them as part of the American middle class, thereby promoting a sense of national identity that included Asians as Americans. This book will be of interest to scholars in the fields of women’s studies, cultural studies, visual culture, Asian American studies, and history.

This edited volume explores the democratic dangers posed by a political press that emphasizes electoral competition, strategy, entertainment, and what Jay Rosen calls “savviness”—praising candidates for being politically smart rather than being honest—in its coverage of a political landscape dominated by a looming authoritarian threat. Contributors document how the American and global political press have failed to fulfill their role in elections and demonstrate how authoritarians have used and will continue to use their power in setting policy before going on to suggest and develop solutions to these problems. These proposed solutions include the adoption of democracy-focused framing, solutions journalism, and solidarity journalism, all of which emphasize the needs and issues of democratic communities over candidates’ political strategy. The book’s recommendations contribute to a reorientation of journalism toward democracy and truth rather than performative detachment and forced balance. Scholars of journalism, mass media, communication, and political science will find this collection to be of particular use.

Born into an educated free black family in Portland, Maine, Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins (1859-1930) was a pioneering playwright, journalist, novelist, feminist, and public intellectual, best known for her 1900 novel Contending Forces: A Romance of Negro

A Call to the Black Man Give ear to what I'm about to say What in the world happened? It's not supposed to be this way. We fought so hard for freedom And you have put me back in chains Commitment, trust, seems to be bad words. I'm in bondage to your mind games Remember, you have a mother, sister, or daughter But it was me you gave the ring. I have come to this conclusion I don't need a king TO BE A QUEEN! I've had to raise the children alone Like when the master sold you astray Now I have to look for you And again you've become a runaway A man that can walk out on his family Is a part of slavery's aftermath? But enough with the dumb stuff The past is the past. I am still that woman Who made you feel like a man? Now you are so out of place Still, you want me to understand. Another form of rejection I'm asking myself "what's wrong with me" Why am I always to blame? For your misplaced priorities? Either you get it together Either you are right or you are wrong. I can raise the children with you. I should not have to do it alone. Come inside these pages. Allow me to tailor you to fit Coming from the strength of this Whole Woman. I should not be penalized for it I'm going to speak to the Whole Man in you Like I do in our time of intimacy. That's when I give you the freedom to be you And you give me the freedom to be me. Men are checking me out "right now" Making statements and, my, how they do flatter. They ask "Why are you alone or single?" Realize! I do have a choice in the matter. I was asked if I were to define the book WHOLE in one sentence, what would I say? "WHOLE is a groundbreaking, ground shaking, revolution that demands results!" "I recall the day as though it was yesterday. I stood in the mirror looking at a reflection of defeat never knowing if I would reach my God-ordained destiny. All my dreams, hopes, and desires devastated. I was distrait, frail, and I had gone from a size 12 to a size 6. I was beyond distressed I was destroyed. Lifelines can come in many ways. I knew I wanted and needed to come out, but I didn't know how. This is the time when I had to get real with myself and everyone else-so I threw out a lifeline. I made a simple telephone call to a friend and the Revolution began!"