September Communication Research Colloquium (presented by Dr. Cheryl Ann Lambert): A Liberal Newspaper in the U.S. Deep South: A Historical Case Study

P.D. East launched The Petal Paper in Petal, Mississippi in 1953 to focus only on stories of public interest. After witnessing violent local reaction to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring segregation as unconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education), this White liberal editor revamped his newspaper to champion the cause of Civil Rights. In this historical case study, Dr. Cheryl Ann Lambert examines how P.D. East transitioned from journalist to civil rights advocate as an outsider living in the Deep South. Primary source material for the study comes from the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University. Dr. Lambert viewed 13 editions of The Petal Paper, correspondence from East to other newspaper editors and publishers, and articles about P. D. East and the newspaper in order to complete this research study.

When 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 25, 2014
Location COM 209