Thesis on "New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event"

Thesis 4 pages (1200 words) Sources: 1+ Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

New York Times treaded the Sputnik event very fairly, reporting on it in an objective manner and revealing the fear and confusion that was spreading throughout the U.S. government at the time. The articles reveal the general excitement about the satellite as well as the finger-pointing and blaming of U.S. government entities for not being the first country to put a satellite in orbit. The New York Times conducted themselves very honestly, and seems to have reported the truth of the matter and the way that people in the U.S. reacted to the event at the time. They were not scared to reveal the fear that gripped politicians and military leaders when they learned of the superior Russian rocket technology. The Times was also able to invoke a sense of joy and excitement about the wonders of space technology, without creating a cheap, tabloid feeling.

Article Analysis and Comparison

The New York Times articles treated the Sputnik event rather seriously, as did most of the nation after learning that the Russians were the fist to launch a satellite into orbit. Much of the shock came from the fact that the Russians were able to launch a 184 pound object into orbit (Dickson, 6). This suggested that the Russians rockets could carry such a projectile, or possibly a larger one. The U.S. space program was having a hard time figuring out how to launch an object only one-tenth of Sputnik's weight, and were therefore rightly concerned that the Russians had the edge against the Americans in the technology race (Siddiqi, 19). The New York Times articles start out by exploring the details of the Sputnik mission, and as the weeks go by after the launch, there is nearly a mass hysteria going on nat
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ionally over the event.

Many politicians as well as military experts and scientists all agreed that if Russia could put an object the size of Sputnik into orbit, then they certainly have a rocket powerful enough to reach the mainland U.S. with a nuclear payload. Jorden's ("Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space," 1957) article mentions the threat of a payload of a nuclear weapon or hydrogen bomb. It seems as though the press in 1957 was much less concerned with keeping a secret from the American public and was publishing articles that certainly would have stirred up fear in Americans who were looking to their own government for answers as to why the U.S. was not first in space. There is a kind of juvenile excitement present in the earliest articles as Sputnik is described. Jorden's ("Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space, 1957) article explores the science behind the mission, revealing that "The Russians calculated the satellite's orbit at a maximum of 560 miles above the earth and its speed at 18,000 miles per hour." (Jorden, "Soviet Fires Earth Satellite Into Space, 1957) As time passes, the excitement turns to fear, and the press begins to highlight the attitudes and thoughts that were flowing from the U.S. government regarding the issue.

Some of the more politically-driven articles emphasize that fact that many American people and politicians were angry with the U.S. government at not having the technology to compete with the Russians at the time (Finney, "U.S. Missile Experts Shaken by Sputnik," 1957). Blame was being thrown around at different targets, specifically the lack of funding for the U.S. space program and the lack of political motivation to be the first in Space. Eisenhower was described in these articles as being fairly calm and passive about the Sputnik event, when, in reality, according to historians, his… READ MORE

Quoted Instructions for "New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event" Assignment:

Analysis of New York Times coverage of a topic from the 1950s. IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PAPER IS NOT a report on an event from the 1950s. It is an analysis of the way The New York Times reported on that topic

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Review the history of the U.S. in the 1950s and select a preliminary topic to investigate. (The sooner you do this, the more time you will have to narrow or broaden the topic, if necessary, or to change topics if another one seems more interesting or doable.)

2. Go the Historical New York Times AT the MC Library website, NOT at nytimes.com

3. Limit the search to articles only and to specific dates (and exclude articles from the AP and UPI.) Check off titles that look promising. Scan their contents. Widen or narrow the search as necessary.

4. Select at least 3-5 articles on one aspect of your topic from the 1950s.

5. Print them out. (The articles should not be included with the final paper.)

6. Take notes on the NYT articles. Are they clear? Interesting (or not)? Thorough (or not)? Accurate (or not)? Here you will judge the facts/coverage in the articles in light of the facts/coverage from the other sources as well. Provide specific examples to support your reasons on all of these points.

7. Analyze the articles further in light of what OTHER SOURCES tell you about the topic.

8. DO NOT USE ANY internet website unless you get specific approval of it by me.

9. Write a preliminary outline of your analysis of the articles. Do not write an outline of the topic or even of the order of articles. Rather the outline shows the organization of your thoughts/your analysis. This is due on Nov. 17.

10. Compile a *****Works Cited***** page with

title and date of article(s), with authors, if listed

title, author, publisher, date of books

date of class notes (if applicable)

NOTE: Cite each use of the material. Every, single use of the sources must be credited. This includes any new information, even if expressed in your own words. For an explanation of how and when to cite sources, see the School of Arts website. Also, I will help you any way I can on this and any aspect of the paper. A Note on Plagiarism: Copying/pasting from the Internet or any other source is stealing *****“ a serious academic offense *****“ and will result in an F.

11. Citation format:

for historians: author last name, page number

for NYT articles: author (if listed), title of article, date

12. Write a preliminary draft of the heart of the paper *****“ the central section *****“ i.e. your analysis of the way the articles treat the event, with examples, and evaluated in light of the way the secondary sources present the historical record. When the articles and the secondary sources differ, analyze which is likely more accurate, and why. Rewrite this central section several times.

Write the conclusion: what is your overall assessment of this particular coverage, and why?

13. Write the introduction, introducing the reader to YOUR OWN ANALYSIS OF NYT*****S TREATMENT.

14. Rewrite the draft many times: for clarity, accuracy, style, examples, etc.

15. Come up with an interesting title that hints at your conclusion, one that reflects

your own analysis/opinions/conclusions regarding the ARTICLES***** COVERAGE/TREATMENT/APPROACH to the topic. AGAIN, THE TITLE IS NOT ABOUT THE ELECTION BUT HINTS AT YOUR VIEW OF THE COVERAGE.

*****

How to Reference "New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event" Thesis in a Bibliography

New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.

New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event (2009). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306
A1-TermPaper.com. (2009). New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306 [Accessed 28 Sep, 2024].
”New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event” 2009. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306.
”New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306.
[1] ”New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2009. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306. [Accessed: 28-Sep-2024].
1. New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2009 [cited 28 September 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306
1. New York Times Treaded the Sputnik Event. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/new-york-times-treaded/54306. Published 2009. Accessed September 28, 2024.

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