News Coverage of Jewish Persecution in the Chicago Tribune
Open Access
Author:
Sakhnovsky, Audrey
Area of Honors:
Journalism
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Boaz Dvir, Thesis Supervisor Russell Frank, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Jewish Persecution Holocaust Chicago Tribune European Jews WWII News Coverage
Abstract:
This thesis is a critical assessment of the journalistic practices taken by the Chicago Tribune in their coverage of Jewish persecution in the years leading up to and during U.S. involvement in World War II. Key events in Nazi Germany’s political moves, signs of progression in the Final Solution, and survival efforts on behalf of European Jews are examined through historic articles. Close textual analysis shows the Chicago Tribune was swayed by nationalist and isolationist sentiment in post-WWI America. The newspaper kept U.S. citizens unaware of the terrors abroad. Moving forward, the paper should liken itself to other news organizations such as the New York Times or the Associated Press and issue an apology for their reportage on Jewish persecution.