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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. Jan. 16, 1962
We Were There-Or Were We?
By Arthur C. Miller
How has the University Daily Kansas handled the big national and international news stories of the past 50 years?
Ironically, it has had the opportunity to report three big breaking stories of 14 examined to its readers. Because a number of the important news events happened during periods when the Daily Kansan was not being published—periods such as week ends and vacations—the newspaper has been limited to the following three big world stories.
ON OCT. 24, 1929, the great stock market crash startled the world. On that day there was no mention of the crash, probably because the paper was already printed before the event occurred. But the Oct. 25 Kansan carried a review of the situation as explained by John Ise, professor of economics.
Then on Oct. 28, a story headlined, "Plunge In Market Today Takes Toll of $5,000,000" was run. The Oct. 29 issue carried a wire story that said, "Stock Market Break Causes Little Alarm Among High Officials."
World War I ended on Nov. 11, 1918. The Daily Kansan ran a false United Press dispatch on Nov. 7 which stated that the armistice had been signed. On Nov. 8 the Kansan continued its coverage of the war with no mention of the false report. The Kansan was not embarrassed, however, for nearly every paper in the country ran the false UP report.
When the actual end of the war came on Nov. 11, the Kansas made no mention of the signing except to say that "peace was had."
THE LAST BIG STORY the Kansan was able to cover was the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945. A Kansan Extra was published on that day. The special edition carried a large headline, "ROOSEVELT DIES."
Other headlines said:
"Suffers Cerebral Hemorrhage At Warm Springs; Burial Sunday," and "Significance of Democratic Battle Now Realized as Harry S. Truman Takes Over Presidential Duties."
The 11 stories that the Kansan was unable to cover follow.
On April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson announced that the U.S. would enter the first World War. The Kansan did not carry the story until April 11.
Prohibition went into effect on Jan. 16, 1920. No mention of the story can be found in the Daily Kansan for Jan. 16, 17, 18 or 19.
Charles Lindbergh's trans-Atlantic flight on May 20-21, 1927, happened at a poor time for the Daily Kansan and the story was given modest coverage.
ONE OF THE BIG TRIAL stories of the past 50 years was the case of criminals Saco and Vanzetti. The trial took place during the summer vacation and consequently there was no Kansan coverage.
In the 1930s Germany saw the rise of the Nazi party and Adolf
Famous Newsmen Served on Kansan
(Continued from page 2)
Conn.; J. Alan Coogan, public relations director of Creole Petroleum Corp. Caracas, Venezuela; Phil McKnight, public relations director of Beech Aircraft Corp., Wichita; Jack Morris, public relations director of Republic National Life Insurance Company, Dallas, Texas; and Dale O'Brien, president of his own company in Chicago.
AMONG WOMEN graduates who have attained high standing in the field are Muriel Mykland, who has an advertising agency in Panama City, Panam; Mary E. Turkington, editor, The Kansas Transporter magazine, Topeka; Cloe Norris, executive news editor, General Practice magazine, Kansas City, Mo.; Anna Mary Murphy, editor, Kansas Teacher magazine, Topeka; Mrs. James F. (Lois Lauer) Wolfe, publisher of the Jackson County Democrat, Blue Springs, Mo.; Patricia Jansen Doyle, education editor, Kansas City Times; and Jacqueline Jones, director of publication promotion, National Education Association, Washington, D.C.
Hitler who became chancellor of that nation on Jan. 30, 1933. There was nothing about it in the Daily Kansan, for there was no Kansan on that date.
The German army marched into an undefended Paris on June 14, 1940. There was no Daily Kansan.
Perhaps one of the biggest war stories was the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. This was a Sunday, and although there was a Sunday issue of the Kansan, it was probably printed before the attack occurred. There was no paper on Dec. 8, and the Dec. 9 Kansan mentioned the attack on page 3.
THE WAR NEARING ITS END,
the United States released the power of an atomic bomb against man. But on April 6, 1945, when the bomb was dropped, there was no Daily Kansan. The first mention of the new
weapon was on Aug. 10 in a story about a KU physicist who reportedly was on the team of scientists working on the bomb. His name was never known to reporters here.
Another step in the development of nuclear weapons was taken on May 21, 1956 when the U.S. dropped its first hydrogen-bomb. There was no story of the event in the daily Kansas. The big story on that day was, "Baker Sorority Hit by KU Panty Raid."
The Soviet Union launched the first earth satellite on Friday, Oct. 4, 1957. This announcement came late that evening and since there was no Saturday Kansan, the paper missed another big story.
A second big space story was the launching of the first American satellite on Jan. 31, 1958. This event happened during semester break and thus there was no Kansan, and no story.
On Feb. 22, 1912, the Kansan hit the streets of KU with an Extra saying that Woodrow Wilson would speak here.
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