Abstract
This study seeks to analyze the response of the US media to the rise of Hitler, a process which occurred during the Great Depression, in the 1930s. At a time when the attention of the country was focused on domestic economic problems, assessment of the rise of a leader who became such a prominent figure is an interesting topic worthy of analysis. While his rise could not be wholly ignored, one can imagine that it would probably have been spoken of more in a less tense domestic climate. Overall, this study shows that the rise of the Fuhrer was not described in as critical of a way as should be expected of a democratic nation, especially one that would go on to fight, in an extremely bloody and protracted manner, this man and all he represented.
Highlights
In an attempt to establish an adequate answer to the question, we must firmly establish what can be considered to be an appropriate representation of what constitutes the United States’ media
The Wall Street Journal attempted to write about what concerned its readers, which is why its economic leaning was readily consumed by members of the American public during the Great Depression
Like Time Magazine, The Literary Digest seemed to reflect what was on the mind of the average American
Summary
Framing theory is an idea that was first formally elaborated by Erving Goffman. Goffman’s essay, Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience, advances his postulation that humans operate in primary frameworks, which govern the way they interpret the events of their environment. In this analysis, news sources will be viewed in their coverage of Hitler regarding two aspects: both the simple mention, measured quantitatively, of the events of his rise and the rise of Nazism, as well as the attitude of the articles in which he was mentioned, and how this attitude was related to media-framing, if that proves to be motivation behind the tone of the author. Goffman’s essay, Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience, advances his postulation that humans operate in primary frameworks, which govern the way they interpret the events of their environment.1 In this analysis, news sources will be viewed in their coverage of Hitler regarding two aspects: both the simple mention, measured quantitatively, of the events of his rise and the rise of Nazism, as well as the attitude of the articles in which he was mentioned, and how this attitude was related to media-framing, if that proves to be motivation behind the tone of the author. This theory argues that journalists knowingly present information in a specific way (a “frame”) This frame, in line with Goffman’s ideas, greatly affects how the reader interprets information.
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