The News as It Happened

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About This Exhibit

The 1960s and 1970s, described by reporter Jim Squires as journalism’s golden age, was defined by such iconic cultural and political developments as the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and Watergate. It was a time when the role of journalists in society had never carried more weight, and a time when the news was valued on a national level. The 1960s and 1970s, described by reporter Jim Squires as journalism’s golden age, was defined by such iconic cultural and political developments as the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and Watergate. It was a time when the role of journalists in society had never carried more weight, and a time when the news was valued on a national level. Tennesseans Jim Squires, Jack Hurst, Jack Corn, and Charles Bissell rose to prominence during this period, embodying a spirit of insightful and reliable reporting through their respective coverage and careers. Editor and journalist Squires, music journalist Hurst, photojournalist Corn, and political cartoonist Bissell reported on social problems from Appalachian poverty to racial tensions in Nashville. The collective efforts of these journalists and others like them facilitated productive cultural and political discourse that gave way to an informed citizenry and ushered in an era of indispensable news coverage and thought-provoking journalism.

The Democrat February 24, 1964

Publisher Washington, D.C. Jack Corn Collection

Date February 24, 1964

Source Jack Corn Collection, Vanderbilt University Special Collections

Jack Corn’s photography appeared on the front page of The Democrat’s February 24, 1964, issue out of Washington D.C. The photograph accompanies a headline that reads “Poverty Haunts Mother, Eight Children,” and depicts a family living in Clear Fork Valley, TN in a shack with an income of roughly $8 a week. President Lyndon B. Johnson used this image for his War on Poverty campaign.

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