Birddogs and Tough Old Broads

Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s

Pete Smith

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9798216279792
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Communication Studies
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Birddogs and Tough Old Broads: Women Journalists of Mississippi and a Century of State Politics, 1880s-1980s documents the professional experiences and observations of more than a dozen journalists, all women, all covering Mississippi state politics over the course of a century—from the 1880s, right after the end of Reconstruction (when newspapers were the primary source of information) to the 1980s, a time period marked by steady declines in both news revenue and circulation, and the emergence of corporate journalism, led by media conglomerates like Gannett.
Pete Smith argues that the experiences of the women journalists reflect broader social, political, legal, and cultural struggles and changes in both the South and the nation during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The evolution of the modern-day political journalist, particularly for southern women who aspired to such a position, can be seen in their struggles and accomplishments.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• “My Own Beloved Land”
• “If This Is Treason, Make the Most of It”
• “Raising Unshirted Hell”
• “Wrongdoing Uncovering”
• “A Kick-Ass Fun Time”
• “All Hell Broke Loose”
• “Go Get the Story”
• “I Think You Could Do This”
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author