Professor Gregory Shaya of the history department presented ìMan Bites Dog and Other News Fantasies: Sensationalism in Late 19th and Early 20th Century France” as the first Faculty at Large Lecture of the Spring semester on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in Lean Lecture Hall.
Shaya presented his findings of studying sensationalist newspapers in France at the turn of the 20th century.† His work centered around the ideas of German philosopher Jurgen Habermas, who believed the ìpublic sphere” operated as a place for public discourse and critical and rational debate.
Shaya argued that as French newspapers became more widespread, they contributed to the development of French culture in the public sphere.† He said that the press shapes the public conceptions, and those ideals ìshape politics, social experience and every day life.”
According to Shaya, the rapid increase in newspapers printed daily to demonstrate the power of the French press.† In 1860, 150,000 newspapers were printed per day in Paris, and that number increased to 1 million in 10 years and by 1910 stood at 5 million.
Shaya used examples of four dominant newspapers of the time period, all which used sensational news stories to attract readers.† Violence, animal attacks, murders and child abuse were all common themes that caught the attention of readers.† Graphic illustrations usually accompanied the most gruesome stories.† Publications usually printed novels in every edition, giving its readers entertainment as well as sensationalized news.
Newspapers appealed to emotions, said Shaya, which in turn impacted society by integrating separate social groups and creating a sense of belonging, as well as support for republicanism.
ìThe fantasy of solidarity in the late 19th century press promised to bring people together in new ways, to create a new community,” said Shaya.
Even the newspapers themselves used this mindset to appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.† ìLe Petit Journal,” one of the four prominent newspapers of the time, used the slogan, ìall classes rub shoulders in reading Le Petit Journal.”† Similarly, ìLe Petit Parisian” gave its readers the sense that their newspaper would bring people together in ìsublime communication,” said Shaya.
The widespread appeal not only marketed the newspapers to the most amount of people, but it brought the French people together and created an emotionally responsive culture.
According to Habermas, the press produces a certain kind of people, and Shaya concluded that the French press of the late 19th and early 20th centuries created a culture of empathetic and emotional people who value an emotional response to suffering.
Shaya earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michican after studying in Paris and at the University of California, Berkeley.† He is an associate professor in the history department and is currently completing a manuscript, tentatively titled ìMayham for Moderns: The Sensationalism of Violence in Modern France.”† Although his previous work has focused on French history, Shaya recently began work on the history of the Wayne County Fair.