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Quiz about More Giants of 20th Century American Journalism
Quiz about More Giants of 20th Century American Journalism

More Giants of 20th Century American Journalism Quiz


There are too many giants of 20th-century journalism to be covered in one quiz. So here is a second installment.

A multiple-choice quiz by chessart. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
chessart
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
375,223
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
475
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 172 (0/10), Guest 172 (0/10), Guest 75 (2/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Arguably the most influential newspaper editor of the 20th century, this Kansan gained fame in 1896 with his essay, "What's the Matter with Kansas". Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) was an influential journalist in the first half of the 20th century. He gained widespread notoriety through his cynical and sarcastic coverage of the 1925 trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution. Mencken covered this trial for which newspaper, a paper for which he continued to write until suffering a stroke in 1948? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Which wisecracking writer, a founding member of the famous Algonquin Roundtable, when informed that Calvin Coolidge had died, responded, "How could they tell"? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. One of the longest-running radio shows ever was a news and commentary program on ABC Radio lasting from 1951 until 2009. Who was this conservative Chicago broadcaster with a unique broadcasting style, who enjoyed telling "the rest of the story"? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Among the many jobs of this Oklahoma native were his syndicated newspaper column, which ran from 1922 to 1935, and his radio broadcasts, running from 1929 to 1935. Who is this versatile humorist, who supposedly never met a man he didn't like? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Three of these magazines got their start in the 20th century. Which is the exception? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. CNN, the first all-news television channel in the United States, was started in 1980 by which visionary entrepreneur? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Before Ernest Hemingway became a famous novelist, he was a reporter for a U.S. newspaper. For which paper did Hemingway write prior to leaving for service as an ambulance driver in World War One? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Our next journalistic giant wrote over 7,500 daily columns for Chicago newspapers during his long career, and his columns were syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the U.S. His biography of longtime Chicago mayor Richard Daley, entitled simply "Boss", spent 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Who is the longtime New York City newspaper columnist whose books include "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game", and "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight"? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 03 2024 : Guest 172: 0/10
Mar 03 2024 : Guest 172: 0/10
Feb 06 2024 : Guest 75: 2/10

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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Arguably the most influential newspaper editor of the 20th century, this Kansan gained fame in 1896 with his essay, "What's the Matter with Kansas".

Answer: William Allen White

From his humble beginnings as editor of the Emporia (Kansas) Gazette, William Allen White (1868-1944) became a nationally-recognized spokesman for small town Americana. He was an influential player on both the national and international stages right up until his death. For example, FDR relied on White to drum up opposition to the isolationist sentiment in the U.S. leading up to World War Two.

In his famous editorial "What's the Matter with Kansas", he bemoaned the population loss that was occurring as more and more people left the state, and he blamed the Populist Party for the state's problems. His editorial was reprinted across the nation as a way of drumming up support for the 1896 Republican presidential candidate, William McKinley, and this brought him into contact with many national Republican Party leaders.
2. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) was an influential journalist in the first half of the 20th century. He gained widespread notoriety through his cynical and sarcastic coverage of the 1925 trial of John Scopes for teaching evolution. Mencken covered this trial for which newspaper, a paper for which he continued to write until suffering a stroke in 1948?

Answer: Baltimore Sun

Mencken was a lifelong resident of Baltimore, in contrast to many great journalists who tended to move around a lot as they climbed the career ladder. In fact, Mencken lived all but a few years of his adult life in the same house in which he grew up. Mencken began his editorial page column in 1911, at a time when the newspaper column as an institution in the U.S. was still in its infancy.

By the 1920s he was focusing his writing more and more on social criticism rather than on politics. It was Mencken, the social critic, who coined the term "Bible Belt", and who dubbed the Scopes trial the "monkey trial".
3. Which wisecracking writer, a founding member of the famous Algonquin Roundtable, when informed that Calvin Coolidge had died, responded, "How could they tell"?

Answer: Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was an ardent defender of civil liberties, and wrote for several magazines during her long career, as well as writing a number of screenplays while living in Hollywood. The Algonquin Round Table consisted of a group of friends who met daily for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York during the 1920s. The other choices are members of this group.
4. One of the longest-running radio shows ever was a news and commentary program on ABC Radio lasting from 1951 until 2009. Who was this conservative Chicago broadcaster with a unique broadcasting style, who enjoyed telling "the rest of the story"?

Answer: Paul Harvey

Harvey was known for his unique blend of news and commentary. He was seamless in his transition between news, commentary, and commercial messages, an approach which advertisers seemed to like.
5. Among the many jobs of this Oklahoma native were his syndicated newspaper column, which ran from 1922 to 1935, and his radio broadcasts, running from 1929 to 1935. Who is this versatile humorist, who supposedly never met a man he didn't like?

Answer: Will Rogers

Rogers wrote and lectured in the style of Mark Twain, who died in 1910. Rogers was born in 1879, and died in a plane crash in 1935 while flying in Alaska with famous aviator Wiley Post.
6. Three of these magazines got their start in the 20th century. Which is the exception?

Answer: The Saturday Evening Post

"The Saturday Evening Post" was started in 1821. The other three were part of the publishing empire begun by Henry Luce(1898-1967) with the start of "Time" magazine in 1923, to be followed by "Fortune" in 1929 and "Sports Illustrated" in 1954. "Life" magazine was also an important part of the Luce empire. Luce's widow, Claire Boothe Luce, was a noteworthy national figure in her own right, serving as a member of Congress, ambassador to Italy and Brazil, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.
7. CNN, the first all-news television channel in the United States, was started in 1980 by which visionary entrepreneur?

Answer: Ted Turner

Turner lived in the CNN network headquarters in Atlanta for the first five years of CNN's existence, not leaving for his own apartment until the network finally broke even in its fifth year. Other networks started by Turner in the latter part of the 20th century include TNT, TBS, and TCM.

In 1991 Turner became the first media figure to be named "Time" magazine's Man of the Year (now Person of the Year).
8. Before Ernest Hemingway became a famous novelist, he was a reporter for a U.S. newspaper. For which paper did Hemingway write prior to leaving for service as an ambulance driver in World War One?

Answer: Kansas City Star

Although Hemingway's tenure at the "Star" was relatively brief, he always credited his editor there with improving his writing style. He frequently quoted the paper's style guide, which contained the admonition to "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative."
9. Our next journalistic giant wrote over 7,500 daily columns for Chicago newspapers during his long career, and his columns were syndicated in more than 600 newspapers across the U.S. His biography of longtime Chicago mayor Richard Daley, entitled simply "Boss", spent 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

Answer: Mike Royko

Mike Royko(1932-1997) won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1972. Herb Caen was a longtime San Francisco newspaper columnist, while Red Smith and Arthur Daley were famous New York sports columnists. All four choices are true journalistic giants.
10. Who is the longtime New York City newspaper columnist whose books include "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game", and "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight"?

Answer: Jimmy Breslin

"Can't Anybody Here Play this Game" is a book about the 1962 New York Mets season, which was pitiful. "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" is a novel based on the life of mobster Joey Gallo.
Source: Author chessart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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