An episode in The Alabama Experience documentary series
This program was produced by Michael Letcher (mletcher@cpt.ua.edu ).
Suggested grade levels: 9-12
This tape would be appropriate for those studying Alabama history, journalism, writing, government affairs, and the media.
Program length: 27 minutes. It can be shown in two shorter segments, though, by stopping the tape at 12:34 when Brandy Ayers says "they have a right to believe it's their country too, and so do we." Zero the VCR's counter or start timing when the opening of the show begins.
The Anniston Star is a daily newspaper that is praised by many media observers, is a proving ground that attracts young reporters from across the nation, and reflects the passions and persuasions of the family that has published it for 82 years. This program shows how Anniston's development as a post-Civil War "model city" made it the rare Southern town where a progressive newspaper could thrive. It also presents a colorful portrait of the current editor of the paper, Brandt Ayers, who says the Star's legacy is to "comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable."
Viewers will learn about the relationship between a newspaper and its publisher. The opinions expressed on a newspaper's editorial page and the stories it covers may upset its readers. But these items further the agenda of the person or organization who publishes it. Viewers will also see a portrait of Brandt Ayers, a prominent, colorful and controversial Alabamian. In addition, they will learn about the unique history of Anniston, a town that's different from others in the South because it's newer and was carefully planned.
aristocrat: a privileged, wealthy individual with greater influence in politics, business, and government than others.
cantankerous gadfly: an easily irritated, outspoken person eager to give his or her opinions.
egalitarian: one who believes all humans are equal.
monopoly: exclusive ownership of a single enterprise in an area. The Anniston Star is a monopoly because it's the only daily newspaper in its community.
nepotism: showing favoritism to a relative. (In this case, Ayers became publisher because his family owned the newspaper.)
1. How did Anniston get its name? (It was named for the daughter of General Tyler, one of its founders.)
2. Why was slavery never a part of Anniston's history? (The city wasn't created until after the Civil War. There were few slaveholders--or slaves--in the remotely populated area.)
3. Who's the single largest employer in Anniston? (Fort McClellan)
4. Why do you think the first paper in Anniston was named the "Daily Hot Blast?" (Refers to the blast ovens of the burgeoning steel and iron industry there.)
1. Anniston is a relatively new city in Alabama. Many of the state's older cities were built on the water--Mobile on Mobile Bay; Selma and Montgomery on the Alabama River; Tuscaloosa on the Black Warrior. These waterways formed a vital transportation network 150 years ago. Why wasn't Anniston located on a river? (By the time it was created, railroads were replacing rivers as the state's important transportation system. Birmingham was built after the Civil War and similarly located on a railroad, not a river.)
2. Why did Time Magazine call The Anniston Star one of the best small newspapers in the country? (Unlike other papers its size it has a foreign correspondent, its journalists are better trained; and more space is devoted to news rather than advertising.)
3. Ayers says his two big talents are nepotism and monopoly. What's he mean by this? (Refer to glossary if necessary.)
4. Some readers say the Anniston Star pays too much attention to foreign and international stories. Ask students if they think Ayers is especially interested in international stories because his grandfather served as a missionary to China. Then ask if any of the students have been outside of the United States. (Perhaps they've been on vacation in Europe. Maybe they lived overseas when a parent was in the military, or teaching, or serving as a missionary.) See if students who have these experiences feel that they are more interested in international news than other students.
5. Ayers explains his father said the newspaper should be the attorney for the most defenseless. Who's most defenseless in your community? If your school paper had such a philosophy, who would it defend?
6. In the program Ayers says "we had a vision of a better kind of South than the one that developed." Ask students what they like and dislike about the South. Have any of them been to Atlanta, one of region's biggest commercial centers? Do they wish the place they lived was more like Atlanta? What problems arise from living in a big city? What are the disadvantages of living in a small town?
7. Anniston's a model city. Its founders selectively invited many of its first settlers. Working alone or in groups, ask your students to design their own model city for Alabama. They should make these considerations in their planning:
*location
*name
*who they would invite to settle there
*industries they wish to locate there
*transportation networks
*The size they think their model city should be
8. There's no "heir apparent" to the Anniston Star. Publisher Brandt Ayers doesn't plan to make anyone in the family his successor. He says he is committed to keeping it a "community newspaper." Have one student in your class take the role of Brandt Ayers. Have another pretend to be the person who wants to be the next publisher of the Star. Have them conduct the "job interview" in front of the class. The prospective publisher must demonstrate that he or she understands the paper's history and purpose. And this person should be able to explain what makes a newspaper "a community newspaper."
1. Mention is made in the program of The Scottsboro Boys, the controversial 1931 trial in Scottsboro, Ala., where nine black youths were convicted of raping two white women. The convictions were later overturned. Have a student or group of students research and make a report on this famous case.
2. Ayers describes himself as a progressive and a liberal. Many people with that label might favor drastic cutbacks in the military. Have students explain why that position might put Ayers at odds with his readers. (If necessary, remind them that the largest employer in the community is Fort McClellan, an army base.)
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