2000: The New Century - A Note
Introduction to 21st Century Snapshots
In a 1943 article, journalist Alan Barth wrote, “News is only the first rough draft of history.” The Washington Post editor, Philip Graham, is often more closely associated with the phrase. His more famous quote use of the phrase occurred in 1963 when he said, “So let us today drudge on about our inescapably impossible task of providing every week a first rough draft of history that will never be completed about a world we can never really understand.” (Shafer, 2010)
Historians may view journalists as somewhat unreliable narrators, but they indeed capture history as it is happening - albeit from one particular perspective. As we move into the 21st century in the history section of The Saint Louis Story, we undoubtedly are beginning to walk the thin line between history and journalism. As such our articles may be rely more upon newspapers and current events reporting. We include these snapshots to demonstrate the ongoing link in the efforts of many to move America beyond the “afterlife of slavery” and to continue to highlight the thread that still connects 1619 with our present.
Reference
Shafer, J. (2010). Who Said It First? Journalism is the “first rough draft of history.’ Slate: Press Box.