J. O. Emmerich : Study in community journalism

PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY: This study is concerned with an examination of Emmerich's approach to the social and economic problems of his community with a detailed look at a major editorial campaign in each of the two areas. It reflects the concern Emmerich holds for the practical application of community service journalism and how he has labored to see his community's needs fulfilled. The method of research Involved collecting and abstracting pertinent material primarily from the files of, and oral discourse with, Oliver Emmerich. Other sources include personal correspondence with men who have worked closely with Emmerich in the two areas of this study, personal correspondence with the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Hoddlng Carter II, who is a close friend of Emmerich's, and an examination of numerous magazine and newspaper articles concerning Emmerich. Selection, classification, and rejection of all material was performed on a basis of providing as deep an insight as possible into the problems Emmerich faced in his community and how he handled them. In a study of this nature, it is understood that there are certain limitations to be considered. Chief of these limitations is the problem of defining and measuring the degree of success Emnetioh has had with community service journalism. In a study devoted to finding a praotloal meaning of oommunlty service journalism, Fred W. Troutman defined the term as follows: Community service Is the planned effort of a newspaper to meet an economic, civic, political, social, cultural, spiritual, or moral need of its community. Action to meet such needs may be originated by the newspaper, or it may be newspaper support of action originating from other sources. Whatever the origin, action on the part of the newspaper must be sustained, and must be based upon true and unselfish evaluation by the editor and his staff of the real need and the best answer to that need. Action on the part of the newspaper in the name of public or community service can only be such if it is done in the Interest of the community and not the newspaper or its staff? Yet it remains a human judgment as to whether a particular action Is In the "Interest" of the community. While the action may appear justifiable or even enthusiastically endorsed by the community at its conception, its long range effects could be disastrous. Emmerich's own definition of the term reflects the same problem. "It means a newspaper's full commitment to making Its oommunlty a cleaner, better and happier place for the people who reside in it." It shall be another objective of this study to reflect the practical application of Troutman's definition of community service through examples of Emmerich's efforts to reach and. help hie community and. what the results of those efforts were. It should, be pointed, out that Emmerich does not limit his geographical community to his immediate town of McComb or even strictly to his county of Pike, although major emphasis is placed on the town and county. Instead, his community extends throughout the rolling hill country of Southwest Mississippi overlapping into Louisiana. It is Emmerich's belief that if the immediate vicinity is to be prosperous, then the entire area's potentialities and needs must be considered. For that reason, Emmerich directs his ideas and appeals to the entire section in the hope of developing the area into a socially and economically prosperous "community".