The journalism of the turn of the last century laid the foundation for what is standard today.

As noted in previous columns, in 1899 the Geneva Daily Times changed from covering local events to relying heavily on reports and features from various newspapers and magazines picked up by the wire services. The pervasive influence of the wire services was a key factor in the homogenized and shallow news coverage across the country, resulting in the wide circulation and reinforcement of racial, ethnic, and gendered stereotypes.

The Times’ July 4 editorial draws upon an article by Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis, first published in Ladies Home Journal. Hillis was a popular, widely published minister who advocated eugenics, organized the first and second Race Betterment Conferences, and served as vice president of the Race Betterment Foundation. The wire-service article is about the modern condition and seems quite innocuous at first: “The nervous excesses of to-day cause unhappiness and depression. Modern civilization is very complex, competition is fierce, and life is full of fret and fever.”

Today, the display racks in Barnes and Noble or other stores selling “Women’s Interest” magazines advise women on how to overcome “stress” by being mindful; for example, Oprah’s “O, Let it Go,” “Breathe,” “Mindful You,” “Sage,” and “Mindful,” to name a few. The concern about becoming “mindful” was certified as a cultural trend on the cover of the February 3, 2014 Time, which featured a........

© Finger Lakes Times