A Yellow Journalist

by Miriam Michelson, Lee Ann Howlett (Narrator)

Rhoda Massey is a young, sharp reporter for a daily newspaper in San Francisco. After proving herself an astute and fearless investigator on her first big story, she spends most of her waking hours running down leads and doing (almost) anything it takes to produce headline grabbing tales and to be the first one to do so. She must compete with her male colleagues where she works but also with those from other newspapers. Rhoda discovers it useful to be pretty and small in stature (great for eavesdropping from tight and unusual locations) but it's her shrewd mind and her nose for news that propel her to pursue stories in dangerous places and, sometimes, from dangerous characters. Just how far is she prepared to go as a ‘yellow’ journalist who wants the truth and at what price to her integrity? Then there’s the respected and handsome reporter, Ted Thompson, from a rival newspaper. Will he have a place in Rhoda’s life?

Audiobook

First published December 28, 2009

About the author

Miriam Michelson (1870-1942) was an American journalist and writer.

Miriam Michelson was born in the mining town of Calaveras, California, in 1870. She was the seventh of eight children of Samuel and Rosalie (née Przylubska) Michelson, who immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1855. Her oldest brother, physicist Albert A. Michelson, was the first American citizen to win a Nobel Prize for science; and the youngest, journalist Charles Michelson, became a close assistant to Franklin D. Roosevelt. She worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and later, in Philadelphia, for the North American.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young and pretty female reporter for a daily newspaper in San Francisco does whatever it takes (including crawling out onto high ledges to listen in at windows) to get her story. As one of the only women in her profession at the time, she calmly fights against the prejudice of the era by being excellent at what she does. Her ingenious methods of finding the scoop are often amusing. I gave it only 3 stars because the continuity of the story is often confusing. Many chapters focus on single investigative stories, while sometimes a main story theme is developed. First published in 1905. I listened to this novel as a free audio download from LibriVox.org.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhoda Massey's adventures as a San Francisco newspaper journalist. The novel covers some of her investigative reporting and delves a bit into her personal life including the challenges she faces in the then male-dominated field...

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild and exciting fast paced read. It made me think of the "The Front Page", crossed with Charles Dana Gibson's illustrations.