Five Stat Final, Ethical Collapse in Business

There’s a common phrase amongst business men and women today, that goes something along the lines of, “business-ethics is an oxymoron.” This idea stems from a rather cynical standpoint, in which some believe that for one to maximize their own profits, they must abandon moral values, and who may get taken advantage of on the path to achieve one’s goal.

The 1931 film, Five Star Final is an outlier here, or at least, that’s what many would think upon watching the first-half, or basic summary of this story unfold on the silver screen. A story of a newspaper, The Gazette, hoping to share an investigative report of an old scandal involving one Miss Nancy Townsend, and the alleged murder she committed. A valiant cause to expose the truth in the face of the public, right?

Well, no. Not at all. Upon further watching we learn that Nancy’s case had been dead and buried for nearly 20 years, with courts unable to charge her. 

"Good Night, and Good Luck." The Story of Edward R. Murrow

Good Night, and Good Luck. Five words that began to be spoken nightly in the early 40s. Five words that would linger forever, in the legacy of the man who spoke them, and five words which people across the world would never forget. 

The year is 1940, and Nazi Germany is on the move. By the time July had rolled around that year, Axis powers had conquered France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, all in a matter of just three months. What was prompted after was the battle of Britain, in which England’s people would be forced to fight for their lives against an onslaught invasion of Naval and Airborne German-Nazi, and Italian-Fascist soldiers. Referring to the fight by this title was ultimately short-lived, because what followed could hardly be called two sided.

Yellow Journalism, The Era of The Bold

Despite early myths regarding this historical era of American Press, Yellow Journalism was an era of the news most simply regarded as a time of “Journalism as Action."

Publick Occurrences, The First Building Block of American Journalism

Have you ever felt that the measure of your success, in a particular project or area of your life, wasn’t fully appreciated until much after the fact? That other’s, or yourself, only reaped the benefits of your wisdom further down the road?

Me in 500 words.

William Hughes

Vegas night, 2024
Aspetuck Valley Country Club

Lean into it, Willie Boy!

“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” —John Wayne. That’s a quote my dad always told me when I was a kid, and to a certain extent, it’s how I try to live my life.