This is the first time I’ve used Wikipedia, and I had a great time learning the html codes (it brought me back to sixth grade, when I learned this stuff the first time). It was a bit tricky learning how to make headings and cite references, but I figured it out and am proud of the results:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_magazine
I will be continuing my edits as I find more sources.
Originally, the wikipedia page was a “stub”, which means that it didn’t offer enough information to provide “encyclopedic knowledge” of the subject. So I added everything after the first paragraph. First I added the “Film Fan Magazines” heading (because this article originally included “Sports Illustrated” as a fan magazine, and I was only making edits to the film fan magazines, which seems to be the more popular delineation anyway). Then the “Content” section, because I felt people might not know what film “fan magazines” offered. Lastly, I included two categories, “Photoplay” (which is considered the first and most influential fan magazine) and “Confidential”, which was controversial because of it’s irreverent and salacious reporting on the stars who were previously protected by docile publications and overzealous studio publicity departments. I will be adding to Confidential’s section shortly as well. Of course, I also added several references.
I chose to edit the “fan magazine” Wikipedia because it was a stub and also fit in quite neatly with my path of inquiry. I have always been fascinated by fan magazines and the celebrity reporting of the past–specifically, reporting before the collapse of the studio system. There was quite a bit of manipulation of the public between the studios and the publications–since the studios kept the magazines in business by purchasing advertisements, the magazines agreed to “toe the line” and only publish approved content, most likely straight from the studio’s publicity department. So the stars looked good and made money, the studios looked good and made money, and the publications made money–it was a good deal for everyone. But as the studio system crumbled, a new kind of “fan magazines” took advantage and realized that the public wanted the “real story” on their celebrity idols. This led to the type of celebrity gossip we have today, which is unafraid to expose celebrity’s “faults” and missteps while also promoting them and their projects. It’s an interesting dichotomy that I look forward to exploring.
-C
TechnoLife 