Society Coverage
I am finishing the revisions on my book chapter on women and gossip – focusing on the content of the women’s pages. Today I wrote about Kathryn Robinette.
Kathryn Robinette won Penney-Missouri Awards for her women’s section of the Palm Beach Post in 1966 and 1968. She earned an undergraduate degree and then a master’s degree in English from the University of Chicago before trying women’s page journalism in 1960 in Georgia.
She wrote in a letter: “I typed weddings and all that tiresome stuff but managed to fall in love with the work anyway. I also formed firm opinions about what type of story best served the reader’s interest – having been one for so long.” Unlike many women’s page editor, she married and had children. While she reported from the many galas of Palm Beach, she covered social issues, too.
In the chapter I am writing, I document the change in society coverage to be more inclusive of people in all social classes. As Robinette’s obituary noted: “High social status was not a prerequisite for coverage. If your cause was legitimate, she would scoop you up and off she went.”
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