What is it about?
This article centres on John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown, two Mancunians who were the first people to fly the Atlantic non-stop, yet are largely neglected as a subject of acclaim or study and even the centenary of their historic flight from Newfoundland to Ireland went by virtually uncelebrated in Britain in 2019. Alcock died six months after their ground-breaking flight and Brown, an understated character, was not comfortable with fame, but their circumstances and disposition do not explain why they have been forgotten. This article will try to explain why by examining the coverage of three newspapers, one provincial and two national, through the lens of news values.
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Why is it important?
This looks at the role of the news agenda in creating celebrity.
Perspectives
The centenary of Alcock and Brown's historic flight was largely unacknowledged in the UK. This article hopes to explain why.
Dr Guy Hodgson
Liverpool John Moores University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: ‘Sadly forgotten’? Newspaper coverage of the first men to fly the Atlantic non-stop, Alcock and Brown, Media History, December 2019, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/13688804.2019.1702008.
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