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Stunt Girls: Elizabeth Bisland, Nell Nelson, and Ada Patterson as Rivals to Nellie Bly

Peko, Samantha N.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0989-7072
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1468945971

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
In the 1880s, women journalists working for newspapers were confined to writing for the “women’s pages.” They wrote about food, fashion, and culture. But change was on the horizon. Nellie Bly made headlines for her “stunt girl” reporting in 1887, and papers around the country were quick to follow. “Stunt girl” journalism opened the doors for many women reporters. Women reporters transitioned from being a novelty to a welcome addition to the newsrooms. Yet, other than Nellie Bly, the legacies and reports of Bly’s adversaries has been lost to history. This thesis resurrects three “stunt girls” who were well known in their own time: Nell Nelson, Elizabeth Bisland, and Ada Patterson. Primary sources from the nineteenth century were studied to determine who these women were, what they did, and how they used their notoriety to create a place for themselves at a job that they were initially barred from entering.
Michael Sweeney (Committee Chair)
Aimee Edmondson (Committee Member)
Marilyn Greenwald (Committee Member)
121 p.
History; Journalism; Womens Studies
stunt girls; women in journalism; Elizabeth Bisland; Nell Nelson; Ada Patterson; Nellie Bly; nineteenth century newspapers; 1890s; undercover reporting; Chicago Times; Saint Louis Republic; North American Review; Meg Merrilies; early women journalists

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Peko, S. N. (2016). Stunt Girls: Elizabeth Bisland, Nell Nelson, and Ada Patterson as Rivals to Nellie Bly [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1468945971

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Peko, Samantha. Stunt Girls: Elizabeth Bisland, Nell Nelson, and Ada Patterson as Rivals to Nellie Bly. 2016. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1468945971.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Peko, Samantha. "Stunt Girls: Elizabeth Bisland, Nell Nelson, and Ada Patterson as Rivals to Nellie Bly." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1468945971

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.