This study examines the work of the women journalists who operated the government newspaper in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II. Drawing upon feminist and gender perspectives in global historical scholarship and a critical discourse historical approach, this exploratory research examined 102 issues published from September 4, 1943, to August 9, 1945, after the bombing of Hiroshima. The study finds that the newspaper relied upon women for leadership and staff throughout its existence and shows how two women-led staffs shared news, including the “woman’s angle,” to the flash community of 75,000 during a pivotal moment in history. It reconsiders the wartime contributions of “soft news” on the women’s page and in fashion columns, adds to the scholarship of gendered tension in wartime newspapers, and brings belated understanding and recognition to the women-led staff, while recognizing their impact on the field of journalism.
Moroney et al. (Tue,) studied this question.