St.

Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project

A SMALL TOWN GOAL TO INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS

How mass media affected, and influenced, the Six Million Paperclips project. In 1998, two teachers at Whitwell Middle School in Whitwell, Tennessee began a voluntary after-

RACE IN WHITWELL, TENNESSEE

school program that was aimed at teaching the students about diversity through the context of the Holocaust. Although the Holocaust had occurred over 50 years earlier, the teachers believed that the horrific event would be a somber symbol of the destructive nature of intolerance. The end result

WHITE (97.2%) BLACK (2%) HISPANIC (0.6%) OTHER (0.2%)

All statistics taken from Whitwell, Tennessee website. http://www.citydata.com/city/Whitwell-Tennessee.html

of this project was staggering over 11 000 000 paperclips from around the world were collected and stored in a permanent monument made from a restored railcar used during the Holocaust. The story of the students efforts has been
Voluntary acting on free will or free choice. Immortalized unending fame.

immortalized in two book publications and in film. It is undisputable that the Six Million Paperclips project was an immediate success in the small town of Whitwell. With a population of 1, 5831, the entire community of Whitwell came together to support and contribute to the project. However, this project also obtained another level of success. This level of success is due to the fact All statistics taken from Whitwell, Tennessee website. http://www.citydata.com/city/Whitwell-Tennessee.html
1

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project that through the use of media, the Six Million Paperclips project achieved national and international recognition and acclaim. The Advantage of Media When the Six Million Paperclips project first began, the goal of the students was to collect six million paperclips one for every Jewish citizen who lost their life during the Holocaust. Collectively, the students began to advocate for donations of paperclips from a wide variety of public figures and celebrities. This campaign produced positive results for the students, but also left the students feeling slightly disheartened. But after some time, the excitement died down, and at the end of the year, the Holocaust group had received only 160,000 paperclips. The students did the math and found that at this rate, it would take 3.75 years to reach their goal.2 Despite the early results, the students maintained their hope and were rewarded for their perseverance. In 1999, German Correspondent journalists Peter and Dagmar Schroeder learned about the project.3 Upon learning the goal of the project, both Schroeders began to advocate on behalf of the students. As journalists and correspondents to German newspapers, the
Acclaim enthusiastic approval. Collectively when individuals work as a group. Perseverance continuing in spite of difficulties.

Schroeders did the one thing they knew best wrote newspaper articles. The result of the Schroeders appeals was overwhelming. Additionally, the Washington Post featured an article regarding the project in early 2001 entitled, A Measure of Hope. Schroeder, Peter W. and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand. Six Million Paperclips The Making of a Childrens Holocaust Memorial. Ken-Ben Publishing, Minneapolis, 2004. P. 19 3 Schroeder and Schroeder-Hildebrand, p. 20.
2

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project

In the first three weeks after the articles appeared, the students received 2,000 letters and counted more than 46,000 paperclips. Letters came from children as young as six. The oldest writer was ninety-eight.4 There is no denying the impact that the media had on the large-scale success of the Six Million Paperclips project. While the fundamental success story is that of educating and informing the students, the students also learned how to advocate for issues that impact a greater population. That being said, the media outlets utilized by the Schroeders resulted in the students message being spread throughout the international community. The awareness caused by the newspaper articles, both in Germany and the United Stats, led to an outpouring of donations. Furthermore, the story was also promoted on national news programs, further increasing the amount of public awareness. Overall, by utilizing the available media outlets, the students of Whitwell Middle School were able to promote their message and advocate for their cause throughout not only their country, but also throughout the globe. The impact of the medias influence was tremendous. The students collected so many paperclips that they were able to increase quota from six million to eleven million, the number of total victims of the Holocaust.5 The students learned that the Nazis also killed political opponents, Socialists, Communists, handicapped people, Jehovahs Witnesses, homosexuals, and others everyone who didnt believe in or didnt fit
Utilize to put to use. Quota a fixed total amount of quantity.

Schroeder and Schroeder-Hildebrand, p.22 The total number of victims of the Holocaust represents not only Jewish citizens, but also other groups targeted by the Nazis such as homosexuals, the mentally and physically challenged, and communists.
4 5

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project into their ideology of a superior race. There were actually eleven million victims.6 The Disadvantage of Media There is no doubt that the use of media outlets resulted in many advantages for the students participating in the Six Million Paperclips project. The national and international attention that the media drew to the project helped the students to achieve their goals and be heard as an empowering voice. Regardless of the positive elements, some individuals felt that the media had created a flawed image of the community of Whitwell and the project. Some reports created an image of Whitwell as an impoverished, backwards community where racism and intolerance were prevalent. Although this portrayal of the community would help to sell the idea, some members felt betrayed and angered by what they considered to be an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of the community. Most of the reporters who had covered the paper-clip story had portrayed Whitwell as a kind of present-day Dogpatch. Principal Hooper was not pleased.7 We must always remember that the media is a creation with a specific, and intended, purpose. With regards to news reports, the purpose is twofold to inform and entertain. Those who employed the image of Whitwell as an impoverished town were attempting to capture
Empowering to give authority to. Flawed having imperfections. Impoverished reduced to poverty. Prevalent widespread.

the readers sense of empathy and justice. In essence, the reporters were trying to sell the readers and convince them to act. While Whitwell is a

Schroeder and Schroeder-Hildebrand, 25 Milk, Leslie. Can You Feel The Souls?. Washingtonian Magazine. October 1, 2003. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/6461.html
6 7

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project lower-income community with limited employment, some residents believed that the image created was hurtful and damaging to the community. All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values. Marshal McLuhan, Canadian philosopher and educator. Overall, the success of this project has been tremendous. The students from Whitwell Middle School learned that no goal is ever unachievable. By using the media outlets and forms available to them, the students were able to broadcast their message to an international audience. This heightened sense of awareness was instrumental in making this small project a major advocacy program aimed at teaching the world about intolerance and diversity. However, throughout the project, the media was guilty of embellishing the context of the story. In numerous examples, the students, and community, were portrayed as being backwards and poverty stricken. In an attempt to entertain and inform, the media used an exaggerated depiction of the community and students to create a greater sense of empathy among readers and viewers. While there is little doubt that the students would have eventually achieved their goal, it is important to note that the medias involvement was instrumental in ensuring the success of the project.

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project A Small Town Goal to International Awareness DEBATE ORGANIZER In the article entitled A Small Town Goal to International Awareness, the influence of the media on the Six Million Paperclips project was presented as having both advantages and disadvantages. Review the article and fill in the chart below.

ARGUMENTS FOR THE ADVANTAGES OF MEDIA

ARGUMENTS FOR THE DISADVANTAGES OF MEDIA

OVERALL, DO YOU THINK THAT THE MEDIA HAD A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ON THE Six Million Paperclips PROJECT?

St. Rita Media Group

Advocacy Project