By Andrew A. Smith
Tribune Content Agency
Sept. 4, 2014 -- Thanks to the Superman radio and TV show intros, everybody knows that Clark Kent has always been “a mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper.” But ongoing events in DC Comics’ Superman have not only altered the status quo, they’ve raised a lot of issues about journalism ethics, today’s media … and Clark Kent himself.
Now, make no mistake: Superman writers have always meant for readers to consider Clark Kent a top-flight reporter, mild manners notwithstanding. Superman stories, going back to the character’s inception in 1938, have invariably referred to Kent as an “ace” or “star” reporter, one whose byline is synonymous with “honesty and integrity” (Superman #98, 1955).
And at the same time, he’s been meek to the point of embarrassment. That doesn’t make a lot of sense – how can you be a great reporter, and be afraid of your own shadow? As it happens, that characterization was dropped from the reporter in the Adventures of Superman TV show, where a small F/X budget meant Clark Kent had a lot of screen time than Superman – and had to resolve problems without resorting to his more expensive other self. But in the comics, Kent has been preposterously mousy since Lois Lane started pushing Kent around in 1938.
That latter part, however, has changed. In 2011, DC Comics re-launched all their superhero characters, and in Superman’s case, began his story over again with young Clark Kent’s arrival in Metropolis. One major change in this brave new world is that Clark Kent isn’t quite as mild-mannered as he used to be. In fact, he’s an aggressive and idealistic investigative reporter who constantly engages in -- as Lois Lane admiringly refers to it -- “truth to power-ing.”
So, while this new Kent is still a star reporter, the Superman-Clark Kent dynamic has equalized. Today’s Clark Kent is just as much a hero as his caped alter ego.
“In the early days, (Clark’s) newspaper job was more of a front for his crime-fighting activities,” said Steve Korte, librarian/archivist at DC Comics, in an interview. “It was a handy place for him to find out what was going on in the world in terms of crime. He could easily slip into his costume and fly away and do his Superman duties without arousing too much suspicion. And now I think it’s probably gone the other way, to where the journalism is really important to him. He’s much more socially aware, perhaps. He probably values being a journalist more than in the early days.”
Especially as compared to, say, the early 1970s, when Kent was -- I kid thee not -- a TV news anchorman. In those days, his journalism career was more an impediment than an advantage in crime-fighting.
“When Clark was assigned to start doing on-air reports by his boss (Morgan Edge) -- which he was not happy about -- he figured out that he could fight crime during his three-minute commercial breaks,” Korte said with a laugh. “They would break for commercial, he would zip in his costume and run off and undo some criminal mischief, and then be back in front of the camera three minutes later.”
But the new, assertive Clark Kent doesn’t allow Morgan Edge (CEO of the conglomerate that owns the Daily Planet) to push him around. In fact, the Edge-Kent relatsionship has reversed itself. In 2012, when Edge tried to force Kent into doing “infotainment” instead of hard news -- the young reporter quit!
“Your job is what I say it is,” a browbeating Edge told Clark in the middle of the Planet newsroom. “The truth is … if you can’t do that, Kent, I need to find someone who can.”
“You want a conversation about the truth, Mr. Edge?” Kent retorted. “The truth is that somewhere along the way, the business of news became the news. Growing up in Smallville, I believed that journalism was an ideal, as worthy and important as being a cop, a fireman -- a teacher or a doctor. I was taught to believe you could use words to change the course of rivers -- that even the darkest secrets would fall under the harsh light of the sun. But facts have been replaced by opinions. Information has been replaced by entertainment. Reporters have become stenographers. I can't be the only one who is sick at the thought of what passes for news. I am not the only who believes in the power of the press -- the fact that we need to stand up for the truth. For justice. And yeah -- I'm not ashamed to say -- (for) the American way.”
I ran that speech by Dr. Joseph Hayden, a journalism professor at the University of Memphis, who confirmed that these sentiments are familiar criticisms of media today. But, interestingly, he pointed out that it’s a debate that has roots older than bloggers, Twitter and cable news.
“Journalism was characterized early on by unapologetic opinions,” he said. “It was only until the end of the 19th century that a different ethos emerged (of objective reporting), and there have always been competing models – the ‘New Journalism’ of Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer and others. There are many other critiques here, too – complaints about entertainment, superficiality, docility. Those, too, have a long lineage. The mistaken assumption by many is that there was a golden age of journalism. That’s not true. Journalism – like any other genre of creative work – has always included great work and bad, the consequential and the trivial, gold and gunk.”
Edge was unimpressed by Kent’s speech, but one Planet staffer -- gossip/fashion/celebrity writer Cat Grant -- was inspired. She also quit, and talked Kent into a joint blog/website to do news the way he wants to. And when CatClarkTropolis.com broke the news that Superman and Wonder Woman are dating -- it truly is a brave new world, isn’t it? -- the odd couple are doing well, Korte said.
“Cat is pretty business-savvy,” he laughed. “I don’t think Clark is.”
Which is an interesting new status quo that DC could have milked indefinitely. Instead, two heavy hitters have arrived on the creative end and turned the board over.
Geoff Johns, DC’s Chief Creative Officer, took over writing Superman two months ago, and launched a new storyline titled “Men of Tomorrow.” Along with Johns came John Romita Jr., an A-list artist at Marvel Comics, doing his first work at DC.
In “Men of Tomorrow,” Perry White has cut a deal with Kent, which could result in the not-so-mild-mannered reporter going back to work for the Daily Planet. But will he? And more important, should he?
For one thing, despite what the stories tell us, Clark Kent isn’t exactly the poster boy for journalism ethics. For example, in at least two stories about how Kent got his job at the Daily Planet (there are several), he owes his first big story to an exclusive interview with the Man of Steel – who is himself! In those circumstances he’s lying to his editor and his readers, which is certainly unethical, and since it’s a form of fraud, maybe even illegal. And this is an ongoing ethical breach. How can Kent – and the readers – justify it?
“Well,” Korte suggested, after some thought. “You could argue it’s for the greater good.”
Which is a pretty good argument, as it mirrors Kent’s own reasoning, which is that his secret identity keeps the most powerful man on the planet sane (he doesn’t have to be Superman 24/7), it provides the Man of Tomorrow with information to save lives, plus the big one: If the world knew Superman and Clark Kent were one and the same, supervillains and the underworld would target Kent’s friends, family and co-workers.
Those things, said Prof. Hayden, might be worth a lie or two.
“In my view, human life outweighs truth telling,” he said. “If lying prevented the deaths of thousands of people, for example, then, yes, that would be worth it, and almost anyone would agree with that in theory.”
On the other hand …
“In practice, however, you see the propensity of the powerful to claim that what they’re doing is for public safety, and very often it’s just that: a hyperbolic claim,” Hayden said. “As (Benjamin) Franklin so shrewdly put it, those who would sacrifice essential liberty for security deserve neither.”
But this is Superman, so we can probably assume good intentions. However, “Men of Tomorrow” is progressing faster than a speeding bullet, with a number of other lingering questions to resolve, most of which involve Clark Kent.
Will he win the ethics argument with Morgan Edge? Will he return the Daily Planet to its glory days? Will he, in short, save journalism in the DC Universe?
“He is certainly going to try,” Korte said.
Now that’s a superhero. And he doesn’t even need a cape.
Reach Captain Comics by email (capncomics@aol.com), the Internet (comicsroundtable.com), Facebook (Captain Comics Round Table) or Twitter (@CaptainComics).
Replies
I think he should stay away from the planet. He doesn't need the money and I think today blogs and websights are just as powerful as newspapers.
It's a good question: Should Clark Kent be working for The Daily Planet? I write this knowing that the Tampa Bay Times just imposed a 5 percent pay cut on its entire staff (" 'Crisis Situation' at Poynter's Tampa Bay Times"). I don't want to bog this down with examples of other media enterprises shedding staff (USA Today), or spinning off their newspapers like they're so much dead weight (Tribune, Journal Newspapers); it's too depressing.
But Clark Kent's identity as a newsman has been established since Day One. I always felt that it made little sense for Peter Parker to be selling photos of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle, knowing that all they'll do with them was trash his reputation, and it made less and less sense the further we got from 1964. (Notice that the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies completely dispensed with that nonsense.)
Part of the rationale for making Clark Kent a newspaper reporter was for him to keep his ear to the ground as to what was going on. But also, it was the kind of job that got him out of the office for hours or even days at a time -- which was why being a television anchor didn't make sense.
However, for Clark Kent to be have his cake and eat it too -- being a reporter who isn't doing routine matters -- I'd like to see him be somebody like Bob Woodward. He earned such a position of trust with the Washington Post (we all know why) that he has an office there and can come and go at will and answers to nobody until he's read to deliver his latest book. But when he does deliver, it's dynamite stuff.
Otherwise, I see it Mark's way. If Superman was being invented from the ground up in 2014, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster wouldn't make him a newspaper reporter.
Clark said:
One of the bits I liked about the first Ultimate Spider-man series was that peter tried to sell Jameson pictures he took of Spider-man, and they were terrible. He did bring him on as an intern though, and had him work on the Bugle's website. I thought it made perfect sense.
One my disappointments with the New 52 (and even Superman: Earth One) is that they didn't change Superman enough. As this discussion indicates, Superman is still the perfect superhero ... for the 1940s. Maybe 1960s, on the outside. Bending steel in your bare hands was doubtless boffo in the 20th century, but today's Superman should have, what, Internet Vision too? And his secret ID ought to still be something civic-minded and heroic, but also something today's kids aspire to be -- whatever that is. (I have no idea.)
George Reeves' Clark Kent was more assertive. Wasn't he Acting Editor when Perry White was incapacitated (or abducted, I forget which)?
Yes, George Reeves' Clark was definitely not meek and mild. It kind of stretched belief that he wasn't recognized as Superman by anyone who had met them both.
Don Mankowski said:
I mentioned the TV Clark's assertiveness, and the reason why, in the column.
Sorry! I missed that. I had to come to George's defense.
Which you should. George Reeves was awesome, in the literal sense of the word. He did some great work on that show, and Adventures of Superman is deservedly revered by a couple generations of fans. You need not apologize to this Reeves fan, Mr. Mankowski!
Your theory is reasonable. I don't suspect that we kids would have enjoyed the characterization so much had Clark Kent always adopted the "Run away! Run away!" attitude.
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