Life — December 22, 1927 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers The top section is a four-panel comic about a newspaper editor pressuring a reporter to commit violence for sensational news. The editor orders the reporter to "shoot somebody" to generate headlines, saying "the paper needs news." When the reporter reluctantly obeys (shown by the explosion), the editor criticizes him for not shooting someone "prominent" enough. This satirizes the ruthless sensationalism of early 20th-century newspaper competition—editors' desperate pursuit of shocking stories regardless of ethics. The lower section humorously lists reasons a wife might divorce her husband, including his newspaper obsession, poor taste in clothing, and controlling behavior. The final item, "High Time," depicts marital discord over trading in their car. The overall page mocks both journalistic excess and domestic frustrations of the era.