An issue of the Harrisburg Independent Press from 1971
Anita Harris hasn’t lived in Harrisburg for years, but the memories of her time here have always had a hold on her.
Harris’ experience as a young reporter in the city during the 1970s shaped her career and life and is a story she constantly revisits. It’s a tale that Harris recently released in her memoir, “The View From Third Street: Ani and the Harrisburg Independent Press.”
“These are stories that I’ve always wanted to write,” she said. “It was a very important part of my life, and I learned so much. I wanted to return to that.”
The book follows Harris as a 23-year-old reporter with the Harrisburg Independent Press (HIP), which she and her college friends founded in 1971 and ran until 1980. The publication’s office, as alluded to in Harris’s book title, sat at 1004 N. 3rd St., now the site of the Urban Churn scoop shop.
Within her book, Harris shares stories of reporting on local issues like poverty, housing, criminal justice and politics. She also discusses historic events that HIP covered at the time, such as the Vietnam War, Hurricane Agnes and the Trial of the Harrisburg 7. The latter refers to an incident in which a group of nuns and priests stood accused of conspiring to kidnap then-U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and blow up underground heating tunnels in Washington, D.C.
The book release coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1972 flood in Harrisburg, which HIP reported on extensively during the time.
Beyond memorializing historic incidents in Harrisburg’s history, Harris shares her own experience at a time when societal norms for women’s roles were changing. She recalled dealing with sexism and navigating varying expectations placed on women from different generations.
“This was a very formative period in my life and in the lives of many women,” she said. “I needed to explore that.”
Anita Harris
After her time in Harrisburg, Harris went on to report for Newsday, WRFM Radio and MacNeil Lehrer (now the NewsHour) of PBS. She taught journalism at Harvard, Yale and Simmons universities and authored two non-fiction books. She currently serves as managing director of the Harris Communications Group in Cambridge, Mass.
The similarities that Harris sees between the current political climate and that of the 1950s were a driving force behind her inspiration for the new book.
“It struck me that there were parallels with divisions in society between now and then,” she said. “By examining the past, I thought I could help find some answers and solutions to what’s happening now.”
Readers can dive into Harrisburg’s history, as seen through Harris’ youthful eyes, in her book. She hopes that those outside of the city will find the stories helpful, as well. She believes that Harrisburg served as a microcosm of what was happening around the nation at the time.
Within the pages of the book, Harris gives readers a look at some of the news that HIP covered and its impact on the community. She explained that, since HIP was an independent paper, residents were more willing to entrust them with sensitive stories.
Third Street in Harrisburg in 1972. Photo by John Serbell, published in the Harrisburg Independent Press.
“You could really make a difference,” she said. “We were able to cover some of the most amazing stories.”
While much of Harris’ reason for writing the book was to flesh out her own experiences and get them down on paper, she hopes that her book also influences readers. Harris hopes that her story of making a difference encourages younger generations and serves as a way for them to use lessons from history to inspire future progress.
“I’m hoping this will be of interest to future generations to help them understand what it was like then and to give them energy to stand up,” she said. “If we can understand what happened, it may provide insight needed for each of us to move forward.”
To purchase “The View From Third Street,” find the book on Amazon.
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