History of Journalism

August 29,2007

America’s First Newspapers

 One sheet  Letters, essays—very little news  First American newspaper: 

Publick Occurrences

 1690  Stopped after only one issue because British colonial authorities didn’t like what was printed

America’s First Newspapers

 The Boston News-Letter was the first continuously published newspaper in the colonies.  It was supervised very closely by the British government.

The Boston News-Letter

Freedom of the Press

  In the colonies, any paper that criticized the government was guilty of sedition (the stirring of rebellion). Famous case: 1735  John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal was arrested for printing articles critical of the governor.

 The colonial jurors found him not guilty of sedition—a major turning point in the fight for freedom

Birth of a Nation

   By 1775 (when the Revolution began), 37 newspapers were being published in the colonies. Most newspapers backed the Patriots and were in favor of the Revolution. The newspapers were partisan at that time.   Tory newspapers: supported the British Whig newspapers: supported the Revolution Some historians say there would not have been a Revolution without the support of the press.

First Amendment

 The Constitution makes no mention of the Freedom of the Press  But the freedom of the press is addressed in the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights:  “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

Penny Press

     Forerunner of today’s newspapers “Penny press” newspapers (such as the New York Sun and The New York Tribune) were sold for a penny and included real news—the police beat, natural disasters, etc.—and fewer opinions The “penny press” achieved a huge audience, made up mostly of the working class Advertising played a major role Not unusual for a city to have eight or nine competing newspapers

The Telegraph

 In 1861, reporters at Civil War battle sites began using the telegraph to transmit their news stories  This led to more concise writing  The telegraph led to the formation of the first news-gathering service (a forerunner of the Associated Press). Newspapers subscribed to this service.

Early telegraph

Yellow Journalism

     Late 1800s Unethical, irresponsible journalism that involved hoaxes, altered photographs, screaming headlines (like today’s tabloids) Sensationalism Geared at selling papers Most notable yellow journalists:  William Randolph Hearst—New York Journal  Joseph Pulitzer—New York World

Yellow Journalism

Spanish-American War: Hearst to Photographer: “You supply the pictures; I’ll supply the war.”

Nellie Bly

   One of the most famous female journalists (wrote during the late 1800s) Noted for her “stunts”—stories in which she was the one making the news Famous story:   She pretended she was mentally ill and was committed to New York’s Blackwell Island Asylum Later wrote a story exposing the asylum’s poor conditions, and the story sparked reforms around the country

Nellie Bly, investigative journalist

Investigative Journalism

   After the era of yellow journalism, newspapers became crusaders for social causes  Child labor laws, public health, poverty assistance Investigative reporters were called “muckrakers” by their critics Government made several reforms—including a reform of the meat-packing insdustry—as a result of the investigative pieces published in newspapers and magazines

Minority Media

    The Chicago Defender, founded in 1905   influential African-American newspaper Founder, Robert S. Abbott, was the son of slaves African-American magazines continue to prosper today Hispanic, Native American, and Asian-American newspapers also are published Major newspapers and news networks are making a strong effort to attract minority reporters

Technology

   Radio:  First news broadcast in 1916  NBC formed in 1926 and CBS in 1927 Television:    First television newscast in 1940 Because of TV news, most newspapers don’t put as much emphasis on “breaking news” They now try to provide the background on current events that readers didn’t get from the television Internet:  An option for obtaining news and information with the click of a mouse