Transcript The Penny Press

The Penny Press
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In the 1820’s, a new kind of printing
press was invented that ran on steam.
Because of this press, 1,000
newspapers could be printed in an
hour.
Before this press, about 200
newspapers were printed per day.
The cost of a newspaper dropped to a
penny.
Previously, a newspaper had cost a
nickel.
Now, everyone – rich or poor – could
afford to buy a newspaper.
Instead of being sold by
mail, these newspapers were
sold on the street by boys
known as Newsies.
Suddenly, newspapers
were everywhere.
There were three times as
many newspapers published as
before.
These penny newspapers wanted
to attract as many readers as
possible, so they began using
sensationalism in their stories.
Sensationalism is using
emotional or attention-getting
stories to make someone want
to buy the newspaper.
There were several Penny
Press newspapers worth
remembering.
Benjamin Day & The New
York Sun in 1833
• “It Shines For ALL,” was the paper’s motto
• The Sun was four pages of sensational
local news and lots of violent police
reports
• Example headline: “Man Buried Alive”
• Day hired a good police reporter who
wrote crime story after crime story with
lots of gory details
• The newspaper was totally supported
through ad revenue (first newspaper to do
so)
• The most famous story ever
published by the Sun was the Great
Moon Hoax of 1835.
• A series of stories appeared in the
Sun, written by a British
astronomer. These stories said a
new type of telescope had been used
to see life on the Moon.
• According the stories, the Moon was
inhabited by goats, cranes, pelicans
and furry, winged men resembling
bats.
• Within four days, the Sun had the
largest circulation of any newspaper
in the world.
• The Moon story was so believable
that a missionary society in
Massachusetts volunteered to
convert and civilize the bat men.
• The final story described the Temple
of the Moon, constructed of sapphire
with a roof made of gold.
The last story ended by saying that
unfortunately, the Sun’s rays had burned
a hole through the lenses of the
telescope, meaning there was no more
information to be run.
Readers were frantic to find out more.
Soon it was revealed that the
entire story had been a hoax.
James Gordon Bennett and
the New York Herald in
1835
• When Bennett first started the Herald,
his entire staff consisted of himself.
• Bennett used more tricks to get
readers than any other newspaper at
the time.
• When it came to crime reporting, the
Herald knew no equal.
• One whole front page was
devoted to a local murder trial.
• There was so much information
from the trial and so much
interest in the case stirred up
that the trial had to be
postponed, due to the publicity
in the Herald.
• Bennett set up newspaper
correspondents in several U.S.
cities and ran business news,
an editorial page, play and
book reviews, society news
and sports news. All of this
was very unusual at the time.
• He even bought a fleet of
boats to meet incoming ships
before they entered New
York harbors. In this way, he
got any news from the ships
first, before any other
newspaper.
Horace Greeley started the
New York Tribune in 1835
• It may have cost a penny, but that was
the only way the Tribune was similar
to other penny papers.
• Greeley himself was a plain, shy man
who worked to bring benefits to the
common people through his newspaper.
• He wanted to produce a better world
and a better press with it.
• Greeley refused to run police
reports, advertisements or
theater news.
• Instead, he used serious
discussion and complete news
coverage, all without
sensationalism.
• He nominated Abraham Lincoln
for president in 1860.
Some of the causes Greeley wrote about:
•
•
•
•
•
The wrongs of slavery
Improving conditions of the poor
The slums of New York City
The wrongs of capital punishment
The evils of alcohol and smoking
He wrote about the
West.
• Greeley advocated westward
expansion of the United States.
• You have probably heard one of his
phrases:
“Go west, young man; go
west!”
• All kinds of people read the Tribune
because of Greeley.
• The public could tell how sincere and
honest he was toward them. He was
highly respected, even if readers
didn’t always agree with him.
• Greeley changed the penny press from
sensational to a paper that made
people think.
The last influential paper of
the penny press was the New
York Times, begun in 1851.
The Times has always been
known for its “good
manners.”
• It ran foreign and local news
• It had six wide columns on the front
page
• All stories were well written without
any sensationalism
The Times is still with us
• After 152 years, the New York Times
has the highest circulation rate in
America.
• It is one of the most respected
newspapers in the country and around
the world today.