Transcript Newspaper
Newspaper A geographically limited medium issued regularly from a press on unbound paper containing news, commentary, features, photos, and advertising to serve the general interests of a specific community or audience 5 Departments of most newspapers News/ editorial Advertising Production Circulation Administration “Acta Diurna” Roman newspaper Daily, handwritten gazette launched by Julius Caesar, 59 BC Reported newsworthy events, private and official notices “Ti Pao” China’s early version of the newspaper Provided news to gov’t officials and intellectual elite Forerunners to modern American newspaper Tracts • Pamphlets dist. by English printers containing topical news Corantos • Single sheet tracts dealing w/ current/ foreign affairs (common by 1621) Diurnals • 4 page bulletins of local news (1640’s) 1st newspaper in colonial America “Publick Occurrences, both Foreign and Domestick” Banned by authorities after premiere issue Suppressed under 1662 ordinance that prohibited printing without a license Prior restraint Strategy of licensing that effectively prevented “dangerous” ideas from being printed “The Boston Newsletter” Issued in 1704 by postmaster John Campbell America’s 1st continuing newspaper Published with support of colonial gov’t “Boston Gazette” Published in 1719 by Boston postmaster William Brooker “published by authority” Contents similar to “Boston Newsletter” (trite/ boring) “The New England Courant” Published in 1721 by James Franklin Differed from predecessors in content and lack of proper license Franklin arrested/ prohibited from publishing Other early newspapers 1725 “The New York Gazette” 1729 “The Pennsylvania Gazette” 1733 “The New York Weekly Journal” Challenges of early newspapers Struggle for freedom of the press without prior restraint Quest to allow truth of statements as a defense for libel Pre-Revolution Newspapers became imp’t sources of news and vehicles for advertising Opinions and viewpoints became more prevalent in published articles as disenchantment w/ British rule spread Persuasion, Propaganda, Public relations “The Crisis Papers” – Thomas Paine “The Federalist Papers” – Alexander Hamilton Press as political party advocate Political factions paid subsidies to newspapers to act as their mouthpieces Editors defined themselves as either Federalist or Republican End of partisan press period 1860 Congress est. a gov’t printing office The days of giving lucrative gov’t printing contracts to private print shops ended “The Sun” 1st true mass-circulation newspaper Started by Benjamin Day in 1833 Era of the penny press Cost per unit of newspapers declined due to shifting of production costs to advertisers This reasonable price made “The Sun” the most successful newspaper in the country. Era of the personal editors 1840-1870 Bridge btwn old and new press Editors pursued principle of popular appeal Began methodical organization of press into major social institution Yellow journalism Editors invented incidents and headlines to go with them Facts played relatively small role – excessive sensationalism Consequence of circulation wars Newspapers became big business Explosion of non-news content in newspapers 1890’s and 1900’s Comic strips, advice columns, puzzles, features, weekly columns Muckrakers Crusading journalists who focused their attention on major problems caused by rapid industrialization and urbanization Investigated businesses Exposed political and social ills Newspapers since 1900 More temperate press “The New York Times” • Launched by Adolph Ochs in 1896 • Motto “all the news that’s fit to print” Jazz journalism 1920’s and 30’s Represented renewed appeal of sensationalism The “New York Daily News” 1919 Smaller tabloid format provided easier reading for subway riders Largest circulation in the U.S.