How Journalism Began

1
How Journalism Began

• Highlights of the history of journalism in the
  United States

2
Americas First Newspapers

• Did not look like newspapers today
• Often only one long sheet that consisted of more
  letters or essays than news
• Publick Occurences - First American
  newspaperpublished in Boston in 1690 by Benjamin
  Harris
• PO suppressed by British colonial authorities
  after only one issue because they disliked what
  Harris said

3
Americas First Newspapers cont.

• The Boston News-Letter - First continuously
  published newspaper in the colonies
• Started by John Campbell in 1704
• Published by authority (had government
  approval)
• QUESTION Are newspapers today published by
  authority?

4
Establishment of Freedom of the Press

• In colonies, newspapers that criticized
  government were guilty of sedition
• Even the truth could not be used as a defense
  against sedition - The greater the truth, the
  greater the libel
• Changed with 1735 court case

5
The Zenger Trial

• John Peter Zenger - Published the New York
  Weekly Journal beginning in 1734
• Charged with libel for printing articles that
  criticized the governor of New York, William
  Cosby
• Defended in court by Andrew Hamilton
• Hamilton convinced the jury that libel had to be
  false, malicious and seditious and therefore
  Zenger was innocent because he printed the truth
  New precedent set for journalism

6
The Press and the Revolution

• By 1775, when the American Revolution began, 37
  newspapers were being published
• Some historians actually say there would not have
  been a revolution without the support of the
  press
• At the time papers were very partisan
• After the Revolution, press rights were
  guaranteed by the first amendment in the Bill of
  Rights in 1791.

7
The Newspaper Industry Grows

• The Pennsylvania Post - First daily paper
  founded in 1783
• The Students Gazette First student newspaper
  founded in 1777
• Penny Press name for the kinds of papers that
  were forerunners of modern day newspaper
• New York Sun - founded by Benjamin Day in 1833
  filled with news sold for a penny

8
The Penny Press

• Penny press achieved mass audience sold on the
  street rather than subscription and very
  inexpensive
• Advertising took a major role for the first time
  in journalism
• Soon papers similar to the New York Sun appeared
  throughout the country
• At this time it was not unusual for one major
  city to have eight or nine competing newspapers

9
Effects of the Telegraph

• In 1861 reporters begin to use telegraph to
  report from Civil war battle sites change style
  of journalism
• Develop inverted pyramid and become more concise
  so as to get outcome in the story incase
  telegraph breaks down

10
Yellow Journalism

• Style of journalism popular in the late 19th
  century
• Name derived from the Yellow Kid, a
• cartoon in the Sunday World in the 1890s
• Unethical and irresponsible form of journalism
  involved hoaxes, altered photographs, screaming
  headlines, scoops, frauds, and endless
  promotion of the newspapers themselves

11
Yellow Journalism cont.

• William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) and
  Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) most notable
  yellow journalists
• Color supplements, illustrations, cartoon strips
  and dramatic coverage of sports events filled
  their papers and gave them high circulations

William Randolph Hearst
Joseph Pulitzer
12
Yellow Journalism cont.

• Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) most famous
  female yellow journalist
• Worked for Pulitzers World known for pulling
  stunts
• Pretended to be mentally ill and got herself
  committed to asylum to investigate the asylums
  conditions wrote story about trip around the
  world inspired by Jules Verne novel

13
Did You Know?

• Some say it was really Hearst that got the U.S.A.
  in the Spanish American War
• Reportedly an artist for paper telegraphed to say
  there was no war Hearst said You furnish the
  pictures, and Ill furnish the war.
• USS Maine blew up in Havana harbor in 1898
• Hearst paper headline DESTRUCTION OF THE WAR
  SHIP MAINE WAS THE WORK OF AN ENEMY

14
Muckraking

• New kind or journalism
• Writing with a social consciousness
• Critics of the style called the writers
  muckrakers Do you know why?
• Muckraking spread from newspapers to new medium
  the magazine
• Ida Tarbell famous muckraker wrote about
  Standard Oil and attacked big business

15
Minority Media

• Nation grew and minority groups began to take
  important roles in journalism
• The Chicago Defender - one of largest/most
  influential African-American newspapers
• Founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott
• Encouraged blacks to move north
• Hispanic, Native-American, and Asian papers soon
  followed

16
The Advent of Radio

• 1906 radio invented
• First newscast made in 1916 broadcast of the
  Wilson-Hughes presidential election
• Regular broadcast programs began in Detroit in
  1920
• NBC formed in 1926 and CBS formed in 1927
• Today more than 500 million radio stations are in
  use and nearly 10,000 stations broadcast in the
  U.S.A.

17
QUESTION?

• Do you ever listen to news on the radio?
• How do you think news writing had to change to be
  effective over the radio?

18
The Impact of Television

• 1940 First TV newscast took place
• Changed role of newspapers and radio dramatically
• Took entertainment role away from radio and most
  of the breaking news from newspapers
• Today newspapers put less emphasis on breaking
  newsWhy?
• Many say TV is todays yellow journalismDo you
  agree? Why?

19
Journalism Today

• 200 years ago just beginning penny press
• Now have 24 hour access to up-to-date news
  through radio, TV, Internet, papers and magazines
• Which is your outlet of choice and why?
• What is the value of news in todays society?