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Looking Back:. The History of American Media. Communication and Information in “ the old Days ”. Native Americans 17 th century. Letters. Word of mouth. America ’ s First Newspapers. First newspapers were only one sheet long and contained little of what you think of as news.
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Looking Back: The History of American Media
Communication and Information in “the old Days” Native Americans 17th century Letters • Word of mouth
America’s First Newspapers • First newspapers were only one sheet long and contained little of what you think of as news. • Letters, essays, and material borrowed from whatever source an editor could find made up the journalistic fare. • First American Newspaper~ Publick Occurrences, published in Boston 1690 by Benjamin Harris • After one issue, it was suppressed by the British colonial authorities because they didn’t like what was printed
America’s First Newspapers • First Continuously published newspaper: the Boston News Letter, started by John Campbell • Most papers were carried :by authority” meaning it had government approval
Establishment of Freedom of the Press…. • Early Days newspaper that criticized the government were guilty of sedition-the stirring of rebellion. • Truth was not a Defense • Principal :The greater the truth, the greater the libel.
The Zenger Trial • In 1735…John Peter Zenger printed articles in the New York Weekly Journal which criticized Governor William Cosby • He was arrested and charged with seditious libel and jailed even though his statements were true • Attorney Andrew Hamilton represented Zenger stating… “I hope it is not our bare printing or publishing a paper that will make it libel. For the words themselves must be libelous-that is, false, malicious, and seditious-or we are not guilty”
The Zenger Trial (continued) • The Judge denied Hamilton the right to prove the facts in the papers, so Hamilton appealed to the jury: “Every man who prefers freedom to a life of slavery will bless and honor you as men who have baffled the attempt of tyranny and by an impartial and uncorrupt verdict, have laid a noble foundation for securing to ourselves, our posterity , and our neighbors, that to which nature and the laws of our country have given use a right-the liberty both of exposing and opposing arbitrary power (in these parts of the world, at least) by speaking and writing Truth.”
The Birth of a Nation • The Zenger Trial, and other instances of press suppression fanned the flame of freedom. Colonial press played a vital role in the birth of a nation • In 1775, The Revolution began…37 newspapers were being published. • Papers mostly aligned themselves with the patriots; partly because of their anger over the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on periodicals. • Paper backed the Revolution…some historians believe without the support of the press there wouldn’t have been a Revolution…
The Birth of a Nation (continued) • For the next century, newspapers started aligning with political parties. • This begin the era of “Partisan Press” • Papers today?
The First Amendment • Guarantees a free press… “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or the freedom of the press” • Pennsylvania Post was first daily paper founded in 1783. The first student newspaper, the Students Gazette, was founded in 1777 • Papers were published by hand, one letter at a time, and printed on clumsy presses. The Industrial Revolution help to speed technology for the paper industry…
The Penny Press (resembled papers today) • New York Sun , founded by Benjamin Day • Sold for $.01 • Mostly resembled newspapers today • Included police reports, tragedies and natural disasters. It toned down opinions • New York Morning Herald was stated two years later. It sold for $.02
The Penny Press (cont.) • Most influential penny press was the New York Tribune, founded by Horace Greeley. • It had 200,000 subscribers , more readers than any other publication. • Cornelia Walter was editor of the Boston Transcript • Jane Grey Swisshelm was first woman to cover congress
The Penny Press (cont.) • The New York Times (1851)which is considered by many journalists as the best newspaper of all times help set the standard for fairness and accuracy in reporting
Effect of the Telegraph • News writing and news coverage began to change in 1861 when reporters at Civil War sites made use of the telegraph (invented 18 years earlier) to transmit stories. • To ensure against the telegraph breaking down, writers became more concise and developed the inverted-pyramid format of writing… Giving most important facts in the first few sentences
Yellow Journalism(Late 19th century) • The unethical, irresponsible brand of journalism involving hoaxes, altered photographs, screaming headlines, “scoops,” frauds, and endless self-promotions by papers
Yellow Journalism (cont) • Most notable William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the New York Journal, and Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World • Their papers attracted HUGE audiences, an their competition for readers, advertisers, and each others’ most talented writers was fierce. • Color supplements, illustrations, cartoon strips and dramatic coverage of wars and sporting events made them popular.
Nellie Bly • Name used by Elizabeth Cochrane, the most famous of women journalists. • Bly worked for Pulitzer’s World and was noted for her “stunts” • One she pretended to be mentally ill and was committed to an Asylum. After her release, she wrote a story exposing the asylum’s poor conditions. The story sparked reform around the country.
Nellie Bly (cont) • Her most famous story was about her trip around the world. • Book… Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days • Bly set out to circle the world in fewer than 80 days, and as readers followed her adventures, she did it– in 72 Days
