AIM: How has journalism developed in this country?

HISTORIC TIMELINEFIRST NEWSPAPERS IN THE AMERICAS:

1690 – PUBLICK OCCURRENCES – BENJAMIN HARRIS

IT WAS SQUASHED BY BRITISH GOVERNMENT AFTER ONE ISSUE BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T LIKE WHAT HE AND THE PAPER SAID.

AIM: How has journalism developed in this country?

1704 – Boston News-Letter – John Campbell

1st continuously printing newspaper.

Why wasn’t this one squashed?

It was published “by authority” – it was monitored and approved by British government.

REVIEW:WHAT WAS THE FIRST NEWS PAPER?

WHAT WAS THE FIRST CONTINUOUSLY PRINTED PAPER?

WHAT CONCLUSION CAN WE DRAW ABOUT THE TYPE OF NEWS PRINTED AT THIS TIME?

HOW MIGHT THE COLONIAL POPULATION REACT TO THESE TYPES OF NEWSPAPERS?

WHO IS J.P. ZENGER???

John Paul Zenger fought back in 1735. 1734 – New York Weekly Journal – Zenger printed articles critical of then Governor William Crosby – it was the beginning of the representation of the Whig party.

-What is the Whig party?Zenger was jailed November 17, 1734, but awaited trial until August 4, 1735

(Pre Bill of Rights)

AIM: How has journalism developed in this country?

AIM: How has journalism developed in this country?

1735 – Andrew Hamilton represented Zenger and admitted to the printing of the so called “seditious libel.”

However, he pointed out that libel meant damaging falsehoods, and not oppositional truths.

[Vocabulary: libel, slander]Libel – printed false defamationSlander – spoken false defamation

What was the verdict? Why?

The jury was made up of colonials: NOT GUILTY.

How might this contribute to the sentiments that led up to 1776?

Why did this case set the tone?

AIM: How has journalism developed in this country?

Review

What were the first newspapers we discussed yesterday?

What do we need to know about them?Who is JP Zenger? What resulted from his arrest?How have each of these newspapers

contributed toward the creation of the USA?

Late 19th Century

Yellow Journalism – unethical, irresponsible brand of journalism given to hoaxes, altered photographs, screaming headlines, “scoops,” frauds and endless promotions of the newspapers themselves.

“EMERGENCY EVACUATION AT FPM 3 DAYS PRIOR TO NINE-ELEVEN!!!”

Two Notable Yellow Journalists (and competitors):

William Randolph Hearst – NY Journal

Joseph Pulitzer – NY World

These two papers helped bring about the Spanish-American War by supporting Cuban Nationalists with outrageous headlines about the sinking of the Maine in a Cuban port.

“…the investigation went on and nobody was found responsible for sinking the Battleship [The Maine]. The press had already made their minds up on who did it, it was the ‘cowardly Spanish.’

For months the papers provided detailed horror stories of Cuban life under the oppressive Spanish rule. The presses released stories with headlines such as ‘Spanish Cannibalism,’ ‘Inhuman Torture,’ ‘Amazon Warriors Fight for Rebels.’”

Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cockrane) – She was considered a yellow journalist by creating her own news:

-Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days

was the inspiration for her circumnavigational stunt: she went around the world in 72 days, reporting all the way.

-Another notable news creation of Bly’s was when

she faked mental illness and had her self committed. She then reported on the horrible conditions at the asylum which then led to reform. What era of journalism are we about to segue into? Why?

Yellow Journalism eventually led to a movement of reform in the late 19th century.

Muckrakers – Social Consciousness

-fought child labor, big business, meat packing industry

-promoted hospitals, civil rights, help for the poor

How or why did yellow journalism become muckraking?

Summary

What were the first newspapers?WHO IS J.P. ZENGER? What resulted from

his trial?What is Yellow Journalism?

Who are William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer?

Who is Nellie Bly? What is a Muckraker?How did yellow journalism lead to

muckraking?

The Penny Press

Early newspapers were often filled with essays, letters and editorials (things that take time to write).

1833 - Benjamin Day founded the New York Sun, which was packed with news (events, tragedies, police beat) Toned down the opinions Sold on the street rather than by subscription Reached a massive audience, particularly the working

class Advertising now played a major role in newspapers

What is the impact of each of these?Many subsequent newspapers followed this

format

The NY Times

Started in 1851 by Henry RaymondSet the standard of accurate reporting, even

from the beginningToday it considered one of the most reputable

papers in the country

The telegraph

Invented in 1844Electric current flowed through wires across

great distancesWidespread use began 17 years later during

the Civil War. Why?News from the “fronts” was transmitted

instantaneously.The telegraph was unreliable and so the main

details came first and the language was direct.This is the beginning of the inverted pyramid.

The inverted pyramid

The most important aspects of the story are first (who, what, where, when).

The comes the how and why and the meat of the story.

Lastly, the peripheral details of the story are added. They may be cut off without

hurting the story They may be trimmed to fit

space on a page.

Radio – 1906 – the key breakthrough was based on Dr. Lee DeForest’s improvements on the vacuum tube which allowed broadcasting.

What is broadcasting?

Radio

AM = amplitude modulationFM = frequency modulation

Radio continued

First news broadcast occurred in 1916 over a limited area.

First major (and regular) news broadcasting occurred 1920 – Harding-Cox election results

National Broadcasting Company (NBC) – 1926Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) – 1927Mutual Broadcasting System went on air in 1934. It

became American Broadcasting Company in 1945 (ABC)

The FCC was borne out of the Radio Act of 1927 which is a stronger version of the law passed in 1912 that called for the licensing of radio wavelengths.

Radio over the decades

Before TV, radio was not only news, but also variety shows with sound effects, voices, music, dramas, etc.

TV nearly caused the end of radio, but rock and roll of the 1950s helped to resurrect radio, causing it to focus primarily on music. There was still news.

Talk radio began to make a comeback in the 1990s followed by the growing popularity of “shock jocks” such as Don Imus, Howard Stern and Opie and Anthony. They are not journalists! However, other talk radio shows

began to emerge where news was discussed.Satellite radio has made its mark as a subscription

based medium. No censorship.

Television

The first news broadcast was in 1940.TV took away the entertainment shows from radio

and took away the breaking news from newspapers.

The public could hear and see breaking news on TV and this caused the other news media to change their format to adjust.

News requirement.TV helped begin a “global village” by allowing the

entire world to view worldly events such as the Olympics at the same time.

New networks offered other options for news (PBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC and others)

Yellow Journalism and Television

Jerry Springer, et al.Graphic footage of world events (Columbine

shootings, 9/11)Like Nellie Bly’s foray into the mental health

asylum led to reform, so did graphic footage of recent (horrific) events. School responses and state laws to cope with bullying

in schools Airline security

There are now over 1400 TV stations (and growing) to offer specialized programming.

The Internet

While the internet began in the 1960s, it became public and popular in the 1990s.

News is as immediate as any other media.Archiving easier allows access to older news

stories.Blogging allows a wider response to news

stories bring more participation into current events.

Smartphones allow anyone to access news (audio and photo/video), or disseminate news from virtually anywhere.

Review

Early newspapersYellow journalism/muckrakersTelegraphRadioTVInternet