Newspapers
Four major periods in newpaper history in America:
I. Colonial period (pre-Revolutionary War)
Colonial era newspapersThe acquittal of John Peter Zenger
- freedom from government control
- ability to mold public sentiment and public policy
- commitment to truth
- their profit making ability independent from governmental support
II. Partisan period (post Revolutionary War)
- Government should keep its hands off the press
- News media are a forum for discussion and debate
III. Penny period (early 1800s)
- Beginning of the modern mass media and mass audiences
- Fostered by industrialization, urbanization, immigration and literacy
- Telegraph led to the inverted pyramid style of writing, objective news reporting and the wire services
- News focused on events and entertainment
IV. Yellow period (late 1800s)
- Muckracking journalism
- Yellow journalism
- Intense competition
Newspapers Today
How many dailies are there?How many non-daily newspapers?
What are the largest newspapers?
How many people read newspapers?
What kind of people read newspapers?
What sections are most popular?
How many newspapers are online?
Trends in newspapers