Blog Post 4

Blog Post #4: History and Impact of the Newspaper 

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The Newspaper is one of the oldest forms of printed communication which has played such a vital role in history, yet those who played a part in making the newspaper what it is today did not set out to make such an impactful form of communication. 

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In 1621, the first "form" of a newspaper was the Coranto meaning "currents of news" (Britannica). The Coranto originated in the Netherlands but then spread to London and the rest of Europe (Britannica). In the 1640s, is when this "first form of a newspaper" actually became a newspaper as the title page was dropped (Britannica). 

Similar to how the government in Europe tried to regulate religion, governments tried to censor newspapers. Some countries, such as Sweden, recognize the freedom of the press and the importance it plays in society, but this was not a right guaranteed to every citizen.   

During this period, everything political happened behind closed doors and only those in the room knew what happened and why it happened just as depicted in the musical Hamilton. Reporters, being the curious people they are, found ways to "get in the room where it happens" to get information and share it with the public (Park). Politicians realizing their process was now public, changed the way they worked placing the press as the "government watchdog" that we know the press as today (Park). As Thomas Jefferson said, "I would rather live in a country with newspapers and without a government than in a country with a government and without newspapers" (Park).

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The first paper in the United States was the Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, which ultimately "was suppressed by the colonial governor after one issue" (Britannica). Then in 1704, the postmaster started weekly publishing the Boston Newsletter (Britannica). 

Papers in the United States were facing the same issues regarding censorship, but in 1791, the First Amendment secured freedom of the press (Britannica). Following the beginning of the 19th century, newspaper circulation increased due to "increased literacy and technological advances" (Britannica). 

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With circulation being increased, competition thrived, especially in America's capitalist system. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, two vital men in newspaper history, changed the way people view news. Competing with each other, they created yellow journalism, which refers to "making literature out of news" (Park). Then in the 1920s and 1930s, papers added other entertaining aspects to make their paper unique and more popular such as crosswords, images, gossip columns, cartoons, etc. (Britannica). Then in the second half of the 20th century alternative press started to pick up in popularity including papers such as the Village Voice (Britannica).

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Today, paper newspapers are dying because technology has made getting news and entertainment so much easier. People do not have the attention span they once did and can barely sit through a 15-second TikTok video without skipping it. While technology has ultimately made it easier for people to get information, technology is causing other issues such as a lack of attention, lower knowledge, fake news, and addictiveness ultimately causing paper news to die in younger generations. Those who currently read the newspaper tend to be well-educated, older, well-off, citizens who participate in politics. 

Newspapers have played such a vital role in history, but the newspaper's time is coming to an end that other forms of technology, specifically social media, have taken over.

Sources

    Park, Robert E. "The natural history of the newspaper." American Journal of Sociology 29.3 (1923): 273-289. 

    Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "newspaper". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/newspaper. Accessed 3 November 2023.