2. NEWSROOM HEROES, LEGENDS, AND
FOLKLORE
Highlights from the history of journalism
Mark Twain, Lois Lane, All the President’s Men,
Good Night, and Good Luck
Five myths about reporters
Thirty slang terms for ‘reporter’
3. THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICA’S FIRST
NEWSPAPER
1690: Benjamin Harris published the first and
only issue of Publick Occurrences Both Foreign
and Domestick
Four pages – print on three pages with fourth left
blank for citizens to add more news and pass
along
Lacked printing license
Accused of containing “doubtful and uncertain
Reports”
4. THE ZENGER TRIAL AND FREEDOM OF THE
PRESS
1735: Freedom of the press strengthened in the
colonies
John Peter Zenger jailed by governor for libel
after printing accusations of corruption
Eventually acquitted
Citizens can criticize government
Libel only occurs when “false, malicious, and
seditious” statements are printed
Andrew Hamilton was Zenger’s lawyer
5. PATRIOTISM, PROPAGANDA, AND
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1729: Ben Franklin took over Pennsylvania
Gazette, making it the boldest and best paper in
the colonies
1765: The Stamp Act imposed heavy tax on
printed matter. Editors protested and colonists
united in forcing repeal.
Revolutionary discussions heat up. Editors
become bolder, exerting political influence and
exhorting military action.
6. PATRIOTISM, PROPAGANDA, AND
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
By 1775: Isaiah Thomas, publisher of The
Massachusetts Spy, demanded independence
from England
1776: The Declaration of Independence first
appeared publicly in the Pennsylvania Evening
Post and was reprinted in 20 other colonial
papers
1791: The Bill of Rights provided that “Congress
shall make no law…abridging the freedom of
speech or of the press
7. EMERGENCE OF THE PENNY PRESS
Innovations in printing allow for faster news
access:
Cheaper paper
Faster printing
1833: Benjamin Day began selling the New York
Sun for a penny a copy, pioneering the idea of
‘mass media’
These newspapers aimed at the interests of the
common citizen
8. THE RISE OF THE MODERN
NEWSROOM
Newspapers become profitable with ad sales
Hire and train reporters in professional way
9. THE GOLDEN AGE OF YELLOW
JOURNALISM
Yellow Journalism:
Sensational stories
Lavish use of pictures
Comics
Features
Crusades
Publicity stunts
Rumors
Reached climax when William Randolph Hearst
(New York Journal) and Joseph Pulitzer (The
World) battled for supremacy in New York, the
nation’s media center
10. THE GOLDEN AGE OF YELLOW
JOURNALISM
Hearst, Pulitzer, and the Spanish-American War:
Sensational coverage of Cuban rebels’ fight for
freedom
Inflamed readers
Pressured politicians
War was declared
Circulation of newspapers skyrocketed $$$
Where can we see yellow journalism today?
11. NEWS IN THE MODERN AGE
Radio and television brought an end to
newspapers’ media monopoly
Radio: the first medium to provide 24-hour stream of
news coverage
Television journalism: Came of age in the 1960s
1963: Nonstop coverage of the Kennedy assassination
Newspapers’ response to competition:
Tighter writing
Better formatting
Improved design
Corporate consolidation
