The Penny Press revolutionized American journalism in the 1830s by producing cheap newspapers that sold for one penny. Benjamin Day founded the first penny paper, The Sun, in 1833 in New York City. By relying on advertising revenue instead of subscriptions, using steam-powered printing presses, and hiring newsboys to sell papers on the street, The Sun was able to profitably sell newspapers for a penny, making news accessible to the working classes for the first time. The Penny Press model of affordable newspapers supported by advertising went on to define the modern newspaper industry.

1. PENNY PRESS
Presentation By:

2. INTRODUCTION
• The Penny Press was the term used
to describe the revolutionary business
tactic of producing newspapers which
sold for one cent.
• New era began for American
journalism.

3. ABOUT THE FOUNDER
• The Penny Press is generally considered to have
started in 1833, when Benjamin H. Day founded
The Sun, a New York City newspaper.
• The Sun was the first popular penny paper.
• Day did not have much of a background in
journalism,‘The Sun’ had fairly loose journalistic
standards.

4. THE PAPER’S MOTTO
• The paper's motto, printed at the top of every front page
was:
“It Shines for All”
• Also indicates that he intended to reach a wider
audience not limited to any particular group.

5. MASS PRODUCTION
• Penny press newspapers were
cheap, tabloid-style newspapers
mass-produced in the United
States from the 1830s onwards.
• Mass production of inexpensive
newspapers became possible
following the shift from hand-
crafted to steam-powered
printing.

6. WHY IT BECAME POPULAR
• It became popular with the American public because while other papers were priced around 6
cents, they were able to sell their paper for just a penny (1 cent).
• The low price made newspapers and the news available to even middle and lower-class
citizens for the first time.
• Benjamin Day’s analysis touched upon a class divide in society.
• Labourers were able to purchase a paper and read the news. As more people began buying
papers throughout the country, news and journalism became more important overall.
• Many working class people were literate, but were not newspaper customers simply because
no one had published a newspaper targeted to them.

7. • Newspapers also began paying more attention to the public it served.
They were quick to realize that the same information and news that
interested the six cent public, did not interest the penny public.
• Newspapers used information from police stations, criminal courts and
divorce courts to fill their paper and make it more appealing to their new
public.
• By launching The Sun, Day was taking a gamble. But it proved
successful.

8. • Besides making the newspaper very
affordable, Day instituted another
innovation, the newsboy. By hiring boys
to hawk copies on street corners, The
Sun was both affordable and readily
available. People wouldn’t even have to
step into a shop to buy it.
• In 1834 it published the notorious “Moon
Hoax,” in which the newspaper claimed
scientists had found life on the moon.
• The story was outrageous and proven to
be utterly false. But instead of the
ridiculous stunt discrediting The Sun,
the reading public found it entertaining.
The Sun became even more popular.

9. HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO SELL AT A
LOWER PRICE
• The heavy dependence on advertising as a major source of revenue
was a main reason that the Penny Press was able to sell papers for a
lower price than anyone else.
• While other papers relied heavily on subscriptions and daily sales.
• The price of paper and materials used to produce the newspapers also
decreased making the production of the newspaper itself less
expensive.

10. DIFFICLTIES FACED BY BENJAMIN DAY
• He had nearly gone broke after
losing much of his business
during a local financial panic
caused by the cholera epidemic of
1832.

11. HOW IT HELPED CHANGE THE WAY
NEWSPAPERS OPERATE TODAY…
• The changes made to the newspaper during the Penny Press era set a
precedent for the way newspapers operate today.
• Newspapers rely heavily on advertising as a main source of income and
that is also a main reason they are still being offered at relatively low
prices today.
• Newspapers also pay more attention to their surrounding communities
and report of important information more diligently and objectively.
• Newspapers changed their coverage when they no longer relied so
dependently on subscriptions or daily sales to make a profit.