The History of the American Media Journalism I – Unit 1 Mr. Dudek

America’s First Newspapers Were usually one page and rarely covered “news.” Letters, essays, etc.

America’s First Newspapers Publick Occurences, Boston 1690 – lasted one issue Suppressed by British colonial authorities

America’s First Newspapers Boston News-Letter, 1704 lasted because it was published “by authority”

America’s First Newspapers Some were jailed for writing unflattering (yet true) things about the British Crown. Until 1735… when a jury found one such writer “not guilty” of sedition.

The First Amendment Guarantees that Congress shall make no law limiting the freedom of speech or the press.

The Penny Press Until 1833 newspapers still carried very little news The New York Sun wrote about police activity, tragedies, etc. Cost: one penny.

The New York Times Founded in 1851 Considered by many to be the best-written newspaper in the country.

The Telegraph First used in journalism to transmit battle results during Civil War Forced reporter to be brief and concise Most important information first.

Yellow Journalism Late 1800s Unethical, irresponsible Hoaxes, altered photos, screaming headlines, “scoops” Attracted huge audiences. “Yellow journalism” contributed to the start of the Spanish-American War

Muckraking As yellow journalism ended, many journalists used their medium to push for social change – child-labor laws, improved health care, etc. Critics of this called them muckrakers.

Minority Media The Chicago Defender, founded in 1905, is the largest newspaper written by and for African-Americans. Partly responsible for the Great Migration.

Minority Media Los Angeles’s La Opinión is the largest Hispanic newspaper in the country The Chicago Tribune owns Hoy this city’s largest Spanish-language newspaper.

Radio First news station in 1920 – Detroit’s WWJ-AM NBC founded in 1926 The 80s and 90s sees advent of “shock jocks” that blur the line between news and opinion. Rush Limbaugh

Television Forced newspaper to deemphasize breaking news and focus more on analysis Cable news gives us 24-hour access, but also can be opinionated.

Internet Allows nearly anyone to distribute the news Makes it harder to verify legitimate news Instant news. During a 2009 uprising in Iran, Twitter was the main source of news.

Key Terms Muckraking Partisan press Penny press Shock jock Wire service Yellow journalism

Influential Journalists Your assignment