Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism Chapter 8

The Evolution of American Newspapers Colonial papers Benjamin Harris: Publick Occurrences (1690) Inflammatory by standards of the times Not a newspaper by modern standards Banned by the colony after one issue John Campbell: the Boston News-Letter (1704) Reported on mundane events that took place in Europe months earlier James Franklin: the New England Courant (1721) Stories that interested ordinary readers

Colonial Papers (cont.) Benjamin Franklin: the Pennsylvania Gazette (1729) Historians rate among the best Run with subsidies from political parties as well as advertising John Peter Zenger: the New-York Weekly Journal (1733) Arrested for seditious libel Jury ruled in his favor, as long as stories are true. Decision provided foundation for First Amendment. By 1765, about thirty newspapers in American colonies

Partisan Press 1784—first daily newspaper Two types: political and commercial Parties shaped press history. Anti–British rule Political agendas shaped newspapers. Partisan press forerunner of editorials Commercial press forerunner of the modern business section Circulation in hundreds, not thousands Readership: the wealthy and educated

Penny Press 1833—Benjamin Day’s New York Sun Human-interest stories Local events, scandals, and police reports Blazed the trail for celebrity news Fabricated stories Human-interest stories Ordinary individuals facing extraordinary challenges Success spawned wave of penny papers.

Penny Press (cont.) 1835—James Gordon Bennett’s New York Morning Herald Bennett first U.S. press baron World’s largest daily paper at the time Model for Dickens’s Rowdy Journal Penny papers increased reliance on ad revenue. 1848—formation of the Associated Press (AP) Wire services around the country

Penny Press Contributions Developed a system of information distribution Modern technology to mass-produce and cut costs Wire services Promoted literacy among the public Middle- and working-class readers could afford the papers and were attracted to true-crime and human-interest stories. Empowered the public in government affairs Articles about politics and commerce

Yellow Journalism Pulitzer and Hearst Brazen Sensational, overly dramatic Crimes Celebrities Scandals Disaster Intrigue Provided roots for investigative journalism Exposed corruption in business and government

Pulitzer and the New York World Hungarian immigrant Bought the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Touted as a “national conscience” 1883—bought the New York World Pro-immigrant and working class Sensational stories Advice columns and women’s pages Antimonopoly Manufactured events and staged stunts E.g., Nellie Bly around the world in 72 days Legacy: Gave money to start Columbia U’s graduate school of journalism and launched the Pulitzer Prizes

Hearst and the New York Journal Expelled from Harvard Had taken reins of San Francisco Examiner Bought the New York Journal with his inheritance Ailing penny paper owned by Joseph Pulitzer’s brother Raided Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World for editors, writers, and cartoonists Imitated Pulitzer’s style Pro-immigrant Bold layout Sensational stories Invented interviews, faked pictures, encouraged conflicts Hearst served as model for Charles Foster Kane.

Competing Models of Print Journalism Objectivity Ochs and the New York Times, 1896 Distanced itself from yellow journalism Focused on documentation of major events More affluent readership Lowered the price to a penny, so middle class read as marker for educated and well-informed Inverted-pyramid style Answer who, what, where, when (sometimes why and how) at top Less significant details at bottom

Newspapers Undergo Change USA Today Color Mimics broadcast news in use of brief news items Online journalism changes the news landscape. January 1998: The Drudge Report broke Lewinsky story before Newsweek. Reduced standards for journalistic accuracy?

Newspapers Play Different Roles Smaller nondaily papers promote social, economic harmony in community. Consensus-oriented journalism: carry stories on local schools, social events, town government, property crimes, and zoning issues National and metro dailies practice different style. Conflict-oriented journalism: front-page news defined as events, issues, or experiences that deviate from social norms

Economic Demands vs. Editorial Opportunities Newshole = 35 to 50% of paper Remaining space devoted to advertising Newsroom staff Publisher and owner Editors Reporters Photographers Copy editors Wire services and feature syndicates important sources of material Staff cannot possibly produce enough or cover the world.

Ownership, Economics, Technology, and Innovation Decline in readership End of competing newspapers in cities Joint operating agreement (JOA) Two newspapers keep separate news divisions while merging business and production operations. Was not a success.

What Gannett Owns Newspapers • 85 daily papers and 900 nondaily publications – USA Today – USA Weekend – Asbury Park Press (N.J.) – Detroit Free Press – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY) – Arizona Republic (Phoenix) – Cincinnati Enquirer – Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) – Des Moines Register (Iowa) – Honolulu Advertiser – Indianapolis Star – News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) – Tennessean (Nashville) – Army Times Publishing Company (newspapers) – Newsquest plc (newspaper publishing, United Kingdom) – Texas-New Mexico Newspaper Partnership (41%, community newspapers) Television • Captivate Network (advertising-based television in elevators) • 23 TV stations – KARE-TV (Minneapolis) – KNAZ-TV (Flagstaff, Ariz.) – KSDK-TV (St. Louis) – KTHV-TV (Little Rock, Ark.) – KTVD-TV (Denver) – KUSA-TV (Denver) – KXTV-TV (Sacramento, Calif.) – WATL-TV (Atlanta) – WBIR-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.) – WCSH-TV (Portland, Me.) – WGRZ-TV (Buffalo, N.Y.) – WJXX-TV (Jacksonville) – WKYC-TV (Cleveland) – WTLV-TV (Jacksonville) – WTSP-TV (Tampa) – WZZM-TV (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Internet • CareerBuilder (40%) • Classified Ventures (24%, online content publishing) • Planet Discover • ShopLocal.com (42%) • Topix.net Magazines and Printing • Clipper Magazine (direct mail advertising) • Gannett Healthcare Group (periodical publishing) • Gannett Offset (commercial printing)

Electronic and Digital Technology Hundreds of newspapers have developed online versions of their paper product. Online newspapers flexible Unlimited space Links to related articles Archives Multimedia capabilities Free of charge

The Newspapers’ Survival Can newspapers compete with television and the Internet? How can print journalism adjust its business model to survive?