1. Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism
Chapter 8

2. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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)

18. 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

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