FINAL EXAM Flashcards
Historically, what are the two sources of revenue for newspapers?
advertising and circulation
3 categories of advertising in the newspaper industry?
local classifieds, local/retail advertising, national advertising
circulation
how many copies of a newspaper get out there, whether it’s in the hands of the consumer, a bookstore, kiosk, etc.
Where do subscriptions fall into?
they are including in circulation
Publick Occurrences
first paper published in the American colonies in 1690; first and only issue b/c shut down for offensive remarks toward the king of France
What two things were colonial newspapers subject to?
British censorship + paper taxes
New England Courant
1721 paper published by James Franklin; first paper to be published w/o “By Authority” notice
John Peter Zenger
originally accused of libel but in 1735, he was acquitted b/c truth was used as his defense against libel claims; first time a person had done so in American courts
Who constituted the audience of colonial era newspapers?
wealthy elite
What did colonial era newspapers mainly cover?
shipping/mercantile news + political essays/discourse
Who were the primary publishers of newspapers from the 1780s to the 1820s?
political parties who focused on opinion, not news
When was the First Amendment adopted?
1791
When was the steam-powered printing press invented?
1814
What is true about the circulation of post-independence American newspapers?
they were expensive, and circulation was relatively small and dominated by yearly subscriptions
What are the four important elements of the Industrial Revolution that were the early ‘enablers’ of newspapers?
- migration from rural to urban centers
- steam powered rotary/printing press
- cheaper and easier to produce paper
- literacy rates improved
What was the penny press?
a 1-2 cent paper that focused on news for the average reader; supported primarily by advertising and a lesser extent circulation revenues
Why is the penny press so important?
birth of news as objective and independent, crucial for democracy; had middle class people wanting the news
What are the 3 business models for local news?
- cooperative “co-op”
- non-profit conversion
- government support
cooperative business model
business model in which members “buy in” with varying degrees of involvement in editorial decisions
Why is local news so important?
it is important in keeping the local government stable
non-profit conversion business model
local news business model that places an emphasis more on tax status rather than profit
What are some examples of successful non-profit converters?
Texas Tribune, AP
What exactly is a non-profit?
an organization in which the money that is made is redistributed back into the business instead of to the shareholders
How much do public broadcast stations get from CPB?
about 50% of their funding
What is the annual federal budget for funding public broadcasting?
$400-500 million per year
hard paywalls
paywall that forces consumers to subscribe in order to read, listen, or watch news
advantages to hard paywalls?
targeted niche audience, premium content
disadvantages to hard paywalls?
lower circulation/readership; inflexibility
soft paywalls
paywall that allows some content to be shared
example of soft paywalls?
academic journals; summaries
metered paywalls
paywall that allows a certain numb er of articles to be read, typically per month
How much of those who engage in news sites w/ meter paywalls convert to subscribers?
about 5-10%
What is fake news?
news that is made up, manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions + spread the word; can be intentional or unintentional
What are the types of fake news?
- hoax news
- misleading news
- mimic websites
- satire
- clickbait
- alternative facts
hoax news
news that is fabricated with the intention of misleading or confusing readers