Newspapers Flashcards
Newspapers
Mix of new and old
News gathering, story writing and layout are well into the digital age…
But the final product still consumes vast amounts of paper and ink
still principally distributed by minimum wage and children work force.
Today’s Problems for Newspapers
Despite declines in circulation newspapers are still profitable, so far.
How do they get online readers to pay?
will continue to morph from hardcopy and online in the years ahead. Those that do not are apt to wither.
Many assets will be gobbled up by newspaper chains and conglomerates
To survive newspapers have always had to change…
make compromises with commercial interests and political powers.
Yet even with these limitation the Idealization of a “free press,”runs deep in our culture beliefs
European origins and the American Revolution.
Thirty Years war (1618 –1648)
advent of irregular news sheets in Holland, England & France
To bring word of foreign events, as well as commercial and economic issues.
Shortly thereafter came dailies focused on foreign events.
Freedom of the Press did not exist at that time
Initially there was no freedom of the press.
To control content, European governments granted licenses to print newspapers and other printed materials
This was the time of the rise of market competition for goods in Europe
and simultaneously the appearance of the concept of a market place of ideas… including the advocacy of democracy…
Thought leaders of that Time
John Stuart Mill and Edmund Burke.
Promoted the need for an informed citizenry
and a free press to assist wide circulation of ideas
The Colonial Era and the Revolution:
Early American newspapers struggled against the control of the authorities and gave birth to the mythic ideal of a “Free Press”
The First paper in the colonies:
Publick Occurences Both Foreign and Domestick,1690 in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Benjamin Harris was publisher.
Stories exasperated the British Crown and the Puritan authorities.
It was shut down after only one issue.
Next came the Boston Newsletter
1704 with notice that it was publish by authority of the royal governor. (John Campbell publisher)
Consisted of news from Europe, notice of arrivals and departures of ships, summaries of sermons, legal and death notices.
1721, James Franklin started New England Current
with no “ by authority approval” … he was jailed and forbidden to publish.
His brother became the new editor… he soon moved to Philadelphia,
Who? Why PA? Who can hazard a guess?
Famous test of press free came in 1734
New York Weekly Journal
Peter Zenger jailed for criminal libel for editorially criticizing the British Governor of NY.
His attorney argued the truth of a published piece was in an of itself a defense against libel.
His attorney Andrew Hamilton
Appealed directly to the jury and not to precedent in British law.
Now a days this is called jury nullification.
This established the principle that true statements are not libel.
First of many instances of the Colonial press thumbing their noses at British
1765 Stamp Act
Taxed each printed sheet and advertisement in all colonial newspapers…
Provoking the famous outcry “No taxation without representation”
Add fuel to the fire of the growing revolutionary movement.
Politicized Colonial Press
A politicized press emerged voicing political opinion, comment as well as the news
Printers were a central catalyst of revolutionary struggle.
Many partisan newspapers & presses continued to publish during the revolution… despite paper and ink shortages.
Published key documents like the Declaration of Independence.
After the Revolution
Newspapers provided the outlets to inform and inflame the public regarding the development of the new country
Constitution… Federalist Papers by Madison, Hamilton and Jay appeared in newspapers and press handouts.
Freedom of the Press was formally established as an integral feature and basic principle at …
the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787.
First Amendment
Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
But after the federalist were elected,
they found the freedom of the press to be rather inconvenient to exercising power and authority…
Alien and Sedition Acts
Enacted in1798
Attempted to limit seditious speech
Expired in 1800 and were not renewed in the face of overwhelming consensus for freedom of the press.
Benjamin Franklin
Became a successful publisher on the strength of his ability to attract advertisers…
Established the first daily newspaper Pennsylvania evening Post & Daily Advertiser in 1783.
By 1800
Most large cities in the U.S. had at least one daily newspaper…
But circulation was limited
Low rates of literacy
$$$ of newspapers.
Early 1800’s in the USA
Social conditions favorable to the development of mass media began to accumulate.
Literacy was growing as public education expanded.
Urban populations continued to grow as rural folks began to move to cities for work
Continued influx of immigrants.
There was a growing need to make the papers cheaper and more accessible.
Telegraph
1844 deployment of the telegraph also positively effected the newspaper business by increasing speed and reach in news gathering.
Emergence of News COOPS
Sharing the cost of covering stories to save $$$.
1848 First US news consortium N Y Associated Press News service began. the first wire service.
Other local and regional arrangements followed and the combined to become the AP that we still know today.
The UPI followed in competition shortly thereafter.
European counterparts: Reuters & AFP (Agency French Presse).
“Go West Young Man”
Papers expanded westward with the settlers.
Included among there numbers were folks like Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and Steven Crane.
All made there mark first as journalists.
The Civil War & After
The civil war also stimulated the growth of newspapers by providing immediate news of the conflict.
After the war came increasing industrial expansion.
More and more people flocking to cities and the number of city newspapers grew.
City Newspapers of the Era
Faced increased competition
getting the latest events out first was of utmost importance…
scoops, big headlines, gossip and pictures became staples to attract an audience.
Muck Rakers
Muck Raking newspapers characterised the era.
What is muck raking?
(uncovering and exposing scandals in government and business.
Introduction of Pictures
Actually began during the Civil War with Mathew Harrison Brady.
But it took till 1880 for technology (engraving) to advance so that papers could use pictures and integrate them with text on the same page.
Post Civil War Papers really Becomes a Mass Media
Audiences continued to widen.
First big modern names in publishing; Joseph Pulitzer and Edward Scripts.
The fair: Sex, violence, murder, scandal, advances in science, medicine.
As the immigrant population Swelled in the late 1800’
So did foreign language press.
German, Italian, Scandinavian, Polish, Spanish and Yiddish papers sprung up in many cities.
Joseph Pulitzer
Pulitzer’s New York Evening World became the model for city dailies…
He relished the role of social critic by conducting exposes on corruption.
Nelly Bly
First Woman Reporter
William Randolph Hearst
Son of the publisher of the San Francisco Examiner
Worked for Pulitzer and than gained control of the family paper and remodeled it after the World.
1895 he inherited the family fortune, moved to NYC and bought the NY journal.
With his $$$ hired away Pulitzer’s best staff and took the role of lead newspaper.
Yellow Journalism
Style of journalism invented by Hearst.
He continued with the same fare as Pulitzer but
added more sensational photos,
hoaxes
fake interviews
Newspapers reach their peak as the primary mass media
Between 1890 and 1920’s.
During this era the general population overtook the elite in numbers of people reading papers.
Shift in the sources of income moved more and more to advertising rather than through circulation fees.
Commercial Interests grew & threatened the ideal of the press in a free society.
Newspaper Layout and Design
Newspaper forms/style that we know today solidified late in the 19th Century
Typical layout of hard news:
5 W’s and an H (can anyone tell us what is meant by that?
WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY & HOW
Typically in the first paragraph if possible
Can anyone think of a probable technological factor that was critical factor to the creation of this formula?
This is still the typical pattern for hard news.
Exceptions: soft news, features and human interest stories.
Business
sell advertising
Circulation
Printing and Distribution
Newsboy/girl
Audit Bureau of Circulation
Not-for profit association
formed in 1914
Includes advertisers, Ad Agencies, & Publishers
Purpose
To verify Circulation figures for Advertisers.
Independent objective information to buyers and sellers of print advertising.
Standards and rules for circulation reporting
Now the bureau provides the same service for web sites.
Historical and Demographic Changes Effecting Newspapers
Moves from Cities to suburbs
Changing work schedules in the 20th Century
TV news in the evening
Generally lower circulation as % of population
And now where are the young People?
Kinds of Newspapers today:
National Dailies
USA Today
Wall Street Journal
Christian Science Monitor
Self Proclaimed National Dailies
New York Times
L. A. Times
Washington Post
Kinds of Newspapers today cont.:
Metro dailies (rarely seldom more than one major per city) Weeklies Newspapers (rural & shoppers) Alternative Press (ala Village Voice in NYC) Ethnic Press (not as many in numbers as in the past but vital particularly Hispanics Papers)
NEWSPAPER CONTROVERSIES TODAY
Driven by:
Media economics Societal Changes Technological Changes
Concentration of Ownership
Obvious advantages to Owners (eliminate duplication of resources be they staff, infrastructure, other economies of scale.)
Resulting In
most cities have only one chain-run daily newspaper.
Critics fear that this reduces diversity of available opinion.
(possible responses by Industry?)
Most Common Critiques of this Trends are:
Relentless bottom line orientation
Few or no remaining community ties.
Increasing demand for profit increases.
Often buy a property at 8% profit and expect and demand increase to 12% within 2 or 3 years.
And How Do They Achieve these kinds of Profits?
In this environment it is very difficult for Independents to survive. Some government help to assist against monopolies: Newspaper Preservation Act 1970
JOA’s
Joint Operating Agreements
Allows competitors in the same market to share resources
Lack of Diversity in the Newsroom
Minority communities feel that white reporters are insensitive to perceived racial slurs and ethnic stereotyping… often subtle changes in wording, pictures and story placement.
Some Believe
Minority and women reporters are apt to choose different sources, different ideas on how and whether to identify some one by color, ethnic background or sex.
First attempt at redress:
American Society of Newspaper editors resolved in 1978 that that minority employment in newsrooms should match % of minority in population. And went further to set the target date of the year 2000 to accomplish this.
Oops ! They still have not reach this goal.
facts:
11% of daily news journalists were Black Hispanic, Asian American and Native American.
The Census Bureau figures state that 28% of the US population are from those 4 groups.
Other Figures from ANSE:
40% of newsrooms have 0% minority representation.
Women have done better they now have 40% representation. (more in advertising & administration than in reporting or editorial)
ASNE ANSWER to not Meeting the Target:
Revise expectations
To a more “reasonable” target:20% by 2010
