HISTORY OF JOURNALISM
PUBLICK OCCURRENCES

Published 1690. Only
printed one paper
because the British shut
it down.
ZENGER TRIAL
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
1735 establish truth as a
defense against libel. You
can print whatever you
want as long as it’s true
and you have the ability to
show it’s true.
Newspapers could be
tried for sedition in the
colonial times when they
spoke out against the
British government before
the Zenger trial.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR


1775 – Most papers allied
themselves with the
Patriots because of the
taxes imposed upon them.
Some historians argue that
without the press there
may not have been a
revolution.
Papers would print
editorials blasting the
British for their actions to
alert citizens to the
unfairness of the situation.
FEDERALIST PAPERS


The Federalist Papers: published
between 1787 and 1788 in several
New York State newspapers to
persuade New York voters to ratify the
proposed constitution.
In total, the Federalist Papers consist
of 85 essays outlining how this new
government would operate and why
this type of government was the best
choice for the United States of
America. All of the essays were signed
"PUBLIUS" and the actual authors of
some are under dispute, but the
general consensus is that Alexander
Hamilton wrote 52, James Madison
wrote 28, and John Jay contributed
the remaining five.

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Madison, widely recognized as the Father of the
Constitution, would later go on to become President of
the United States. Jay would become the first Chief
Justice of the US Supreme Court. Hamilton would
serve in the Cabinet and become a major force in
setting economic policy for the US.
The entire purpose of The
Federalist Papers was to
gain popular support for the
then-proposed Constitution.
Some would call it the most
significant public-relations
campaign in history; it is, in
fact, studied in many public
relations classes as a prime
example of how to conduct a
successful campaign
FIRST AMENDMENT


First Amendment – no law
abridging the freedom of the
press.
Congress shall make no law
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.
PENNY PRESS

Penny Press – early
papers carried little
news, mostly filled with
letters, editorials, etc.
However, the New York
Sun in 1833 filled its
paper with hard news
(crime and natural
disasters) and sold it for
a penny. People bought
it.
CIVIL WAR


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The Civil War era brought technical
advances like photography to the
nation's great papers.
The advent of the telegraph enabled
Civil War correspondents to transmit
stories back to their newspapers'
home offices with unprecedented
speed.
But the telegraph lines often went
down, so reporters learned to put the
most important information in their
stories into the first few lines of the
transmission. This led to the
development of the tight, invertedpyramid style of writing that we
associate with newspapers today.

This period also saw the
formation of The
Associated Press wire
service, which started as a
cooperative venture
between several large
newspapers wanting to
share news that arrived by
telegraph from Europe.
Today the AP is the world's
oldest and largest news
agency.
YELLOW JOURNALISM

Yellow Journalism – late
nineteenth century;
involved hoaxes, altered
photographs, frauds, and
made up stories. William
Randolph Hearst and
Joseph Pulitzer’s papers
were two of the most
notable journalists.
YELLOW JOURNALISM



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The sinking of the US Maine
http://history.journalism.ku.ed
u/1900/multimedia/video/Re
membrMaine.mov
Hearst
http://history.journalism.ku.ed
u/1900/multimedia/video/He
artsWar.mov

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Spanish American War – 1895:
newspapers whipped up a
climate of war. Famous quote
from Hearst to a reporter who
was in Cuba and had nothing to
report back on “Please remain.
You furnish the pictures, and I’ll
furnish the war.”
Reporters stirred up trouble by
reporting on the sinking of the
ship “The Maine” saying it was
sunk by the Spanish. Later, it
was found the ship sunk
because its boilers exploded.
MUCKRAKERS

This saw the end of
yellow journalism
around 1910. During
this period, reporters
crusaded for social
rights such as better
conditions in hospitals,
child labor laws, and
exposed public
corruption.
WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST


Competitor with Joseph
Pulitzer in the circulation wars
in the age of yellow journalism.
Publisher of The New York
Journal. The paper fanned the
flames of war and urged
readers to "Remember the
Maine" near the beginning of
the Spanish-American War. He
is quoted with the saying "war
makes for great circulation."
Hearst used the expansion of
his newspaper chain to further
his political ambitions.
JOSEPH PULITZER

Publisher of The New
York World, Pulitzer was
a crusader for the
immigrants, the poor and
the working class.
Sensational headlines
such as "Baptized in
Blood" competed with
Hearsts' sensationalism
from The New York
Journal.
NELLIE BLY


Famous muckraker who
became personally
involved in her stories.
Ex: posing as a mental
patient to expose the
conditions people faced
in mental facilities at
the time.
WWII AND THE 1940S
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Advances in technology, including
the use of radio and television for
news and entertainment, forced
Americans to think more about
the country's role in global affairs.
The 1940s was a decade that
transformed the lives of millions
and set the tone for future social,
political and economic reforms in
the U.S.
Unlike any other war, WWII was
broadcast daily into people’s
homes through radios.
Source:
http://history.journalism.ku.edu/
1940/1940.shtml
EDWARD R. MURROW
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Murrow had a profound impact
on both radio and television.
His ability to paint a picture
with words brought him
overnight success during his
radio news reports from
London during World War II.
In fact, Murrow is often
credited for inventing the radio
correspondent. Murrow and
his "boys" reported in gripping
detail on the war in Europe.
Source:
http://history.journalism.ku.ed
u/1940/1940.shtml

http://history.journalism.ku.edu
/1940/multimedia/video/Murro
wLondon.mov
1950S
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Television slowly grabs
attention away from
radio and newspapers
begin their decline
during this decade.
In addition to Murrow,
famous broadcasters
include: Mike Wallace
and Walter Cronkite
1970S/GOVERNMENT EXPOSED

This decade was known mainly
for Watergate in which an indepth investigation by
reporters Robert Woodward
and Carl Bernstein which
caused the resignation of
President Richard Nixon (we
will learn more about this
later).


The New York Times began
publishing excerpts of the
7,000-page government study
of the Vietnam War known as
the Pentagon Papers. The
document was originally leaked
by a former Pentagon employee,
Daniel Ellsberg. The U.S.
government attempted to
prohibit the publication, but the
Supreme Court decided, in New
York Times Co vs. United States,
that the government actions
were not justified.
Source:
http://history.journalism.ku.edu
/1970/1970.shtml
1980S
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More and more news
related sources are
coming from the
television with the advent
of 24-hour news from
brand new start up CNN.
Also MTV is launched.
1990’S

CNN’s coverage of the
first Iraq war is
unprecedented.
Cameras and crew are
in downtown Baghdad
as bombs fall and
anchors Bernard Shaw
and Peter Arnett and
John Holliman were
huddled in a hotel room
during the shelling.

http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=wlC60Kef9Mg
SOURCES

http://history.journalism
.ku.edu/1990/1990.sht
ml