5
CHAPTER
o
The story
of iournalism
Before you begin learning how to replrt and write stories,
take a tour of the heroes and history that brought us this far
IlI
THIS CHAPTER:
6) Newsroom heroes,legends and lolklore
Highlights fi'om the history of journalisnr, frorn Mark Twain and Lois Larrc to "Citizetr Karrc."
8) The birrh ol iournalism
How newspnpers were estsblislrcd in Arnerica
and lrcw
the
fight for
a
free press led to war.
-
I0) News in the l9th century
Mass nrcdia dortrinated city sffeets, while
jounnlistn gave reporters a bad rnnrc.
yellow
12
) News in the 2oth century
Radio and television threaten the nrcdis
rrtorLopoly newspapers enjoyed
14
for centuries.
) Today's changing media landscape
The availability of news online has created new opportwities and challenges for journalists.
16
) The student iournalists' news attitude suwey
Contpare your news cottsumption habits to those of htndreds of otlrcr students rntionwide.
6
THE STORY OF
Newsroom heroest
legends and folklore
Looking for a career that boasts a long' colorful tradition?
have been digging dirt'
Welcome to the world of journalism' where reporters
for centuries now. It's a
raking muck, making;;;eil;, and meeting deadlines
of "drunkards, deadbeats and
history full of tabloid trash, of slimy sensationalists'
described reporters)'
bummers" (u, u Huruurd Uniut"ity president once
Butit'sahistoryfullofheroes,too:menandwomenriskingtheirlivestotell
to defend free speech' And as
stories of war una trug.dy' risking imprisonment
in pop culture' too'
you can see here, ,.pJ.,.,' hav" ;ecome beloved characters
occult hand'f
an
by
guided
if
as
and TV shows
turning up in movier,
.o-it'
rIVE LEGENDANY'OUNNALIS-TS
uln-nv nuPonrEn sHouLD KNow
I'IARK
IWAItl
FIVE I}fEIIS
ABOUT NEPORTERS
30 SI.ENG TENMS
rON "REPONTER,'
(183s-le1o)
as the
Twain (real name: Samuel Clemens) ts best known
humorist who createcl Tom Sawyer and wrote a classic
novel, "Ihe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'" But Twain
honed his craft as a reporter in Nevada and California,
pieces that
writing columns, feature stories and travel
made him popular all across the countrv.
l{ELtlE BtY 0864-1s22)
Called "the best reporter in America" in the late 1800s,
Bly (real name: Elizabeth Cochrane) pioneered inve$igative
journalism with her bold undercover adventures: getting
herself locked up in a lunatic asylum, working in a sweatshop to expose child-labor abuses and, in a famous
publicitv stunt, traveling around the world tn 72 davs'
H-t. 1'lEt{Cl(Et{
1970s, the intestigati'te reporting of Bob
Woothrard (left) and CarI Bernstein exposed the
Wateraate sca'ndal that forced President Nixorr to
resisnlThe exploits of those two Washington Post
,rD\trrc became a p'opular book and movie,
piovirling inspiration to journalists everywhere'
In the
l.
jotter ink-stained wretch
journo Pavement-Prowler
scribe knight of the Pen
scrivener headline hunter
hoofer slang-whanger
hound Fourth Estater
snoop bloodhound
stringer bull shooter
legman ink slinger
newsie news grabber
scratcher
gazetteer
nosy newsy
PaPer stainer
news
news
pen
Paragrapher
Pencil Pusher
hack
hen
driver
Female reporters are gutsy, idealistic,
beautiful and single; male reporters are
surly, cynical loners who'll lie, cheat and
ruin people's lives to get a juicV scoop.
2.
Reporters routinely solve mysteries
before the cops do, especially after their
editors yank them off the stories.
3. Reporters spend all of their time either:
a) ambushing celebrities outside nightclubs,
b) dodginq bullets in foreign hot spots, or
c) shouting questions at crooked politicians
on the steps of CitY Hall.
4.
Reporters celebrate big stories by drinking whiskey bottles hidden in their desks.
wordster
5.
All reporters have a liberal bias.
(1880-1956)
Looking for biting, brilliantly quotable social commentary?
Mencken's your man. Whether ranting about politics
("Democracy is the art of running the circus from the
monkev cage") or people ("There's no underestimating
the intelligence of the American publtc') Mencken became
a journalism legend in the first half of the 20th centurv.
FIVE INSPIRATIONAI. BOOKS
EVERY REPORTEN SHOULD REtrD
-
gripping
tale of
A
THE PRESIDENI'S I'IEN" by Carl Bernstein and Bob woodward
poiigct, icancat, consprracies, lies and the dogged determination of two heroic reporters'
/,rrrc. Watching Woodward and Bernstein unravel the threads that lead t0
"A[[
inui;iiisr't'
gutsy reporters like these guys'
Nixon's downfall is exhilarating. The world needs more
ERNESI HEI'IINGWAY (1Bee-1e61)
Where did this influential American novelist develop his
straiqhtforward prose style? Covering crimes and fires
for The Kansas Citr7 Star, where his editors' admonitions
to use short sentences, short paragraphs and vigorous
English "were the best rules I ever learned for the
business of writing," Hemingway later recalled.
HUNIER S. IHol'lPSol{ 0e37-20os)
Hey, we didn't say these were all exemplary role models;
we just said you should know about them. And for good
or bad, every reporter needs to ingest some of Hunter
Thompson's "gonzo journalism," a wacko blend of satire,
profanity and hallucinogenic exaggeration. Beware: This
stuff was dangerously excessive and crazily entertaining.
"IHEE[E]'|ENIS0FSIYIE'bystlunkandWhite_Lotsofbookstellyouhowto
that will stick
wnte. Most of them make it painful. But this one is full of savvy advice
thrs
*itr, vo, for years, like use the active voice and omit needless words. studying
pro'
prose
your
truly
make
helps
100-page mini-manual
lf you stay in this business long enough,
FoR SIoRY" by Jon tranklin
pulitzer prize-winntng epic? Frankyoultt.u.ntrutty wonder: How do I write a gripping,
you all the techniques: structure, flashbacks'
iinjs popular feature-writing guide teaches
foreshadowing, pacing. And it's loaded with inspiring examples'
"THE C0RPSE HAD A FAI'llLlAR FA(E" bv Edna
lf you've ever wondered what it's like to be
Buchanan
a crime reporter in a city full of creeps, crooks and crazies
(Miami), the legendary Buchanan will not only show you
-
-
B[y >
2t0
I'IEN(KEN
>
214
HEMINGWAY
>
213
-
Kiddingl Just kidding! lnstead, find a cop}l of "The New
Journalism," a terrific sampler edited by Tom Wolfe that
anthologizes late-20th-century journalistic legends like
Mailer, Capote, Didion and Wolfe himself. Don't miss it'
IH0MP50N > 216
MORE ON
she'll inspire you to start covering cops, too.
'lNSIDE REP0RIING'by lim Harrower
Visit IHE M0RGUE t0 read excerpts from these writers' works:
IWAII'l > 208
-
"wRlllllc
IHE O((UIT HAND SOCIEIY> 298
IYORE ON WATERGATE
AND "DEEP THROAT"
> 2'2
z
THE STORY OF
fIVE ESSEI{TIAL IOURNALISM fILMS
-
We all know how crazy reporters can be. This 1941 0rson
Welles masterpiece shows you how rich, powerful and loony publishers canbe.
Watching this film transports you back to a golden age of journalism that's gone
forever. Critics agree that "Citizen Kane " showcases some of the most brilliant
moviemakinq of all time; luckily for us, it's about newspapers, too.
'ClIlZEl{ KAilE"
-
This engrossrng 2011
"PAGE ONE: |]{SIDE IHE NEW Y0RK Ilt'lES"
documentary takes you behind the scenes inside America's most influential
newsroom as reporters track down stories, editors wrestle with controversial
issues, and everyone ponders the future of the news media.
BEST I{EWSROOM RANT:
"You know what people use
these for? They roll them up
and swat their puppies for
wetting on the rug they
spread them on the floor when
-
A smart, comedic look at the personalities in front of
"BR0ADCASI llEWS"
AND behind the cameras in a network newsroom. William Hurt plays an airheaded
-
FIGTIONAL
NETVSROOM
GHARAGTERS
-
Just how important isfreedom of the press? Using footage
journalists
smuggled out of Burma, this inspiring documentary shows how video
to defy the government and document
even death
risked imprisonment
the military's brutal suppression of peaceful protesis in 2007.
'BURMAVJ'
-
-
Bernstein, the 1976 fiIm captures the tireless
tenacity that turned these reporters into heroes.
fIVE FAMOUS
they're painting the walls
they wrap fish in them shred
them up and pack their two-bit
china in them when thev
or else they pile up in
move
the garage until an inspector
anchor who represents the brainless artificiality of television news. Holly Hunter
plays a producer grappling with her values, her workload and her love life.
Part detective story, part political thriller,
"A[[ IHE PRESIDENI'S I'lEl{" is both inspiring
and entertaining. Starring Robert Redford
as Woodward (Ieft) and Dustin Hoffman as
-
-
declares them a fire hazard!
But this also happens to be a
couple of nore things! lt's got
print on it that tells stories that
hundrcds of good men all over
*
though Lois seems to be the
(LARK KENI and [0lS IANE are the two best reporters at lhe Daily Planet
only one doing any actual reporting at that newspaper. And whenever Lois' nose for news lands her in hot
water, Superman (Clark's other identity) conveniently manages to save her before
she blows her deadline. Ahh, if only it worked that way in real life
the world have broken their
backs to get. lt gives a lot
who wouldn't have known
about it if we hadn't taken the
trouble to tell them. lt's the
sum total of the work of a lot
of quys who don't quit. lt's
(played by Ed Asner, at right) ran a TV newsroom; on the "Lou Grant"
spinoff, he was the classic crusty, crusading newspaper editor.
BREI{DA SIARR was a pioneer: a strong female newspaper
comic-strip character drawn by female cartoonists, which
was rare when the series began in 1940. Readers loved the
redheaded reporteis farflung adventures and steamt/ love
affairs. The final strip was publtshed in 2011.
a newspaper. . . and it onlY
costs l0 cents, that's all. But
if you only read the comic
I
I
\
-
Jll'lltlY was an B-year-old heroin addict whose heartwrenching story won a Pulitzer Prize for Janet Cooke and
The Washington Post in 19B1.Ihe problem? Jimmy didn't
exist; the story was a fabrication. Cooke resigned, and her
award was revoked in the humiliating scandal that ensued.
IUhal's your
Thinkyou're smnrt
whenit comesto
journalismfacts
and folWore?
Prove it.
lo cty,"6reat
3.
What did the headline say?
local TV newscasts?
uttered one of the most famous
phrases in journalism historY.
What did Stanley say?
9.
13.
lO.
tr
yout]ouflalism
Quotient,
7.
Which news website
attracts the most page views?
,t.
E
I
!
in 1982 about a radical new
Which cable news network
attracts the most viewers?
,
'.
I
journalistic venlure'. "l don't
think it has much chance. lt
won't offer much that's original
or different. I give it two Vears."
What was he talking about?
ln 1872, Henry Stanley,
star reporter for lhe New York
Herald, searched the African
I
jungle for a missing explorer.
Stanlev's epic account of his
i
13 million?
: trlndia trBrazil
expedition climaxed in its
Answets on
Miami Herald editor John
McMullen made this predictlon
6.
, lf . tn what country
will
1lou
find the world's largest newsPaPer, with a circulation of
trJapan
Decades ago, reporters
According to a recent 20year study, which one of these
news topics are Americans
most interested in?
Who was the first woman
to regularly anchor a nightl\/
network newscast?
Who used to sign off his
newscast by saying, 'And
that's the way it is. . ." ?
William Contad,
crustv citv editor in the
1959 newspaper movie "30"
. typed a certain number to mark
I the end of every story. What
I was that number?
news
5.
?
, 12.
sports
weather
8.
JQ-
Page 304.
ghost!"
ln the photo below, HarrY
S. Truman holds a copy of a
legendary headline blooPer.
Takethis quizto
rateyour
Caesar's
final paragraphs, where he
E
tr Lady Gaga
tr Rush Limbaugh
tr Frank Zappa
2. What fictional editor used
section or [he want ads
it's still the best buy for
your money in the world."
L
4.
!
!
Who said that?
a
#
What's the number-one
reason people watch most
is PeoPIe
who can't write intervtewing
people who can't talk for
people who can't read."
of
information to a lot of people
LOU GRAI{T was the ultimate surlrl, burly, gruff-but-lovable editor.
0n the legendary "Mary Tyler Moore" TV comedy back in the'70s, Lou
l."Rock iournalism
-
celebrities
disasters
money
health
, 14.
0n the
1 old TV show
I
'
"Sex and the
city," what
was Sarah
Jessica
r
,
Parker's
newspaper
job?
8
THE STORY OF
The birth of iournalism
information
Every society seeks
ffictive
and gossip.
ways to spread new
In ancient times, news was scrawled onto clay tablets. In Caesar's age, Romans read newsletters handwritten by slaves.
Wandering minstrels spread news (and the plague) in the Middle Ages. Then came ink on newsprint. Voices on airwaves.
Movie newsreels. TV network newscasts. Multimedia websites. News apps for smartphones.
When scholars analyzejournalism's rich history,
some view it in terms of technological progress
for example, the dramatic impact of bigger, faster
.
Ft'
-
printing
presses.
t.
journalism
as a
Others see
one that's constantly evolving as
I
I
r6i
form of literature,
it reflects and
.
a
h
r i,
,r. ti4tr
e r{.a.
4-\a
& r,,i{L
H
rtGr
fu
Languages, a
words; he should be able to
snd Sea; be weII acquainted
with Geographl,, with the
HistorS, of Xlle time, with thc
several interests of Princes
BEN'TIITTT TNAIIXLIN. TEE PRINIEN
and States. . .
Beniamin franklin,
e(liIot, f he Peil nsylvatt ia 6azett
e
THE NISE AND TALI.
EXCERPIS/roz Publick Occurrences, Sept. 25, 1690:
OF trI}TERIGA'S
FINST NEWSPAPER
0n a sex scandal involving the King of Fran(e: France is in much trouble
(and fear), not onl\l with us but also with his Son, who has revolted against
him lately, and has great reason if reports be true, that the Father used t0
Iie with the Sons Wife.
Benjamin Harris was a printer who'd been
jailed in London for his subversive writings.
He fled to Boston in 1686, where he wrote
a popular spelling primer, ran a successful
bookshop
and, in 1690, produced the
first and only issue of Publick Occurrences
Both Foreign and Domestick.
It was a small newspaper, printed on three
pages. The fourth was left blank, so readers
could add news, then pass the paper along.
But Harris had failed to obtain a printing
license. Worse, authorities claimed the paper
contained "doubtful and uncertain Reports,"
including criticism of military policy. So
after one issue, the governor shut it down.
rrt:i,j;.
with
grcal Easirrt'ss
and Command of Writing
extert silt e Acquai nt an ce
speak of War both by Land
0n a disease epidemic: Ihe Small-pox which has been raging in Boston,
after a manner very Extraordinary is now very much abated.... The number
of them that have dyed in Boston by this last Visitation is about three hundred and twenty.... lt seized upon all sorts of people that came in the way
of it, it infected even Ihildren in the bellies of Mothers that had themselves
undergone the Disease many years ag0.
-
44o,lnil
an Undertaking as ,nany
People imagine it to be. The
Author of a Gazette ought
to be qualified with an
anil intelligibly, and in a few
to those who own one."
In the pages ahead, we'll take a quick tour of 600
years of journalism history, from hieroglyphics to
hypertext: the media, the message and the politics.
se!!n!{rrir
To publish a good
Newspaper is not so easy
and Relating Things clearly
Others see it as an inspiring quest for free speech,
an endless power struggle between Authority (trying to control information) and The People (trying
to learn the truth). Which recalls the words of A.].
Liebling: "Freedom ofthe press is guaranteed only
OCCURRENCES
i':
Er't
shapes its culture.
?TTBLICK
i:a
0n the first Thanksgiving: Ihe Christianized lndians in some parts of
Plimouth, have newly appointed a day of lhanksgiving to God for his lvlercy
in supplying their extream and pinching Necessities under their late want of
(orn, & for His giving them now a prospect of a very Comfortable Harvest.
0n war with the lndians (whom Hanis calls "miserable Salvages,,):
When Capt. Mason was at Fort Real, he cut the faces and ript the bellies of
two lndians, and threw a third overboard in the sight of the French, who informing the other lndians of it, have in revenge barbarously Butcher'd forty
Captives of our that were in their hands.
5(}t6.
,{tnl.$e
A Coranto
TIMELIIUE
i 1610: Weekly
(l4oo-1800)
; newspapers
The 1400s: Johann
lhe
: apPear in
: Cologne and
Gutenberg invents
the printing press
around 1440,
printing his famous
Bible in the 1450s.
Vlll censors printers
William Caxton
brings the first
printing press to
England in 1476.
1500s: Henry
by issuing a list of
prohibited books
and forcing all
printers to obtain
licenses. Authorities
arrest printers for
sedition and
"unfitting worddes."
i Vienna.
i 1620s: london printers
i first distribute "corantos"
i small pamphlets summarizing
: foreign news translated from
German and Dutch journals.
-
'
]timlFml.i.
i
REL
AT ING
The first true English-language
': 1665:
newspaper printed:
is
twice weekly, the
0xford Gazette prints news of the British
court. After 24 issues, it moves to London
and becomes the London Gazette.
lt----u=lffiH:i
l?EFrwffi.lgr:
i
:
1609: Europe's first regularly
: published newspapers emerge:
: Avisa in Wolfenbtittel
: (northern Germany) and
i
Relation in Strasbourq.
1644: English poet John Milton publishes
his "Areopagitica," an eloquent plea for
free speech. His ideas will be recycled a
century later by American revolutionaries
struggling for greater press freedom.
1690: ln Boston,
Publkk 1ccunences
tries to become
:
first
:
newspaper. lt fails.
:
America's
i
i
THE STORY OF
THE ZEIYGEN TRIAL AIYD
FNEEDOM OF THE PRESS
1734, when a brash young editor named
John Peter Zenger printed accusations of official
corruption in his New York Weekly lournal, the
angry governor had him arrested for libel.v
Zenger's attorney, Andrew Hamilton, argued
that citizens have a right to criticize tl.re government, and that libel occurs only when printed
words are "false, malicious and seditious."v
The jury agreed, and Zenger went free.
9
MEtvlL[E E. sI0NE, rfte chicago publisher who modentized rrrc Associateti
in the early 1900s, on the significance of the Zenger trial:
(qEEEirtt
Ihe jury took the bit in their teeth and asserted their riqht to be the sole
judges of both the law and the facts. And so it came about that
there was a
famous revolution in the colonial law. The judge ceased to be the sole arbiter of
an editor's fate, and the truth when published from good motives and justifiable ends became an adequate defense for the journalist brought to bar. For
the first time in the world's history, the freedom of the press, so far as such
freedom was consistent with public rights, was established. The seed which
"The cptestion before
the court is rtot just
the cause of the poor
Press
In
ALISM
John Milton had sown a century before, when he wrote his famous plea for
"unlicensed printing," had come to fruition. Gouverneur Morris said this verdict
was "the dawn 0f that liberty which afterward revolutionized America.,,
printer. No! It nny in
xts cottsequetrce
every
affect
freennn on the
It
main of Anrcrica.
is the best cause; it is
the cause of Liberty..,
tlrc liberty both
of
exposing and
opposing arbitrary
power by speaking
nnd writing Truth."
THE FINST TEWSPAPEN GANTOON
When Ben Franklin ran this editorial cartoon in his pennsylvania
trilqRt."*
fu' ffiF
JOIN, or DIB.
",Yslv:
Gazette in 1754, the snake symbolized the American colonies, which
needed to unite in self-defense against the French and Indians. It
later symbolized the colonies in their fight for independence from
the British, and the design was incorporated into the nameplate of
the influential Massachusetts Spy (see story below).
Franklin began his career as an apprentice on his brother's paper,
_
the New England Courant. He became a witty writer and a bold
editor; his Gazette was lively, popular and profitable. "If all printers
were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would
offend nobody," he said, "there would be very little printed."
Pf,TNIOTISIII, PNOPAGANDA AND THE NHI'OLUTIOilANY WAN
In
1765, the British Parliament imposed a heavy tax on all
printed matter: the Stamp Act. Editors protested noisily, and
colonists united to force a repeal of the tax
which further
weakened Britain's control of colonial printers.
-
Editors grew even bolder as the revolutionary debate heated up, exerting political
influence and exhorting military action.
Objectivity disappeared. Loyalist editors
were driven out of business, while
patriot editors filled their papers with
news of rebellion and commentary such
as Thomas Paine's "Common Sense."
One of the most notable journalists
of his time, Isaiah Thomas was a m.aster
ISAIAH THgl,lAS
printer and an articuiate agitator. When
he began publishing The Massachusetts Spy in 1770 ir was nonpartisan, butby 1775 Thomas was demanding independence
from England. His accounr of the Battle of Lexington (at right),
reprinted in newspapers throughout the colonies, was a mix
of outstanding reporting and persuasive propaganda.
; 1704: The first
i successful American
: newspaper, I/re
i Boston News-Letter,
is published.
1729: Ben Franklin takes
EXCERPISfTom The Massachusetts Spy,
-
BATTLE of LEXINGTON!
where British troops, unmolested and
unprovoked, wantonly, in a most inhuman manner, fired upon
and killed a number of our countrymen, then robbed them of
their provisions, ransacked, plundered and burnt their houses!
Nor could the tears of defenseless women, some of whom
were in the pains of childbirth, and cries of helpless babes,
nor the prayers of old age, confined to beds of sickness,
appease their thirst for blood or divert them from their
DESIGN of MURDER and R0BBERY!
From Thomas's description of the batile:
. . . The commanding officer accosted the militia, in words to
this effect,"Disperse, you damn'd rebels! Damn you, disperse!,'
lmmediately one or two offlcers discharged their pistols,
which were instantaneously followed by the firing of four
or five of the soldlers. . . . Ihey fired on our people as they
were dispersing, agreeable to their command, and we did not
even return the fire. Eight of our men were killed and nine
wounded. The troops then laughed, and damned the yankees,
and said they could not bear the smell of gunpowder.
that raises prices 50 percent. After
violent protest, the act is repealed.
ffi;,,
lhroughout the lt00s:
i
1735: Freedom of the press is
Mailmen on horseback ("postriders',)
:
play a key role in delivering news
and newspapers to editors and
subscribers all across New England.
i
strengthened in the colonies when
John Peter Zenger, jailed for libel by
a New York governor after printing
harsh criticism, is acquitted.
l'40RE 0N
:
i
SEDtIt0l'l AND UBEL >r43
1776: The Declaration
of
i
lndependence first appears
publicly in \he Pennsylvania
:
Evening Post and is reprinted in
20 other colonial newspapers.
:
::|
i
,
"Adyertisements are
t'tow so numerous
that they are very
negligently perused,
and it is therefore
become necessary
to gain attention
by magnificence of
promises and by
eloquence sometimes sublime and
sometimes pathetick.
Promise
large
-
May 3, 1775:
lsaiah Thomas launches his eyewitness repolt on the Batue
of lexington with this: Americans! Forever bear in mind the
1765: Ihe Stamp Act forces all
papers to display an official British
government seal and pay a tax
i
ouer fhe Pennsylvaniai
6azette, making it the i
boldest and best i
PaPer in the colonies. i
Indrew Hamilton,
durjnq the Zenger trial, i735
promise
is the soul
of advertising. The
trade of advertising
6 now so near
perfection that it is
not easy to propose
any improvement."
Itr, Samuel lohnson,
The London
ldler,1158
"Were it left to nte
to decide whether
we should have a
government without
newspapers, or
newspapers witlnut
a governtnent,
should not hesitate
I
a moment to prefer
the latter."
Thomas lellerson,
1181
1783: The Pennsylvania
i Evening Post, a thrice-weekly,
i increases its frequency to
:
become America's first dailY
:
newspaper.
EEffiR#,:r'
,YtM
ltgl: Ihe Bill of Rights
provides that "Congress
shall make no law. . .
abridging the freedom of
speech or of the press."
i
:
i
i
i
I"IORE ON PRESS RIGHTS
>I4()
IO
THE STORY OF
News in the lgth century
FA'CTCllEC
Number of
daily papers
in the U.S. in 1800: 20
Technical advances and brilliant ideas forged a new style of journalism.
It was a century of change, and journalism changed dramatically, too' The typical newspaper of
ln 1900: 2,226
1800
was an undisciplined mishmash of legislative proceedings,long-winded essays and secondhand gossip.
But by 1900, a new breed of editor had emerged. fournalism had become big business. Reporting
was becoming a disciplined cra{t. And newspapers were becoming more entertaining and essential,
providing most of the features we expect today: Snappy headlines.
Ads. Comics. Sports pages. And an "inverted pyramid" style
of writing that made stories tighter and newsier.Y
The key changes in the 19th century:
: The emergence of the penny [,ress,In the 1830s,
a new approach to newspapering emerged. Aimed at
the interests of the common citizen, it emphasized
By the 1830s, stearn-powered presses could produce
4,000 pages per"lrcur, printing on both sides oflong
paper rolls, Such teclurical advances nmde newspapers
clrcaper
tluts, more affordable to the nnsses.
-
local news, sports, human-interest stories about
real people and, above all, crime.
t Innovations in printing. Cheaper paper and
faster presses made news affordable and available
like never before, especially to America's growing
urban population.
; The rise of the modern newsroom. The
biggest and best newspapers hired and trained
reporters to cover news in a professional way.
But when Benjamin Day began
selling the New York Sun for a
penny a copy in 1833, he pioneered the idea of "mass rnedia."
As Day put it, the penny press
"lay before the public, at a price
well within the means of everyone, all the news of the day."
Within two years, the Sun was
the top-selling paper in the U.S.
with a circulation of 20,000
encouraging other editors toimitate and improve the format.
TIMELINE
i
ORDINARY NEWSPAPERS
Papers cost 6 cents apiece, usually by
subscriptions delivered in the mail.
Papers cost just a penny apiece, usually
Political commentary, trade statistics,
poetry, letters, secondhand gossip.
Lots of local news, crime coverage,
documents and correspondents
1800: 20 dailies and more than
1,000 weeklies publish in the U.S.
l?fffiffi,''
bought from paperboys on the street.
human-interest stories, featuresReporters cover a variety of beats:
-
Wall Street, churches, society, sports,
becomes the first PaPer
,
printed west of the MississiPPi
as printers accompany settlers
:
into the expanding frontier.
i
Percentage of U.S.
newspapers in 1850 that
were partisan (i.e., organs
of one political party): 80
Phrases used by fiercely
partisan editors to insult
Abraham Lincoln:
"slang-whanging
stump speaker"
"half-witted usurye/'
"the prcsent turtle at
the head of government"
"the head uhoul at
Washington"
Number of papers,
per hour, the fastest
printing press could
produce in 1800: 200
In 1850: 18,000
ln l890: 48,000
ln iB60: 45
Iyplcal examples of
"yellow journalism"
headlines from the
New York Journal in l896:
Ulhy Young Girls
Kill fhemselves
Staftling Contession ol
Editors move slowly in responding
Editors aggressively compete for
Who Begs fo Be Hanged
to events; news is often old and stale.
and promote biq breakinq stories.
Promote one political party's agenda.
lndependent of any political party.
Funded by political parties or subscribers.
1825:. lhe New York
/dvertrser installs the first
"cylinder" press in America,
allowing faster printing on
bigger sheets of paper.
Funded by street sales and advertising.
,
i
;
i
:
1830s: Editors use
homing pigeons and
the Pony Express to
deliver news from
distant points.
a Wholesale llurdercr
Real American
Itlonsters and Dngons
One
llatl Blow Kills Child
Stnnge fhings
Women Do fot love
1847: Frederick Douglass begins
i
:
publishing fhe North Star,an:
influential paper dedicated to ,
i
i
fighting slavery and bringing
news to black Americans.
:
i
:
:
EZUWffi*TiiF.',
:'
1
Journal in 1896: 64
and most significantly, crime.
I
:
1808: The Missouri 1azette
Pages in a typical Sunday
issue of the New York
or lifted from other newspapers.
llisouri Cn:tu.
ii;i;1'i)11i:' J;::ir-rii'r I
THE PEt{NY PRESS
News is reprinted from government
newspaper in 1800: 4
Average percentage
of a newspaper's stories
that were written by
the paper's own staff,
in 1830: 25
THE PENNY PRESS: MARKETING MEDIA TO THE MASSES
Most colonial newspapers were
printed on small presses in small
numbers for educated readers.
Pages in a typical
1827: Reporters from three
newspapers become the first
Washington correspondents,
providing congressional coverage
that continues to this dav.
:
i
18t';
lhe New York
.fun becomes the
first successful
i
:
penny paper
,
published in the U.5.
MORE ON
1844: Ihe telegraph is used
for
:
_
li-5frtil]tibtt
IHE INVERTED PYRAMID > 40
THE
BENNETT GRAFTS Jan.res Gordon Bennett was a terrific
writer and a brilliant publisher. He
A NEW StrI.E
launched the New York Herald in 1835
Of IOURNAI,ISM with
little money and no staff. But by
BEI{I{ETT
EXCERPT
lt
OF
from The Heratd, Aprit lj, tBj6:
wlrcn
a prostitttte known as Heren lewett was nuu'rlerecl, Bennett
visited the
crime scene. Ot.t tlrc fron page of.the Herald, lrc providerl a rtescription
thrai.t
enthralled readers and helped uslrcr in a ncw eri of satsationnr riportitrg:
"Here," said the Police 0fficer, "here is the poor creature.,,
midcentury, the Herald had become the biggest newspaper in the world due to its enterprising reporting,
sensational stories and innovative ideas: interviews,
reviews, letters to the editor, money pages, society
columns, sports stories and "extra" editions.
In Bennett's words: "It is my passion, rny delight,
my thought by day and my dream by night, to conduct The Herald, and to show the world and posterity
that a newspaper can be rnade the greatest, most
fascinating, most powerful organ of civilization that
genius ever dreamed of. "
He half uncovered the ghastly corpse. I could scarcely look at it for a second
or two. slowly I began to discover the lineaments of the corpse as one wourd the
beauties of a statue of marble. lt was the most remarkable sight I ever beheld _
I never have, and never expect to see such another. "l"ly Gocl," exclaimed l, ',how
like a statue! I can scarcely conceive that form to be a corpse." Ihe perfect figure
the exquisite limbs
the fine face
the full arms
the beautiful bust _ all
surpassed in every respect the Venus de l"lidici ....
-
-
-
-
For a few moments I was lost in admtration at thts extraordinary sight
a
beautiful female corpse that surpassed the finest statue of antiquity. I was
recalled to her horrid destiny by seeing the dreadful bloody gashes on the right
temple, which must have caused instantaneous dissolution.
-
THE GOI.DEN AGE OF
T-ELLOW IOURNALISM
--t ir,,"=-gg-",--ffi
As New York's population exploded,
the city became the nation's media center.
It was an age of publishing legends such
as Horace Greeley, the liberal, crusading
social reformer, and Henry Raymond, who
strove to rnake his New
,-ryllp=:$lj
I.IAINE EXPLOSION CAUSED BY BOMB OR TORPEDO?
u{tn 8iltP ilililt
Assistant,\drclarv
llt$ Tflt
>pl. Sgslxc and Cus-{-Ccrcrd Lc!
Stxrial
Tug, Wilh SobnEdrc Dilcrs,
Are in Doubl-Tlre Wdld ILT Senl a
lo tla!.xu to l'ird Ouf-Lcc As&.5
fd d lmdale Co,uil ot hq{t}-260 iYcn DqrL
I I $nm$ otflffi I0 rft sltrt trnflrls lltutilil sttr Itt t&]ft f6lltr
(l0nvinicd the ExplosDn of
,\hip \Vas Not
Accidcnl
I
t. C
r.dh
2I&
Nill
b &nd tm &nr Sri lk 6nrF J L* lrwc d r Bt !o ex
rh lM
ter. d oh' tlrnr
b lrr \\(Lr rhil
k tu-w&ro
!bd. *ri. d lril' P,qiliy
o(.* k,\ frr 'br
6&tuG-h6ro&
kdb
l
b
il lx tux
rb S@
York Tirnes the rnost
objective, well-written
paper ofits era.
But two editors rose
above the rest in an
epic struggle for power
and influence: ]oseph
Pulitzer (The World)
and William Randolph
Hearst (the New York
Journal). Both men
reshaped American
journalism in the late 1800s with a style of
newspapering known as "yellow journalism," taking its name from the Yellow Kid,
the first color comic, which ran in both the
Journal and the World.
What characterized yellow journalism?
HEARST, PULITZER ANI' THE SPANISH-AI}IERIGAN WAR
The excesses of yeliow journalism reached a climax as Hearst's Journal battled Pulitzer's World
for supremacy in New York. Hearst spent millions in family fortune to hire away Pulitzer's top
staffers, and he used his genius for sensationalism to concoct bigger, bolder stories. When The
World sent correspondents to Cuba in 1896 to dramatize the rebels' fight for freedom ("Blood in
the fields, blood on the doorsteps, blood, blood, bioodl" one wrote), Hearst dispatched staffers of
his own, famously messaging one artist: "You furnish the pictures and I'll furniih the war."
Hearst and Puiitzer inflamed readers, pressured politicians
the day after a Navy battleship
- andabove.
exploded in 1898, they published the two competing pages shown
War was declared, and
circulation skyrocketed. On Page One, Hearst's paper asked, "How do you iike the fournal's war?"
In the words of E.L. Godkin, editor of the more restrained, more responsible Evening Post:
"It is a crying shame that men should work such mischief simply in order to sell more papers."
Loud headlines. Sensatior.ral stories on sin
and sex. Lavish use ofpictures (often faked)
Sunday supplements full of crowd-pleasing
comics and features. Crusades. Publicity
stunts. And rumors disguised as news
such as those that led to war with Spain.
-
l85l: Henry
founds
J. Raymond
lre ilery
1867: Emily Verdery
1867:
Bettey becomes
the first woman
which becomes one of
America's most responsible
and respected newspapers.
R,
i
i First
i practical
reporterona i typewriter
York limes,
New York paper.
;
patented.
1857:
Harpels
i
first
:
illustrated paper
I
in America,
!
debut.
i
makes its
:
1886: Reporters
1898: Yellow journalism
i
Alexander Graham Bell invents
the telephone: wlthin seven
years, telephone lines will
connect New York and Chicago.
start earning
bylines in daily
reaches its heights
(or possibly dePths)
i
newspapers 0n
as Hearst and Pulitzer
trump up war with SPain.
lrcffi#ii,r,,,
,;i$-{€r.;:",,.
Weekly, the
!|'5tt
1876:
i
:
:
:
i
186l-1865: For the first time, hundreds of
reporters cover a big event: the tivil War.
Filinq stories via telegraph forces reporters
t0
use a tighter
writing style that becomes
known as "the inverted pyramid."
EEffi{:.:'
1878: E.W. Scripps
:
the
:
begins building
:
first newspaper
i
chain; he eventually
:
owns l8 papers.
:
,
1880: First photograph
is printed in a news-
paper (of some buildings, riqht) in the,Very
York Daily Graphk.
the East Coast.
EEEffii,
1897: The term
"public relations"
is used, for the
first time, by a
railroad company.
:
:
:
:
:
,
i
:
12
THE STORY OF
News in the zOlhcentury
Radio and television brougfut an end to newspapers' media monopoly.
Why has the power of print faded? Well, which did
this gray column of text, or that
you look at first
image of newsman Walter Cronkite to the left?
That's basically why, as the century progressed,
newspapers surrendered their supremacy: The
competition simply had more appeal. First came
radio, luring listeners with speech and music.
Next, movie newsreels added visuals to the voices
in the news. By 1950, television wooed viewers
(and advertisers) by combining sights, sounds and
unbeatable immediacy. In the 1990s, a new rival
evolved: online news via the Internet.
Technology has transformed news delivery
just as it's changed every other aspect of modern
life. Today's news media are more accessible and
engaging than ever before. As a result, despite
everything newspapers have done to improve their
product better design, bigger photos, broader
coverage, tighter writing
many Americans now
realize they don't need to work hard at reading
when they can more easily absorb information by
watching video and listening to audio.
-
WALTtR (R0NKllE racolls nnrnrrnting tlrc deutlt ol'
Prcsident lohn F. Kcnnady orr CllS, iVov. 22, 1963:
I was doing fine... until it was ne(essary to pronounce
the words: "Fron Dallas Texas, the flash apparentlv
official. President Kennedy died at I p.n. (entral Standard
lime a half-hour ago." Ihe words stuck in my throat.
A sob wanted to replace them. A gulp or two quashed
-
-
Ihe sob, which metamorphosed into tears forming
Germany's great silver Hindenburg, the world's largest dirigible,
was ripped apart by an explosion
tonight that sent her crumpling to
the naval landing f ield a flaming
wreck, with horrible death to
about a third of those aboard her.
Exactly how many died was still
in dispute as the flames licked
clean the twisted, telescoped
skeleton of the airship that put
out from Germany seventy-six
hours before on its opening trip
of the 1937 passenger season.
The Associated Press,
May 7, 1937
><T
-
in
-
the corners of my eyes. I fought back the emotion and
regained my professionalism, but it was touch and go
there for a few seconds before I could continue.
PUI.ITZEN SPNEAIDS HIS GRUSAI'ING INFI.UENGE
In the years after 1900, Joseph Pulitzer left yellowjournalism behind to create a more lasting legacy, becoming the
modei of a passionate, public-spirited modern publisher.
His paper, The World, launched courageous crusades
against corruption in government and business. Before
he died in 1911, he funded one ofthe first schools of
journalism, at Columbia University. And to encourage
journalistic excellence, he established the Pulitzer Prizes.
When the Pulitzer
Prizes were
awarded in 1917, the
journalism categories
JOSEPH PU LITZER's journalistic credo :
0ur Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able,
disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to
know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue
without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A
included only
reporting, editorial
writing and public
service. Today, prizes
are awarded in 2l
categories.
TI}IELINE
1900: Satirical politiral cartoons become a popular
way for newspapers to comment on current events.
Dec. 7, 1941
1920: KDKA-
1926: As radio enjoys
1934: The
growing popularity, the
Associated
:
Pittsburgh begins
broadcasting
first regular radio
i
schedule.
the
:
i
radio siqnal
: across the
: Atlantic 0cean.
:
NBC radio network is
formed; CBS will beqin
broadcasting a year later
@ffii;'
i
the base and released repeated
sticks of bombs.
Two warships lying in the
lntelnational llews Service,
I
(r9oo-20oo)
was under enemy attack today.
A number of attacking planes
with red insignia were sighted
shortly after B a.m.
(ln Washington, Presidential
Secretary Early identified the
attacking planes as Japanese.)
Antiaircraft guns opened fire
when the planes dived low over
harbor were sunk.
The planes later returned to
the attack.
cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people
as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic
will be ln the hands of the journalists of future generations.
PUI.IIZER
: l90l: Marconi
: sends the first
first
America's outpost of the Pacific,
mighty Pearl Harbor naval base
i l94l: FDR declares
war on Japan as
the largest radio
audience in history
listens in.
Press begins
transmitting
wire photos.
JEFI?Gffi,'L:.
Eady 1900s: The era of "muckrakers,,
-
social reform-minded journalists and
magazine writers who expose injustice,
fraud and political corruption in
government and big business.
T
1923: Henry R. Luce
launches Time
magazine, the
nation's first
newsweekly.
1938: "CBS World News
Roundup" debuts. lts
influential news coverage will
make it America's longestrunning radio news show.
i
1939: NBC and
i
begin
commercial
television
CBS
i
i
,
broadcasts.
THE
RAIDIO NULES THE AIRWAUES
Gbr
ilatltr
fltorninq
In 1920, only a handful of hobbyists heard the first
radio broadcasts. But by 1927, 30 million Americans
tuned in to celebrate aviator Charles Lindbergh's
homecoming. Radio was entering its golden age.
Though powerfr"rl publishers at first prevented
statior-rs from broadcasting news, radio soon became
the first medium to provide a 24-hour stream of
news coverage. During World War II, dramatic
reporting by legendary newsmen like Edward R.
Murrow helped hone the rrodern newswriting style:
concise wording, short sentences, dramatic delivery.
liilc
Kt1{NtDY 5tAll{
ON DAttAS SIRTEI
Bt,r
:o\il,ts t)Rt:slt)t,:\1'
A sniper shot and killed
President John F. Kennedy on
the streets of Dallas Friday. A
24-year-old pro-Communist who
l3
YOF
EDWARD R. ilURR0W rcportirtg live
tlrc Battle of
durilry
Britaht Sept. 22, 1940:
Ihere's an ominous silence hanging over
London. Out of one window there waves
something that looks like a white bedsheet,
a window curtain swinging free in this night
breeze. lt looks as if it were being shaken
by a ghost. There are a great many ghosts
MURROW
around these buildings in London. The
searchlights straightaway, miles in front of me, are still scratching
that sky. There's a three-quarter moon riding high. There was one
burst of shellfire almost straight in the Little Dipper. There are
hundreds and hundreds of men . . . standing on rooftops in London tonight, waiting to see what comes out of this steel-blue sky.
once tried to defect to Russia was
charged with the murder shortly
before midnight.
Kennedy was shot about l2:30
p.m. Friday at the foot of Elm
Street as the Presidential car
entered the approach to the Trlple
Underpass. The President died
in a sixth-floor surgery room at
Parkland Hospital about 1 p.m.,
AI}TENIGA TURNS OIII ANI'
TUNES Iil TO TELEVISION
After World War II ended, Americans began buying
televisions
1,000 sets a day. But in the early years
of network TV, programmir.rg was prirnarily devoted
to entertainment (Milton Berle and "l Love Lucy").
Ratings for newscasts were disappointingly low.
Television journalism came of age in the 1960s.
In 1963, America sat spellbound lor lour days watching nonstop coverage of the Kennedy assassination.
To many critics, it was television's finest hour. And
-
though doctors say there was no
chance for him to live after he
reached the hospital.
The Dallas Morning News,
Nov. 23, 1963
=
CIlrc
{ltosl,ttgton
f lgt
-i:',
ever since, viewers worldwide have become dependent upon television to cover big breaking stories.
ITIEANWHILE, BAGK AT
THE IUEWSPAPEN...
tonight f or the f irst time in his
two-million-year history.
"That's one small step for man,"
: NBt launches the first
: magazine{ormat TV
: Program, the "Today" show
ffij,
,i:;.,
,,
-
twin towers of the World
Trade (enter, both of them being
damaged by impacts from
is the
planes. We saw one happen
at about maybe nine minutes
before the top of the hour, and
just a moment ago, so maybe lB minutes after the first impact,
the second tower was impacted with a
by another
what
appeared to be, another passenger plane. ln fact, we've got some
tape replay of that. Do we have the tape available right now?
Here is the tape. . . . lncredible pictures. These happened just
moments ago.
-
-
Newspapers became more readable, more colorful,
more objective and more timely than ever before.
But their power and prominence gradually faded
(along with the attention spans of most Arnericans).
By 1994, the average American spent 38 minutes a
day watching TV news, but only half as rnuch
19 minutes
reading a newspaper.
In the 1990s, as computers invaded homes and
offices, a new medium emerged: the Internet. At first,
news organizations were slow to realize the poterrtial
-
-
i 1960:0nly
2,000
people owned television
: sets in 1945; by now,
i 90% of American homes
i have a TV.
i
:
1974: President Nixon
i
resigns following dogged
: investigation of the Watergate
: scandal by fhe Washington
: Posf3 Woodward and Bernstein.
covering the Kennedy
assassination; 96% of homes
with televisions watch an
average of 32 hours of coverage.
.rhtP*..CyHd
Two Aircnft Collide
ln Air Na Delhi.
Killing About 350
.lM?kc.Oph
.tull"d.Td
.b&bE.Fhu:rh.
.he.kEF4
: late 1960s: Anti-war
: and anti-establishment
, underground newspapers
: mushroom in U.S. cities
:
and on college campuses.
C|rste6osldbinah
EuroIF Betting or
Sell-Regulation to
Cintrol the Internet
of the World Wide Web. Early online news sites were
simple and slow-moving (as you can see in that 1996
home page for The New York Times, above).
As online technology and access speeds improved,
news consumers began migrating to the Web, and
newspapers began to wonder: How wiII we keep
readers interested in ink on paper? Are we doonrcd to
become dinosaurs?
: 1982t USA loday makes
: its Oebut, shocking the
, news establishment
, with shorter stories
i and bold color.
EEEffi:l',
EEUffiffi.+,,,,,,,
1963: TV news comes of age
@lrcl{erySodc.@iuresffi
lesser facts later.
declared pioneer astronaut Neil
Armstrong at 10:56 p.m. EDI, "one
giant Ieap for mankind."
Just after that historic moment
in man's quest for his origins,
Armstrong walked on the dead
satellite and found the surface
very powdery, littered with fine
grains of black dust.
The Washington Post,
July 21,1969
CBS News coins
the word "anchorman."
it
ffi
As the century progressed, newswriting becarne
more fact-based, less biased. Shorter sentences and
tight writing replaced the flowery prose ofthe past.
Reporters were trained to use the inverted pyramid,
a story structure that stacks the big facts first, the
Man stepped out onto ihe moon
i
You are looking at this picture
=-.,
oThe Dagle Has Lrnded''fwo Menwalk on the lllrur
: 1952:
tE0N HARRIS, CNN anchor,
reporthry liw, Sept. 1 1, 2001 :
1976: Ihe Apple ll
becomes a popular
home computer.
Nintendo sells its first
computer qames.
, 1980: Media mogul
, Ied Turner launches the
i
Cable News Network
:
,
(CtltD, tfre planet's first
24-hour news channel.
1990s: The lnternet wires the
planet. Laptop comPuters, digital
cameras and modems allow
reporters to file stories and photos
from anywhere in the world.
14
THESTORYOF
Todayb changing
media landscape
I
! I \\ l{lllG
V
3rd
Digital journalism offers new tools and challenges.
1'l
lll
ll
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ll
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Is Peyton Manning the greatest quarterback of all time?
To answer that question, IndyStar.com created the Manning
Y.: q
4th
t#
Eledsoe
Meter, a multimedia Web page that combined photo galleries,
a weekly game for kids, Manning's complete career stats and
a searchable database that tracked every pass he ever threw.
This is not your father's sports section.
By converging text, images, interactivity and customizable
data, digital media like the Manning Meter are transforming
journalism, making news coverage more engaging and
accessible than ever before.v
llanniIg
iE
PH0T0
(]lltlplrr
SlAIMl(,1t D^IABASt
Evcry pass Mannlng's thrown
!,-.1 : ir r.,
n,!rn1-a f, , -t0_^)..a-r',: f..c r r j,a,-,
'4{-..r,.-l!.!-(),r
e Jr. r^ij r)'3.,1.., n -.:,-...^ -, ir., ,.,.-,.:
read a newspaper. Fifty years ago,
you had three options: read a paper,
listen to the radio or watch TV.
But ifyou want news today,
it's right there on your desktop
PC. Your wireiess laptop. Your
smartphone. Your tablet. And
who knows what new personalized
gizmo will make news even more
portable and accessible tomorrow?
News is everywhere now. Without
$l 1w
on unn,
",
\,\. &nhC(dlmb&ed
f,l
to"trcr
frrbnMli
Gahy tn,.. )
trying we absorb information.
(As one college student said in The
New York Times: "If the news is
even
ANAI.YSIS:
ARE ITEWSPAPENS DOOMED?
lames Surowiecki sums up the crisis facing newspapers in this
excerpt from a 2008 financial column in fhe New yorker:
Newspapers now seem to be the equivalent of the railroads
at the start of the twentieth century a once-great business
eclipsed by a new technology. ln a famous 1960 article called
"Marketing Myopia," Theodore Levitt held up the railroads as
a
quintessential example of companies,inability to
adapt to chang_
ing circumstances. Had the bosses realized that they were in the
transportation business, rather than the railroad business, they
could have moved into trucking and air transport, rather than
letting other companies dominate. By extension, many argue
that if newspapers had understood they were in the information
business, rather than the print business, they would have adapted
more quickly and more successfully to the Net.
-
Ihe peculiar fact about the current crisis
is that even as big
papers have become less profitable, they've arguably become
more popular. Usually, when an industry runs into the kind of
trouble that Levitt was talking about, it's because people are
abandoning its produ(ts. But people don't use The New york
iusr r0[
that important, it will find me.")
So who are the winners in this
new era of news? Tech-toy makers,
of course. And consumers, who can
choose, moment to moment, whatever news-delivery platform best
suits their needs. (In my bedroom,
I'll browse headlines on my iPhone;
in my car, I'll listen to AM radio.)
Who are the losers? Old Media.
TV, radio and print journalists are
scrambling to keep their audiences
happy and their ad revenues flowing. After all, without journalists,
who'll supply the news content for
all these shiny new digital devices?
Times less than they did a decade ago. They use it more. The
difference is that today they don't have to pay for it. The real
problem for newspapers, in other words, isn't the lnternet; it,s
us.
We want access to everything, we want it now, and we want it
for free. That's a consumer's dream, but eventually it,s going to
c0llide with reality: if newspapers'profits vanish, so will their
product.
Does that mean newspapers are doomed? Not necessarily.
There are many possible futures one can imagine for them, from
becoming foundation-run nonprofits to relying on reader donations to that old standby, the deep-pocketed patron. lt,s even
possible that a few papers will be able to earn enough money
online to make the traditional ad-supported strategy work.
But it would not be shocking if, sometime soon, there were big
American cities that had no local newspaper; more important,
we're almost sure to see a sharp decline in the volume and variety of content that newspapers collectively produce. For a while
now, readers have had the best of both worlds: all the benefits
0f the old, high-profit regime
intensive reporting, experienced
editors, and so on
and the low costs of the new one. But that
situation can't last. Soon enough, we're going to start getting
what we pay for, and we may find out just how little that is.
-
-
Printablc gamc cvery woek
i;.
:F r& trr-. i^ l1... ri
i.nl,a:.!:
*.']|..1..,'
i.:lY J 1..
j:r ir-,r.,.n".r
Fr'r.: " I'j-
1.:a
FACT GHEC
0N MULTIMEDIA J0URNAtISM >
172
K
Number of
words the
average American receives
through the media every
day: 100,500
Percentage of Americans
who "graze" the news
from time to time during
the day, instead of getting
it all at once: 57
Number of Americans
who watched the network
evening news in 1980:
52 million
Who watch it today:
22 million
Percentage of Americans
who get news on their
smartphone or tablet: 27
Percentage of Americans
under age 30 who say they
read a print newspaper
yesterday: 8
Percentage of Americans
under age 25 who read
or hear no nelts on a
typlcal day: 3l
Percentage of Americans
who think that, in 2050,
daily newspapers will no
longer exist: 64
Percentage who think that,
in 2050, ordinary people
will travel in space: 55
Newsroom jobs that have
been eliminated since the
number of U.S. journalists
peaked at 56,900 in 1990:
linl
l''10R8
t{rD5
From.hlldhood
lo champlon
A hundred years ago, ifyou
wanted news, you had one option:
A.qd h...ilhrdc
/+1'
td
*7i,:.
(om0hlions:
IIS TEGHNOI.OGY ADVf,NCES, NEWS CONSUI}IPTION GIIANGES, TOO
\' -.
f,!
$.t'
For sources, see page 332
t5
THE STORY OF
WHIGII Tt?E OF IIEWS
How ilEws
GONSUilER ABE YOU?
c0ltsul'tPItolt
2000 2002 2004
2006
2010
60%
WATCHED
HAS CHAI{GED
460/o
23o/o
(2000-2oro)
50%
Responses to the
question: Where
40o/o
news yesterday?
30o/o
Source: Pew Research
Center for People &
20%
RADIO IITWS
GOT NEWS ONTINE
READ
Ihe
llewsers,
Disengaged,
13%
14o/o
I
Traditionalists are the biggest segment
and the oldest, with a median age of 52.
They're less educated, less affluent, and
rely heavily on traditional news outlets:
newspapers, radio and especially TV.
Press
Idealistic journalists often forget that the
-
.lntegrators use traditional media as their
primary news source (mostly TV), but
go online fot news, too. Most are baby
boomers (ages 44 to 62), with a greater
interest in news than the other groups.
r l{et-Newsels use the Web as their main
ditional news outlets follow them there, too.
Online journalism is now a constantly evolving
hybrid oftext, photos, videos and mobile apps.
The trouble is, that all costs money.
.How do we stop the decline in ad tevenue?
When the economy began tanking in 2008,
TV, radio and print newsrooms were hit hard.
As advertising revenue dried up, giant media
companies, from Gannett to CBS, began losing
millions. The result? Layofis. Bankruptcies.
The death of newspapers in Seattle and Denver.
The threat of extinction everywhere. And a
new concern: As the economy recovers, will
.How do we genelate levenue online?
When we say "online news," you might think
of Google News, Yahoo! or your favorite
blog. But where do they get their content?
newspapers,
From the traditional media
mostly. Companies like Google make billions
by aggregating and redistributing the work of
journalists worldwide without actually paying
those journalists to produce it.
Meanwhile, websites for local newspapers,
radio and TV stations try to sell as many of
those small, annoying online. ads as they can,
but it's not nearly enough to subsidize a full
.How
do we keep our audience satisfied?
Consumer habits are evolving. Take radio:
Young listeners far prefer filling their iPods
and smartphones with MP3 tunes than sitting
through radio commercials and chat. And
why watch TV shows in real time when you
can stream them anltime, or watch YouTube
highlights? Why wade through dull, slowmotion, dead-tree newspaper stories when you
can zoom through Yahoo's news menu?
just aren't interested in
news. They're young, poorly educated and
uninformed about current events. They
use media for entertainment, not news.
Disengag€d
of respondents didn't (onform to any categ0ry.
Kourosh Karimkhany, Wired News editor:
How will they get their news?
Pretty much the same way they've
been getting it in the past 100 years:
HOW WIIL
AITIERIGANS
GET THEIR NEWS
through newspapers, radio, TV, Web and
the gadget of the day (whatever the
combination of a phone, PDA, iPod and
video player will look like). The plethora
rN s02s?
of distribution will increase competition
among news gatherers. l'm an optimist,
so l'll guess that the competitive pressure will force journalists to improve
their craft. l'm hopeful that the works
who for the
of a few solo journalists
first time have near-equal footing with
old-school, massive news organizations
will re-establish the nobility ofjournalists. And l'm especially hopeful ihat
which is
American-style journalism
the lubricant of democracy and equitable
capitalism will spread around the
world and take root in places it hasn't
before, like China and the Middle East.
-
-
\
-
-
As audiences shift to digital platforms, tra-
news business is . . . well, a business Like any
other business, media companies must make
a profit to survive. And these days, that means
finding the answers to three nagging questions:
advertisers return in sustainable numbers?
news source. They're the youngest, besteducated, most affluent of the four groups,
and they're plugged in to the latest technology (cellphones, wifi, broadband).
Note: 4%
A NEWSPAPER
THREE GRUGTAT. QUESTTOI|S ff,GrNG TEE NEIYS BUSTNESS
A 2008 report by the Pew Research
Center for People & The Press divided
Americans into four main groups, based
on their news consumption habits:
olhe
NEWS
LISTENED TO
iliil you get your
llet-
IV
-
news staff.
even online.
lournalism costs money
will we subsidize it?- With clever new
advertising strategies? Online subscriptions
So how
and paywalls? Charitable grants?
These questions continue to vex the news
business. So far, the answers remain elusive.
Jimmy Guterman, writer, magazine
publisher and media consultant:
ln 2025, only a small group of readers/
viewers/listeners willtake in what we
consider "news" today. The combination
of audrence fraqmentation and increasing desire to tune into like-minded
sources will mean more people get
information, but fewer people get objective or vetted information. The need
for reporters will continue to decrease;
the need for pundits will continue to
increase. "News" of the WSJ/NYT/NPR
variety will be a premium product for an
elite audience, like poetry is today.
Jessica Clalk, author/media strategist:
While it's tempting to predict some
radical innovation (brain jacks, anyone?),
the simpler answer is that they'll get
news anywhere and everywhere.
Reporters will still be paid to produce
high-quality, fact-checked content, but
will be augmented by a perpetual corps
of low- or n0-pay amateurs who parse,
spread and amplify. Feeds and uplinks
will be available not just on mobile
devices, but the myriad gesture- and
voice-enabled screens embedded in
everyday objects. News will flow like
electricity at the flick of a switch,
ubiquitous and unremarkable.
Steve Yelvinston, reporter, editor and
lnternet strategist:
The reporting Process will be very
much about chasing down and killing
debunking and
bad informatlon
-
-
pointing out the good, and those responsibilities will be taken up by conscientious amateurs as well as professionals.
Ihe value of professional journalism will
not be so much about providing information, but rather providing clarity. And as
William Gibson said, the future is already
it's just unevenly distributed.
here
-
16
THE STORY OF IOURN ALISM
7
f.qS
FriYlfrrinfir
ffi"
STUDENT
, ,"
In the next chanrcr, we'll explore lnw journalists define news
snrl whether the Antericnn ptfulic agrees with thent. But before we
proceed, let's Jind out how vou use the news rutd how you t'eel about
-
tlrc news nterJia's pelbrnnnce.
l)
: : . SURVEY
'OURNATISTS'
i.
Answcr the queslions below ss honcstly as yotL can. (T-herc arc
no right or wrong answers, of coursc,) We gave t.his ntrvcy to nnre
than 500 journalivn students ocross the country. And on page 304,
you can see how your respotses cotllporc witlt ell thc rest.
6)
ln general, the news is biased in favor of:
Contain inaccuracies and distortions
E
llil;:iy''"'
2)
I prefer to get my news:
7) lf Vou
!
By reading text
tr
Through a combination of text and images
n
n
I
think news stories usually:
n
Get the facts stratght
E
!
with audio narration
3) Generally, I think the government:
f]
n
4)
Should do more to restrict what the news
media publish
Should do as little as possible t0 restrict what
the news media publish
The president is assassinated. What would you
most likely do? (You can choose more than one):
lurn on the TV, then leave it on constantly t0
monitor the situation as intensely as possible.
n
I
GONTTIDENTIAL SOURCES
Neirher
Turn on the TV, see what's happening, then turn
it off and qet on with my life.
l'4y local newspaper
Network IV
Radio news
n
exchange for this information, rep0rters
promise to conceal the identities of these
My local IV news
news n Fox News
an0nym0us s0urces.
ln extreme cases, however, a story may
trigger a criminal investigation. A judge
could order a rep0rter t0 testify and reveal
An independent website
8)
lf you hear c0nflicting versions of a news story,
which version will you trust the /easf?
n
n
My local
newspaper E l"ly local
Network TV
Radio news
E
-
-
the name of his or her confidential sources.
Suppose this happened to you. What
would you do? lf you reveal your source's
name, you break your promise. You expose
TV news
news n Fox News
your source to legal or professional harm.
ln the future, your reporting ability may
be compromised because other sources
won't trust you. Your colleagues and your
[1 An independent website
9) Which of these adjectives would you qenerallV
use to describe most news today? (You can select
news organization may be discredited, too.
BUI if you refuse t0 name your source,
you could hamper a criminal investigation.
more than one):
[J lrack
I Boring n Depressing E Entertaining
! Useful ! Negative fl Sensationalized
You could be shielding a lawbreaker. And
n
l0)
the judge could send you to jail for days
weeks
until you cooperate.
developments by monitoring news
websites and tweets.
Buy a newspaper as soon as I saw one that had
a big assassination headline.
n Listen t0 radio news and talk shows.
n Avoid the news as much as possible to escape
the annoying hype and overkill.
5) Which of these people d0 you consider t0
journalists? (Check all that apply):
Bill
Rush Limbaugh
Bob Woodward
Barbara Walters
n 0'Reilly n
n
!
n Diane Sawyer n Jon Stewart
be
How often do you generally watch TV news?
tr Daily
E
a week E
n
-
Occasionally
Several times
ll)
How often do you get your news in print form?
Never
!
even if it means l'm sent to jail.
tr
Several times a
week
!
I
consequences to my sources.
6ccasionally
Never
As a citizen, l'd have to honor and obey
the legal system and comply with the
judqe's request,no matter what the
12) How often d0 you get your news digitally?
tr
I would keep my promise to protect my
sources from humrliation or prosecution,
n Daily
[ 0ccasionally
n Several times a week E Never
! DailY
-
What would you do?
E
WHICH OF THESE STtrTEIUENTS DO YOU MOST AGREE WITH?
I
t
CHECK EIIHER
"A'0R "8":
LEAVE BLANK FOR "NE|THER."
a) I prefer news that's presented with an attitude, even if it,s opinionated,
because it makes the topics more interesting.
b) I prefer news that is as neutral and objective as possible. I resent it
when journalists inject thelr own opinions into stories.
n
n
a) I can usually relate to most news stories I read, see and hear.
b) I generally feel that most news stories have little relevance to my life.
tr
tr
a) I could easily go for days without reariing any news.
b) I couldn't go a day without readrng any news.
fl
a) When I read newspapers, magazines or websites, I frequently take the
time t0 read long stories that analyze issues and events in depth.
b) When I read newspapers, magazines or websites, I usually just browse
few paragraphs at a time. I hardly ever read stories in depth.
tr
a) Journalists are too critical of public figures and government policy.
b) JOurnalists don't do enough to challenge public figures and expose
governmental problems.
n
!
!
a-.
Public officials sometimes slip reporters
controversial information secretly
ofl lre
record
to avoid getting into trouble. ln
hear conflicting versions of a news story
which version will you trust the nosf?
n By watching pictures or video footage,
tr
tr
n
E
a) Generally, I prefer to read news about serious issues and major events.
b) Generally, I prefer to read celebrity news and lighter, offbeat stuff.
a