Chapter 1
The History of American Media
Notes
I.
The ____________________ _______________ a.
Amount of information is enormous. b.
Someone must: i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
c.
That person is a _________________________
II.
The jobs of a journalist a.
Scan the ___________________________ b.
Pick out what is the most important to the most people c.
___________________ information d.
Weigh the ___________________ e.
Take __________________ f.
__________________ graphics g.
Make _______________________ h.
_______________,__________________,_____________ stories.
III.
Skills journalists need: a.
__________________ _____________________ b.
They need to know about everything because that is what they cover. c.
________________________ Skills d.
________________________ Skills
IV.
Fundamentals of a Good Journalist a.
Good _______________________ b.
Good _______________________ c.
Good _______________________ d.
_____________ under _____________________ e.
_____________ and ____________________ standards

V.
Classic Standards for journalists a.
_________ ________________ b.
____________ it ________________ c.
Don’t expect the technology to do your work.
VI.
America’s first newspapers a.
_______________________ ____________________ was the first newspaper. It was published in ________________ in ______________ by _____________________ __________________. i.
Only printed ______________ issue. b.
The first continually published newspaper was ________
_____________________ ______________-______________, started by
_____________ ___________________ in ______________. i.
It was published “_________ ______________”—it had the government’s approval c.
More and more papers emerged as pioneers moved south and west.
d.
These newspapers that criticized the government were guilty of sedition. i.
Sedition is the _______________ _____ ___________________. ii.
Even though the statements they made were true, they were still arrested.
VII.
Importance of John Peter Zenger (briefly explain the importance below)
VIII.
The Birth of the Nation a.
By 1775, ________________ newspapers were being published. b.
These newspapers helped back the ______________________ and printed the cries to battle that ___________________ the ___________________.

c.
The __________________ of ________________ was ratified in 1791. d.
The _______________ _________________________ to the Bill of
Rights guaranteed the _________________ of the __________________. e.
The first student newspaper, __________ ______________
___________________ , was founded in Pennsylvania, in _____________. f.
The first daily, ____________ ____________________ ____________ , was founded in _____________.
IX.
The Penny Press a.
Early papers had little actual news, but in __________,
_________________ ___________ founded the New York Sun and filled it with news and sold it for only a ______________. b.
Day’s staff covered the _____________ _____________, wrote about
_______________ and _________________ _______________, and toned down the opinions. c.
This was the “____________ ______________” and was the forerunner of today’s newspapers. d.
Because it was so inexpensive and was distributed widely, it developed a large audience. e.
_____________________________ began to take a major role. (which is still what funds newspaper today) f.
Two years later, James Gordon Bennett started the New York Morning
Herald —selling for two cents, and more and more newspapers were founded in the years to come. g.
One of the most influential was the New York Tribune founded by
______________________ ___________________ in ____________—its weekly edition had more than 200,000 subscribers. h.
The New York Times , was founded in ___________ by Henry Raymond. It is considered one of the best newspapers in the country.
X.
The Effect of the Telegraph a.
During the Civil War the telegraph began to be used to transmit stories. b.
Shortly afterwards, the first news-gathering service was formed. This service, a forerunner of the ___________________ ______________, began selling news to papers in 1849. c.
By 1910, there were 2,600 daily newspapers in the United States.

XI.
Yellow Journalism: a.
An ________________ _______________________ brand of journalism that involved hoaxes, altered photographs, screaming headlines, “scoops,” frauds, and endless promotions. i.
The most notable of the yellow journalists were ____________
____________________ _________________ and
________________ ________________. Their newspapers were in constant competition. b.
An example of a yellow journalist was ____________ _____________. i.
Explain what she did that was unethical:
XII.
The Advent of Radio a.
In ____________________, Dr. Lee De Forest made improvements to the vacuum tube that made the new medium of radio possible. b.
De Forest made the first newscast in ____________________. c.
Regular daily programs started in Detroit in ____________ d.
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was formed in 1926 and the
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1927. The Mutual Broadcasting system went on the air in 1934, and when part of NBC’s network was sold, it was renamed the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) e.
It became clear that the airwaves needed to be regulated. f.
In ______________, a law was passed to assign wavelengths to applicants g.
The Radio Act of ______________ broadened this power and created the
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) which has power over both radio and television.
XIII.
The Impact of Television a.
The first television newscast took place in ________________ b.
TV dramatically changed radio and newspapers. c.
It took much of the entertainment role away from radio and claimed much of the breaking news role traditionally held by newspapers. d.
Papers today put less emphasis on breaking news.