The History of Journalism in America

Communication in Early America Face to face Speeches Publications from England Messages arriving on horse Books Popular songs Letters Pamphlets

Nature of Colonial Newspapers Short and infrequent

First Half of 1800s Newspapers became more political Helped create a cultural identity

First Half of 1800s The Penny Press Daily publication for 1 cent Newsboys sold on street Reporters hired

The Penny Press: Content Sensationalism Prostitute murder coverage in New York Herald, 1836 Article excerpt

The Penny Press Continued Fabrication The Moon Hoax

Second Half of 1800s Reporting during the Civil War Censorship and limited access to battlefield Problems with accuracy

Illustrations and Photos Papers became illustrated Although, artists were often not “on the scene” when they made their sketches

Illustrations and Photos The Civil War was widely photographed Although, there are questions as to whether photos were staged Mathew Brady

Late 19th Century Journalism Competition between newspaper owners William Randolph Hearst (The New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) Yellow Journalism Sensational coverage of events Dramatic language Use of banner headlines Newsies

Pre-Pulitzer headline

Yellow Journalism (1890s) Many claimed that Hearst’s sensational treatment sparked the Spanish-American War True?

Yellow Journalism Investigative reporting Reporters went undercover to expose social ills Nelly Bly’s Mad House story Blackwell Island

The Progressive Era (Late 19th century) Muckraking Investigative reporting – “raking the muck” Term coined by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt More reliance on facts and authoritative sources Ex: Ida Tarbell reported “The Rise of the Standard Oil Company,” criticizing John D. Rockefeller

The Progressive Era – Late 19th Century Documentary Photography: also considered a muckraking medium Jacob Riis exposed social problems: child labor, immigration, poor conditions in tenement housing

Jacob Riis: “Five Cents Lodging, Bayard Street,” c. 1889

Jacob Riis: “Blind Beggar,” c. 1890

Early 20th Century Journalism Emergence of the tabloids Shocking photos and headlines Often some fabrication of story, but the public realized there were embellishments

Journalism During WWII Live radio reports Newspaper reporters accompanied troops War photographers “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” (1945), Joe Rosenthal

Journalism During WWII Buchenwald (1945), Margaret Bourke-White

Growth of Television In 1941, CBS had 15 hours of weekly programming, including two 15-minute newscasts By 1950, four networks had emerged: CBS, NBC, ABC and The Dumont Company The Today Show, 1952

Media and Social Change in the 60s and 70s TV Coverage of Civil Rights Movement Pictures created a sense of “immediacy” and “truth” Charles Moore for Life magazine

Media and Social Change in the 60s and 70s Coverage of the Vietnam War Called a “television war” because TV news showed combat situations and wounded soldiers (see Morley Safer coverage)

Media and Social Change in the 60s and 70s Coverage included protests, including 1970 Kent State protest, where four students were shot by the National Guard

Media and Social Change in the 60s and 70s Adversarial (and investigative reporting) The Pentagon Papers, 1971 Watergate, 1972-1974

Journalism Today 24-hour news sources Internet news sites Bloggers offering commentary

Citizen Journalism Public, participatory Members of the public play an active role in collecting, reporting and analyzing events Types: mobile cameras, blogging, collaborative sites