1. The History of journalism
“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”
~Philip L. Graham

2. Learning targets
I can explain the birth of press/journalism in the United States.
I can name the first newspaper in the colonies.
I understand the evolving relationship between the government and the press before the 1st Amendment.
I can define sedition.
I can name the 5 freedoms that the 1st Amendment protects.
I can explain how the press became affordable.
I can explain who benefited from a more affordable press.

3. Continued targets I can define yellow journalism.
I can identify where yellow journalism started.
I can identify yellow journalism when I see it.
I know the roles that Hearst and Pulitzer played in the growth of the newspaper industry.
I can trace the key moments in media/journalism in the 1900’s.
Highlight each one as you reach the target.

4. Some discussion questions:
What century do you think saw the development of journalism—reporting of the news?
In what ways do you think that journalism impacted the birth and rise of our nation?
How has the press as a whole changed over the last century?
The US press has not always been free. How do you think it gained the power of freedom? What are the causes of that change?
Volunteer: Read the top section of page 8 in “Inside Reporting”

5. Here’s a short version
This guy ‘raps’ it up, but may leave out a few points. Still, it’s more fun than listening to Johnson.
Volunteer: Read the 1400s through 1665 at the bottom of page 8 in “Inside Reporting”

6. But then things get interesting!
Benjamin Harris, a publisher from London who’d been fined and jailed for printing writings that were inflammatory toward British government and the Catholic church, flees to Boston in 1686.
On September 25, 1690, Harris publishes the first newspaper in the colonies, “Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick.”
The government suppresses it after only one issue.
Volunteer: Read the middle section of page 8 in “Inside Reporting”
Go to for more information

7. This is what it looked like:
Volunteer: read the excerpts to the right on page 8.
How is it different from our modern papers?

8. But wait… something is wrong here.
We left England to escape tyranny, right? So why did our government suppress “Publick Occurrences”? Was it the last time that happened?
Volunteer: Read the top section of page 9 in “Inside Reporting”
Volunteer: Read the top and bottom quote on page 9 in “Inside Reporting”
How can journalism threaten government leaders?
How can journalism help those same leaders?

9. John peter zenger According to Brittanica.com:
On Nov. 5, 1733, Zenger published his first issue of the New York Weekly Journal—the political organ of a group of residents who opposed the policies of the colonial governor William Cosby. Although many of the articles were contributed by his more learned colleagues, Zenger was still legally responsible for their content as publisher. For a year the paper continued its scathing attacks on Cosby until, on Nov. 17, 1734, Zenger was arrested for libel. Remaining in prison for nearly 10 months, he was finally brought to trial in August of the following year. Disregarding the judge’s admonition, his brilliant Philadelphia defense attorney, Andrew Hamilton, argued that the jury itself was competent to decide the truth of Zenger’s printed statements. To the acclaim of the general public and the spectators, the colonial jury acquitted Zenger on the ground that his charges were based on fact—a key consideration in libel cases since that time.
Go to for more information

10. More history: In 1754 we have our first political cartoon
The government and journalists get cozy and manipulate media to their own advantage, blurring the lines between news and opinion.
Volunteer: Read the second section of page 9 in “Inside Reporting”
Volunteer: Read the third section of page 9 in “Inside Reporting”
Everyone: the rest of the timeline at the bottom of page 9 in “Inside Reporting”

11. Finally! the first amendment
What is the role of the press in American politics?
What is sedition? How has the definition of sedition evolved over the course of American history?
This video ties it all together. (Newseum educational video on the
First Amendment)

12. Name the 5 freedoms that the First Amendment protects!
Quick!!
Name the 5 freedoms that the First Amendment protects!

13. 45 WORDS THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING
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.

14. This seems like one of the most important protections we can have, right? We, as a nation, are celebrated for having the foresight to make it a priority in our governing policies. However…
Some things are easily taken for grated, and history is sometimes forgotten.

15. Take a moment Go to www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
Bookmark the homepage on your computer for future reference.
Spend 10 minutes exploring the website, specifically the ‘PRESS’ section

16. The 1800s:
Journalism advances, like the penny press and cheaper paper, make it less expensive to print. Why is this important? Who benefits?
Newspapers begin training their journalists and develop standards for reporting. Can you think of some of the standards that journalists have to adhere to?
Volunteer: Read the first and second section of page 10 in “Inside Reporting”

17. William Randolph Hearst joseph Pulitzer
Hearst (the New York Journal) and Pulitzer (The World) have a profound affect on how news is reported. (Hyperlinks on each person for short videos on their backgrounds)
In their papers we see “yellow journalism” for the first time. What is yellow journalism? Watch this.
Volunteer: Read the left/middle section of page 11 in “Inside Reporting”

18. Ticket in the door tomorrow
Find a current example of yellow journalism:
Print article
Web address to a video
On your smartphone or tablet

19. The Spanish-American war
Journalism has a profound affect on how our government handles international tensions.
Was Hearst using his press through greed or sympathy? Watch this.
Volunteer: Read the right/middle section of page 11 in “Inside Reporting”

20. News in the modern age!
In groups of three, utilize your textbook and at least one legitimate website to research how journalism evolved in the 20th century (1900 – 1999). Your group will either (1) create a top ten list of the changes in news reporting and delivery (with brief explanations as to how it impacted media and reporting), or (2) a list of ten of the most important people in media/journalism in the 1900s (and why they are important). What do they all have in common?
You have ___ time in class to complete this. Please cite your sources in parenthesis after each point.

21. 20th century moments impacted by media
The following moments were greatly impacted by the immediacy of mass communications, as well as the ability to spread the spread the news worldwide. Pick one and write a solid paragraph explaining how the events and ultimate outcomes would have been different if media had been limited to an article once a week in its local newspaper.
World War II
The Vietnam War
Civil Rights movement
The assassinations of JFK and MLK
The Cold War and the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall
Watergate
9/11

22. A final yum-yum to send you on your way
Mrs. Johnson isn’t just about teaching English and communications--she also wants to make your lives easier! Here’s a helpful video produced to make your life better 1959 The Trouble with Women in the Workplace