Newspaper Medium

Short History

• Roman: 100 BCE• European: 1600s (Oxford Gazettee)• American:1690s (Used in the American

Revolution, protected by First Amendment in 1790)

• Penny Press made it mass communication medium in New York Sun, 1833.

Benjamin Day Penny Press

• Human interest stories: crime, entertainment, court, police…

• Larger audience: NY literacy conditions• Cheaper price• Reporters wired stories via telegraph• Sold advertisement• Motto: The Sun shines for all.

Wire Service

• 1856 New York Associated Press: Six large NPs: The Sun, Harold, Tribune created news gathering and distribution organization

1900: Associated Press1907: United Press1909: International News Service

Yellow Journalism

• 1883 Joseph Pulitzer: New York World• Populist approach to news• Activist coverage style: social problems,

disaster news, giant headlines• Heavy use of illustrations, cartoons, color• Left its marks on current NP style

Types of NP

• National Daily NPs: – Wall Street journal– Christian Science Monitor– USA Today

• Large Metropolitan Dailies (at least 5 times a week)– Boston Globe (multiple editions throughout day)

– Chicago Daily– Houston Chronicle

Types of NP

• Suburban & small-Town Dailies• Weeklies & Semiweeklies• Ethnic Press:

– Spanish, Black, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arab– NY: ethnicities serving 50 languages

• Alternative Press: – free distribution– Anti war, anti racism– Village Voice, Boston Phoenix,

• Commuter papers: free for commuters/younger generation

Readership

• Original Readership (56 mil/day)• Pass-along readership (132 mil/daily)

(200 mil/weekly)

NPs & Advertising

• Ad medium: recognized by advertisers• Ads prosper NPs• Annual U.S. ad spending in NP:– $94.71 per person– 253.75/household

• Decision based on:• Reach: 50% of Americans read daily paper• Better Demographics: better educated, income,• Ad space: 65% of NP space

Outside Content

• News service: news content, national, state, international,

• Feature Syndicates: clearinghouse for columnists, essayists, cartoonists.

Changes

• Nature of medium and its relationship with audience is changing.– Loss of competition– Convergence– Conglomeration’s Hypercommercialism– Readership evolution

Loss of Competition

• Medium in decline:1. Number of newspapers in decline– Fewer cities with competing papers

2. Concentration of ownership:– Chain ownership has become common– JOA: Joint Operating Agreement: weaker NPs

merge w/ Stronger NPs provided editorial & reporting remains separate.

Editorial Diversity Concern

• One NP = One editorial voice• Truth flows from multiple voices• Public is best served antagonistic voices• Political, cultural, and social debate???

Conglomeration

• Pressure to produce profit• Hypercommercialism:• Blurring between ads & news• Loss of journalistic mission– front page ads– Content conform to commercial interest– Promoting businesses operations

Internet Convergence

• Questions of Convergence w/ internet:• Online NPs• Unsure future whether people will read it• How to charge for content?• How to measure readership?

Readership

• Older people readership• Younger people net readership