Notes 1 J200 - Week © J.T.Johnson 1999-2003 _____________________________Fall 2003 Notes Return to slide

1 J200 - Week © J.T.Johnson 1999-2003_____________________________Fall 2003 Notes

Notes

Return to slide

J200: Journalism and Mass Communications - Week Va

News in Preliterate Societies


To do

Be sure to get a white index card Write today’s date on the card -- 1

Oct. 2003 Write your name on the card If, at the end of class, you have any

questions about material covered or not covered in the lecture, write that/those question(s) on the card.

Even if you DO NOT have questions, turn in the card at the end of class


News of the Day….


Definition of News “New data about a subject of some

public interest that is shared with some portion of the public.” –M. Stephens

News/publishing does NOT equal journalism

Definition/purpose of journalism:“The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate and reliable data/information they need to function in a free society.” -- Bill Kovach


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Source: http://www.cre8pc.com/images/judi_2.gif


From Stone to Papyrus (c. 3000-2500BCE)

Egypt: shift from absolute monarch to more “democratic” organization

Shift from stone/clay as medium of communication (or prestige) to Emphasis on papyrus (2750-2540 BCE)


Cuneiform

http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/time/gallery/cuniform.html


Cuneiform Cylinder

Source: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.columbia.edu/acis/textarchive/rare/1b.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.columbia.edu/acis/textarchive/rare/1.html&h=439&w=264&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcuneiform%2Bcylinder%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8


Egyptian hieroglyphic

Source: http://www.fnspo.cz/mmm/egypt/hiero/11.htm


Egyptian hieroglyphic

Beginning of “grammar” i.e. “rules” that would be commonly understood by those other than the creator of the communication

Growth of “knowledge worker” class “education” and skills become valued Society supports those who do more than

just provide for the base levels of Maslow’s needs

“Expected” and “Shared” communication


Significance of Egyptian Alphabet

By 2900 BCE, for of script and use of signs fully developed

By 2825 BCE, direction of writing and arrang. of words in “logical” position in sentences.

Communication over long distances emphasized uniformity in writing.

On large tablets, writing ran from let to right. Why?


Clay and Social Organization

Commercial activity required many scribes Same as the digital revolution required

code jockeys ( programmers ) Hard to learn so that meant schools

necessary Used temple accounts and “sign lists” by

priests as first “schoolbooks” Schools built in connection with temples,

emphasis on grammar and math


Clay and Social Organization

Art of writing basis of education Controlled by priest, scribes, teachers,

judges Every act of civic life is a matter of law

(seals, contracting parties and witnesses)

City courts developed Court decision become basis of civil law.


Papyrus Technology

Made from Cyperus papyrus only found in Nile Delta

Extremely light (significance?)Brushes, also from plantBlack and red inks (same colors as Maya)

Wrote from right to left, kept rolling papyrus scroll in left hand. Why?


Organization of Scribes

Writing had been restricted to gov’t., fiscal, magical and religious purposes

Papyrus and simpler hieroglyphic script into characters leads to more efficient administration

Scribes/officials respon. for collecting and spending $$$ organized as a civil service.


Organization of Scribes

After 2,000 BCE, new class of scribes Literacy becomes stepping store to

prosperity and social rank. “The scribe comes to sit among the

member of the assemblies … no scribe fails to eat the victuals of the king’s house.”

“Put writing in your heart that you may protect yourself from hard labor of any kind and be a magistrate of high repute. The scribe is released from manual tasks.”


Effects of Writing and Equality

Redistribution of PowerKing gains from revolution as incarnation of the king gods

Ritual enables king to appoint proxy as prophet

Power delegated to professional priests


Chinese literacy

4,000 years old Began as picture writing; phonic

elements added gradually Relatively minor changes in script Until 3rd Century BCE, wrote on

bone, stone, wood, metal and bamboo


Chinese Writing - 3rd Century to 0 Century

Bristle brush developed Ink of pine soot or black earth Paper: -- cheap, convenient, portable

Tsai-Lun, super. of weapons factory, invesnts in 105 A.D.

Cooked mush of plant fibers, bark, hemp, rags and water

Poured onto screens of bamboo strips.


Chinese Writing

600 A.D. -- Papermaking to Korea and Japan

751 A.D. -- Paper mills in Baghdad, Damascus and Egypt

11th/12 Cent. -- technology to Europe via Spain


Chinese Writing

Early on, discovered block printing. Same basics as today Reverse image Press Paper Ink

1045: Pi Shang, metalworker, invents press with movable characters of metal clay and wood. 40,000 characters.


Chinese News Gathering 206 B.C. -- Han dynasty sets up

postal network throughout empire Used only to provide info to the

imperials courts, not masses 618-907 A.D. -- Handwritten official

news paper, ti pao, published. News to gov’t officials.

960-1278 -- Sung dynasty, ti pao, disseminated among intellectuals

1367-1844 -- Ming period. Wider distribution of ti pao


Movable Type1450: all essential ingredients for mass production of printed thoughts at hand:

Paper has replaced vellum in manuscriptsCodex has replaced the scroll as preferred form for booksExperiments in metalographic printing underway in France, Holland, Germany: 1430 - metal letters as dies, pressed into clay Lead printing block cast from clay mold Plate inked and pressed to paper Usually poor reproduction


Movable Type

Gutenberg employs individual metal letters; reusable

Type set in equal lines Thin pieces of led placed between

lines Columns locking to a “matrix,” which

is inked Paper pressed against matrix with

“grape crusher” of winemaker


1550 Printing Studio


Gutenberg’s Bible

Produced in 1455 or 1456 Press run of between 70 and 270

copies Within 50 years, press runs in the

thousands become the norm Book production up; prices fall Book publishing become profitable,

international business


Post-invention of moveable type

Media History timelinehttp://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/time/1400s.html

By 1492, there are 90+ publishers scattered around Europe. Publish C. Columbus’s report before he returned to Spain.



Printing ends monopoly of church-produced books Histories Geographies Biographies Observations of physical world;

beginning of “science”



Growth of literacy Widespread availability of cheaper

literature Clear glass windows allow

illumination of interiors Invention of eyeglasses in 17th

Century



Accelerates Protestant revolution/ Reformation

Martin Luther nails Ninety-five Theses to university church door in Wittenberg. Then prints them for distribution

Luther and evangelical associates become first true mass communicators


Post-invention of moveable type Cost of printing still dropping Reformers start printing Bible in

common languages Catholic church attempts to keep

faithful from reading 1564: Catholic church issues Index of

Prohibited Books Updated every 50 years. Includes works

of Galileo and Kepler Index exists until 1966.


English “news” ballad c. 1586

But now beholde my great decay;Which on a sodaine come;

My sumptuous buildings burned beBy force of fires flame:

A careless wretch, most rude in life,His chymney set on fire,

The instrument, I must confess,Of God’s most heavie ire

Documents

Notes 1 J200 - Week © J.T.Johnson 1999-2003 _____________________________Fall 2003 Notes Return to slide