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 coverag

e 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

Pre-Pulitzer

headline

Yellow Journalism

Many claimed that Hearst’s sensational treatment sparked the Spanish-American War

Yellow Journalism

Investigative reporting Reporters went

undercover to expose social ills Nelly Bly’s Mad House

story

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