Newspapers

Newspapers have been a crucial means of recording and sharing information for centuries, ever since the invention of the printing press made publishing easy and inexpensive. In the twenty-first century, newspapers retained many of their original elements but faced more challenges than ever. The rise of radio and television in the 1900s and the global adoption of the Internet by the 2000s meant that fewer people turned to news printed on paper. Many newspapers closed while others attempted to report news online or take other steps to remain viable sources of information in the 2020s.

Brief History

Historians believe the earliest newspaper may date back to 59 BCE with the Acta Diurna (Daily Doings) published in ancient Rome. Like modern papers, this publication recorded current events, births and deaths, and other information of local interest. Such early attempts at newspapers had little chance of prospering, however, since there was no efficient means of mass-producing them. This changed around 1440 CE when Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press.

The printing press allowed people to print sheets of information about one thousand times faster than writing it by hand. This technology was not widely applied to newspapers until the early 1600s, but, when it was, it quickly set off a revolution in media. Within decades, newspapers could be found throughout Europe and other parts of the world. Newspapers quickly diversified to meet the needs of their readers. Some were brief, densely packed publications, while others spread information leisurely across many more pages. Some were run by government agencies while others began to report privately on local, national, and even international events.

The newspaper industry spread into the Americas when printers began creating these publications in the British-American colonies in the late seventeenth century. Colonial American papers broke new ground with their brazen discussions and critiques of political situations and helped to spread revolutionary fervor through the colonies. Open discussion, including through news publications, was so important in early America that it was included as part of the freedom of speech guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution.

Through the 1800s, additional innovations took place to make newspapers easier to produce and cheaper to purchase. Technological breakthroughs such as the telegraph machine allowed journalists to send reports across great distances, which were then transcribed into news articles for dissemination to hundreds or thousands of local readers. These and other developments turned newspapers into a booming business.

Adding to the appeal of newspapers—though often detracting from their credibility—were phenomena such as sensationalism, in which newspaper writers sought out the most shocking and emotionally charged content in hopes of selling more copies. Relatedly, the phenomenon known as yellow journalism involved twisting facts, exaggerating details, and otherwise leaning away from the truth to create reader interest. Comic strips, stunt journalism, and other techniques paved the way for newspapers to become entertainment platforms as well as information sources.

Overview

In the twenty-first century, most newspapers retain traditional characteristics. Printed newspapers usually consist of large, folded sheets of white paper with black ink for words and, possibly, colored ink for graphics. Most writing in a newspaper is organized into articles, or short explanations of a particular topic, such as a notable person or event. A headline briefly describing the topic, often set in bold text, is usually at the top of an article, along with a byline, or an identification of the person or people who wrote the article.

Journalists and others who create newspapers may observe many criteria when selecting their article topics and approaches to reporting. In general, successful journalists seek stories that are newsworthy, or worth communicating to readers. Newsworthy articles tend to be timely and often occur near the main audience of readers. For example, a newspaper is likely to address upcoming fairs, parades, or council meetings in the city in which it is printed.

The topic of an article should have some interest, relevance, or impact for those who are most likely to read it. Often, an article’s interest derives from a well-known person involved in a story or conflict that sets two sides against each other. Other times, a story’s appeal is in its charm or uniqueness. These stories are typically called “human interest articles” and might discuss a good deed in a community or an interesting talent or hobby of someone in a local town.

Newspapers also typically observe a pattern for writing articles. Journalists have traditionally employed a technique called the inverted pyramid, which organizes information from the most to the least important. For example, the lead, or first part of an article, often hooks a reader’s interest with a compelling fact or detail. The first part of an article includes necessary facts, such as the time or date of an upcoming event. The inverted pyramid technique is useful in the production of newspapers, so editors may quickly cut less-important information from the ends of articles to reduce their length without seriously interrupting the flow of a story or description.

In theory, most newspaper articles are meant to express facts, avoiding opinion and commentary by their writers, and thus offer readers an unbiased explanation of a topic. Specific sections of a newspaper, such as an editorial, may be set aside to discuss these subjective matters. However, many newspapers and other media outlets are prone to bias, leaning in favor of one person, group, or idea, typically at the expense of opposing perspectives. Modern readers must safeguard themselves from biased and otherwise untrustworthy information in newspapers or other media sources.

Bibliography

Colclough, Joanna. “Printing Newspapers 1400–1900: A Brief Survey of the Evolution of the Newspaper Printing Press.” Library of Congress, 21 Apr. 2022, blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/04/printing-newspapers-1400-1900/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“History of Newspapers.” University of Minnesota, 2016, open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/4-2-history-of-newspapers/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“Newspapers Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center, 10 Nov. 2023, www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/newspapers/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“Newspapers in America: The Briefest History.” Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology / Brown University, www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky‗Institute/courses/13things/7324.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“News Values and Principles.” Associated Press, 2023, www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“Newswriting Guidelines.” Northwestern University, 2023, www.northwestern.edu/brand/editorial-guidelines/newswriting-guidelines/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“What History Teaches Us: How Newspapers Have Evolved to Meet Market Demands.” Knight Foundation / Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, 2019, www.cislm.org/what-history-teaches-us-how-newspapers-have-evolved-to-meet-market-demands/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

“What Is Newsworthy?” University of Nebraska Omaha, www.unomaha.edu/office-of-strategic-marketing-and-communications/public-relations/what-is-newsworthy.php. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.