Newspaper Medium

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 Press 1907: United Press 1909: 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,

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