Looking back on early American journalism one who is not accustomed to the ways of the past might be shocked. Journalism has evolved over the years to become a thriving business, which is present in every corner of the country. It all started in 1690 when the first American newspaper was published (flvs.net 2010). This enterprising and innovative move ended in the arrest of the publisher! Obviously the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of the Rights had been penned yet. Even though it occurred some 320 years ago, the arrest of the publisher in 1690 is a prime example of the dangers which people in the business of reporting news would be faced with if it weren’t for the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights grants something called Freedom of the Press. This just means that people have the right to report on the news, everything from politics to sports, to fashion trends. The Bill of Rights says that Congress is not allowed to pass a law that inhibits the freedom of the press. Just imagine if freedom of the press had been left out of the First Amendment. Imagine a country where if someone with power, for instance, a government official, did not like something that was written in the paper and had the ability arrest the publisher and do away with the paper. This means that over time, people would grow to fear speaking their minds and sharing their views. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution protect no other private businesses except for journalists/the press (flvs.net 2010).
The 1700’s were still lacking as far as newspapers were concerned. Benjamin Franklin in 1729 did however circulate a newspaper that was extremely popular among the colonies (flvs.net 2010). Then in 1776 there occurred what I believe to be a huge landmark in the evolution of journalism in America. I am talking about when the Declaration of Independence was ran in the papers so that even the most common citizen could know what it entailed. This was one of the first instances of the press reacting, commenting and informing the people on the actions of their government. By the 1830’s things like sports columns started to appear in newspapers. The mid 1800’s also brought new developments to the world of media. The use of telegraph systems and railroads enabled reporters and newspaper officials to get the news around faster. The 1920’s brought radio and the 40’s brought Irene Dunn and Cary Grant, oops, I mean television. Pretty much after that Journalism continued on a steady course. There was a big incident in the early 70’s, which demonstrated why it is important to have freedom of the press. The Nixon Watergate Scandal was heavily reported on and there survives plenty of interviews and footage to document the role of the press. “Rupert Murdoch began to build his media empire in 1973” (flvs.net 2010). Then in the 80’s computers replaced typewriters. Enter modern journalism, an edge cutting, envelope pushing business. With the fairly new developments such as search engines and blogs anyone can report and share their views, now you’re sources of news are broader than just television, radio and the paper.
Citations
Flvs.net 2010, Evolution of American Journalism 1/23/12
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