Trace the history of the printed newspaper and various types of eras in reporting the news

History of the Newspaper

Name

Institution

History of the Newspaper

The newspaper in America came into being in 1690 with the first newspaper known as Publick Occurrences. However, this newspaper was immediately suppressed, all its copies destroyed, and its publisher arrested because it was published without authority. The newspaper reemerged in 1704 with the introduction of the Boston News-Letter newspaper which was started by a postmaster known as John Campbell. Although the newspaper was heavily subsidized, it was not very successful, with very low circulation. In the 1720’s, two more papers were introduced in New York and Philadelphia. At the start of the Revolutionary War, two dozen newspapers were issued in US although New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania remained the centers of printing for a long time. The rapid development of the newspaper during the war was due to the need by revolutionary propagandists to influence the public opinion. The newspaper was used to propagate these propagandas and this facilitated its growth.

At the end of war in 1783, there were 43 newspapers in print. As the press started playing a crucial role in the new nation’s affairs, the newspaper gained more importance and this facilitated its further growth. The continued growth of the newspaper was also facilitated by the implementation of the bill of rights in 1791 which provided for freedom of the pres. By 1814, the number of newspapers had grown to 346. Advances in the papermaking and printing technology in 1830’s led to the tremendous growth of newspaper production. It also made newspapers to be accessible by people from all economic levels. By 1910, newspaper production had reached its peak. The newspaper had also developed all features witnessed in newspapers today. The development of the radio and television from 1910 reduced the significance of the newspaper in people’s life as a source of information.