Newspapers notes

Few papers existed.
Printers and postmasters were the primary publishers.
News wasn't as timely as it is today.
Colonial governments didn't support the idea of a free press.
1690: Benjamin Harris published the first American newspaper, Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick in Boston, without royal consent. It was shut down after one issue for alleging an affair between the King of France and his son's wife.
1704: John Campbell, Boston postmaster, published the Boston News Letter with royal permission. It was dull, reprinting stories from European papers, had about 300 subscribers, and never made a profit.
James Franklin published the New England Courant without government permission and was jailed. Ben Franklin took over and the paper prospered.
Ben Franklin moved to Philadelphia and started the Pennsylvania Gazette, known for legible type, headlines, and a cleaner layout.
Franklin retired at 42, having started several papers, published one of America's first magazines, ran the first editorial cartoon, proved advertising could sell, and showed that journalism could be honorable.

Tensions between the colonies and the Crown sparked the development of the early American press.
Trial of John Peter Zenger: Zenger published a paper critical of the British governor of New York, was jailed for criminal libel, but acquitted, striking a blow for press freedom.
Newspapers grew in number during the Revolutionary War, most being partisan.
This period marked the beginnings of the political press.
1776: The Pennsylvania Evening Post published the Declaration of Independence on July 6.
The Continental Congress authorized Mary Katherine Goddard, publisher of the Maryland Journal, to print the first official copies of the Declaration with the names of the signers. Goddard was one of about 30 women who printed or published colonial newspapers.

Partisan leanings transferred to the debate over the powers of the federal government.
Key figures included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and John Jay.
Newspapers took sides, filled with Federalist or anti-Federalist propaganda.
The Constitution of the United States, originally silent on press freedom, was amended by the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment (1791) stated that "Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."
Newspapers grew in the early 19th century. By 1820, there were 24 dailies, 66 semi- or triweeklies, and 422 weeklies.
Readership was primarily upper socioeconomic classes. Subscriptions cost about $10$ per year or $6$ cents per issue
Content typified by commercial and business news, political and congressional debates, speeches, acts of state legislatures, and official messages.
Politics remained the main focus, with correspondents in Washington, such as James Gordon Bennett.
Anne Royall was the first woman to achieve recognition as a political journalist, publishing two papers in Washington between 1831 and 1854.
Several newspapers were formed for minority groups: Freedom's Journal (1820s), the first black newspaper, and the Cherokee Phoenix (1828), published in Cherokee and English.

Several conditions had to exist before a mass press could come into existence:
- A printing press had to be invented that would produce copies quickly and cheaply.
- Enough people had to know how to read to support such a press.
- A mass audience had to be present.
1830: R. Hoe and Company built a steam-powered press that could produce 4,000 copies per hour.
The first statewide public school system was established during the 1830s, increasing literacy.
The mass press appeared during the age of Jacksonian democracy, recognizing ordinary people as a political and economic force.

Benjamin Day launched the mass-appeal New York Sun in 1833, selling for a penny.
The Sun contained local news, sex, violence, and human-interest stories but conspicuously absent were stodgy political debates.
James Gordon Bennett launched the New York Herald in 1835, introducing a financial page, a sports page, and an aggressive editorial policy that emphasized reform.
Horace Greeley's New York Tribune appeared in 1841, opposing capital punishment and gambling and favoring trade unions, westward expansion, and women's rights.
1851: The New York Times, edited by Henry Raymond, promised to be less sensational and more objective.
All these publishers doubled the price after becoming successful.

Key changes prompted by the success of the mass press (1833-1860):

Economic Support: Shifted from subscription revenue to advertising revenue.
Newspaper Distribution: Made use of street sales, with newsboys hawking papers.
Definition of News: Original and exclusive content became crucial; reporters covered police, financial, sports, and religion.
Techniques of News Collection: Emphasized speed, using carrier pigeons, Pony Express, railroads, steamships, and telegraph.
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