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Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism
As more newspapers cut staff, or shut down altogether in tough economic times, there is constant
experimentation with different delivery systems — like online versions of their papers, or even “papers” for
digital platforms like News Corp.’s The Daily.
I. The Evolution of American Newspapers
The first news accounts were news sheets, posted items distributed by local rulers and
governments.
A. Colonial Newspapers and the Partisan Press. By 1765, about thirty newspapers
operated in the American colonies. They were of two types — political and commercial.
B. The Penny Press Era: Newspapers Become Mass Media. Cheaper paper and higher
literacy rates in the 1820s caused a wave of penny papers, which were sold at newsstands
instead of by subscription.
1. Day and the New York Sun. Day lowered the price to one penny and eliminated
subscriptions, fabricated stories, and favored human-interest stories.
2. Bennett and the New York Morning Herald. Considered the first U.S. press baron,
Bennett freed his newspaper from political influence.
3. Changing Economics and the Founding of the Associated Press. Penny papers
shifted their economic base from political parties to advertising revenue, classifieds,
and street sales. Six New York newspapers founded the AP, the first major news wire
service.
C. The Age of Yellow Journalism: Sensationalism and Investigation. The era of yellow
journalism during the 1890s emphasized profitable papers that carried high-interest
stories, large headlines, and readable copy.
1. Pulitzer and the New York World. Pulitzer influenced journalism by including maps,
illustrations, sensational stories, advice columns, a large number of ads, and stories that
“served the people.”
2. Hearst and the New York Journal. Hearst focused on lurid, sensational, and
exploitative stories, but he also championed the underdog.
II. Competing Models of Modern Print Journalism
By the late 1890s, two types of journalism competed for readers: a story model was sup- ported
by the penny and the yellow press, and a “just the facts” model was advocated by the six-cent
papers.
A. “Objectivity” in Modern Journalism. Facts and news became marketable products that
could be sold to consumers.
1. Ochs and the New York Times. After buying the New York Times in 1896, Ochs
created an informational paper targeting businesses, legal professionals, political
leaders, and intellectuals.
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2. “Just the Facts, Please.” The ideal of objectivity began to anchor American
journalism at the dawn of the twentieth century.
B. Interpretive Journalism. By the 1920s, there was a sense that the impartial approach
to reporting was insufficient.
1. The Promise of Interpretive Journalism. With the world becoming more complex
in the modern age, some newspapers started reexploring the analytical function of
news. A significant development was the rise of interpretive journalism and the
political column.
2. Broadcast News Embraces Interpretive Journalism. By trying to protect its dominion
over “the facts,” print news allowed broadcast radio to take on an interpretive role in
reporting.
C. Literary Forms of Journalism. During the late 1960s, key institutions — including
journalism — lost much of the credibility they had previously commanded.
1. Journalism as an Art Form. Some journalists began exploring journalism’s ties to
storytelling through a literary journalism model.
2. The Attack on Journalistic Objectivity. Objective-style reporting was criticized
throughout the 1960s, and some journalists adapted alternative techniques,
including advocacy and precision journalism.
D. Contemporary Journalism in the TV and Internet Age. Online newspapers and USA
Today’s slick style have steered journalism into the postmodern era.
1. USA Today Colors the Print Landscape. USA Today used TV-inspired color and
design.
2. Online Journalism Redefines News. Online journalism is changing the news industry. Readers are now getting their news from a variety of different sources, which has
contributed to the phenomenon of the 24/7 news cycle and nontraditional sources
shaping news stories.
III. The Business and Ownership of Newspapers
In the news industry today, there are several kinds of papers, including national newspapers,
metropolitan dailies, and weekly newspapers.
A. Consensus vs. Conflict: Newspapers Play Different Roles. Small nondaily papers are
consensus-oriented, promoting social and economic harmony in their communities.
National and metro dailies are conflict-oriented, monitoring their city’s institutions and
problems.
B. Newspapers Target Specific Readers. Minority papers are often published outside the
social mainstream and provide alternative viewpoints to mainstream journalism.
1. African American Newspapers. Since 1827, more than five thousand newspapers
have been edited and owned by African Americans.
2. Spanish-Language Newspapers. Bilingual and Spanish-language newspapers have
long served a variety of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and other Latino readerships.
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3. Asian American Newspapers. These papers help readers both adjust to unfamiliar
surroundings in the United States and retain ties to their traditional heritage.
4. Native American Newspapers. An activist Native American press has provided
oppositional voices to mainstream American media since 1828.
5. The Underground Press. Alternative newspapers exploded during the 1960s and
have played a unique role in documenting social tension.
C. Newspaper Operations
Most newspapers generally distinguish editorial or news functions from business
operations. Most major dailies would like to devote one-half to two-thirds of their pages to
advertisements.
1. News and Editorial Responsibilities. In the traditional newspaper chain of command,
the publisher and owner are on top. Next comes the editor in chief, then the assistant
editors and news managers, and finally the reporters, who are divided into general
assignment reporters, specialty reporters, and bureau reporters. However,
consolidations and cutbacks have reduced the number of personnel at many papers.
2. Wire Services and Feature Syndication. Daily papers generally pay monthly fees for
access to all wire stories. Feature syndicates serve as brokers, distributing columns,
comic strips, and other features that appeal to a wide audience.
D. Newspaper Ownership: Chains Lose Their Grip. Overleveraged newspaper chains facing
the recent financial crisis, shareholder demands, and declining readership have been
drastically restructuring or selling off many newspapers.
E. Joint Operating Agreements Combat Declining Competition. Congress passed the
Newspaper Preservation Act in 1970, allowing papers to continue publication through a joint
operating agreement (JOA). By 2010, only six JOAs remained in place.
IV. Challenges Facing Newspapers Today
Besides failing to attract younger readers, the newspaper industry struggles to figure out the
future of digital news.
A. Readership Declines in the United States. U.S. newspaper owners struggle daily with
readership concerns.
B. Going Local: How Small and Campus Papers Retain Readers. Small-town and campus
newspapers tend to do better than larger operations due to less competition from other
media outlets and their consensus-oriented style, which keeps advertisers and readers
coming back.
C. Convergence: Newspapers Struggle in the Move to Digital. Although newspapers are
taking advantage of the Internet’s flexibility, they have struggled to find ways to generate
revenue from online content. Many are hoping that establishing a paywall and charging a
fee for access to news stories will be a viable solution.
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D. Blogs Challenge Newspapers’ Authority Online. By the mid-2000s, the wary relation- ship
between journalism and blogging began to change, and blogs became a viable main feature
of news.
E. New Models for Journalism. Concerned journalists are calling for new business models to
save the newspaper industry, such as an increase in nonprofit ventures and philanthropic
support from organizations committed to public affairs news.
F. Alternative Voices. As a grassroots movement, citizen journalism involves activist
amateurs and concerned citizens, not professional journalists, who use the Internet and blog
sites to disseminate news and information.
V. Newspapers and Democracy
Of all mass media, newspapers have played the longest and the strongest role in sustaining
democracy.
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