The Inverted Pyramid and The Evolution of Newswriting
Newswriting, as it exists today, began with the adoption of the telegraph, which roughly coincided with the start of the American Civil War. The necessity of getting at story through before the telegraph’s occasional malfunction forced a radical change in the style of writing used in reporting. Before the telegraph, much of writing news was just that: writing. News was reported much like books were written. The reporter would set the scene with a detailed account of the setting or the mood and tell the tale just like any other narrative that one might read simply for pleasure.
Newspapers are great for people who are interested in what is happening in a community. They provide, “information about the who, what, when, where, and how events in the past” (59). In addition to the providing of information, newspapers also can be the cause of mood changes in a community. Even though they can not imform the public on a readers thoughts, “ they can tell us what information and opinion readers were being exposed to, and circulation figures can indicate the populatity of
Newspapers have allowed for such a freedom in our everyday lives, and most have not even realized this fact. They have provided us with an outlet to speak our mind about politics, societal issues, public differences, and religion and cultures. Searching online to find such knowledge can be extremely challenging; moreover, newspapers always seem to be a place to find valid information. Newspapers have started to come off the printer more slowly over the past decade. More people are turning to electronic ways to find information rather than going to the direct source where that electronic media got their information. Most reliable information comes from newspapers where high up and educated citizens or leaders speak their mind on certain and important topics. The reason newspapers should stay a part of today’s society is because they offer a way for people to speak freely about what they please and get their voice heard, they are always credible, and they help us hear the problems of the world openly from different perspectives.
"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands."
History of Journalism and Bob Woodward
Journalism is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. The certain individuals who practice journalism are called journalists. Journalism's main goal in reporting events is to state who, what, when, where, why, and how, and to explain the significance of all. There are two main types of journalism which are print journalism and also broadcast journalism. Print journalism can include newspapers, news magazines, newsletters, general interest magazines, and online news pages.
One of the first connections Wattenberg makes is raising the issue of whether or not newspapers are a dying habit when looking, not only at the adolescents of America, but as the country as a whole. Overall, he states that the number of people who consistently read a newspaper on a daily basis has remained on a steady decline as the years go by. Wattenberg brings up the topic that earlier on in history the newspaper was the means of information for people all across America, and it was filled with political news to keep the citizens informed. However, in today 's society not only has technology taken over this old time habit, the new
Journalism and the American Renaissance
The period in American Literature known as the American Renaissance was a time of great change in our country. It was an age of westward expansion and social conflict. Americans were divided on such volatile issues as slavery, reform and sectionalism that ultimately led to the Civil War. Emerging from this cauldron of change came the voice of a new nation - a nation with views and ideals all its own.
Danna,
I enjoyed your comments about the effect and role that the newspaper and press had on the American politics during the 1790's. In a way it is strange that the connection to politics and press is similar today as it was all those year ago. George Washington once said the political parties would be the destruction of our government. This week discussion show a different angle of which that statement is true, as you mentioned that each party would use the press to help support, promote, and communicate. It could be in the aspects of potential presidential candidates, voting for the president, and the policies or views of the party.
Through technological advancements the television and internet now deliver the news instantly into our homes, which has inadvertently put pressure on the traditional newspaper to deliver up-to-the minute news. As technology developed swiftly over the 20th century, some academics could see the demise of the newspaper as early as the late 1960s. Marshall McLuhan (HREF1) an academic and commentator on communications technology prophesied “that printed books would become obsolete, killed off by television and other electronic information technology”. To compete with other more sophisticated electronic media systems, and to survive, newspapers joined the technological revolution and many publications went online in the fight to remain the number one information provider (Kesley 1995:16). In contrast, Kelsey (1995) states the main reaso...
History, Background and Development of Electronic Newspapers
In order to understand fully the theoretical aspects of this work and
to relate this to practical field results, it is necessary to
understand both the history and development of electronic newspapers
and the context within which such development has taken place.
The general historical context within which electronic newspapers are
being developed is first examined. A brief description of the history
of electronic publishing itself and some background containing details
of the characteristics of electronic newspapers is followed by a
review of development in the UK and a statement on their use, spread
and status to date. The major characteristics of some existing UK
based electronic newspapers are discussed and a comparison made with
their hard copy counterparts.