History of journalism
The history of journalism traces how news media, reporting practices, and institutions developed, and how they shaped social and political life.
Acta Diurna: Official notices displayed in ancient Rome, often described as an early form of public news publication. They show how rulers used posted news before print journalism existed.
Newspaper: A regularly published news product containing reporting, commentary, and other information. Newspapers were the dominant format through several major periods of journalism’s development.
Benjamin Franklin: An American printer, publisher, writer, and political figure whose career spanned the eighteenth century. His printing and publishing ventures exemplify journalism’s early commercial and civic roles.
Public sphere: A social space where people discuss shared concerns and form public opinion. Journalism supplies information and forums through which public debate takes shape.
Advocacy journalism: Journalism that openly advances a political, social, or ideological position. It contrasts with the professional ideal of separating reporting from explicit advocacy.
Printing press: A machine that applies pressure to transfer ink from movable type or plates onto paper. Movable-type printing made repeated, relatively inexpensive circulation of news possible.
Telegraphy: The transmission of messages over distance using electrical signals or other coded systems. The telegraph accelerated long-distance news and encouraged concise, standardized reporting.
Joseph Pulitzer: A Hungarian-born American newspaper publisher who built a mass-circulation press and endowed journalism education and awards. His papers helped define sensational mass-market journalism and later reform ambitions.
Freedom of the press: The principle that media should publish information and opinion without undue government interference. Press freedom became a central political demand as newspapers scrutinized rulers.
Objectivity in journalism: A professional norm that asks journalists to distinguish verifiable reporting from personal judgment. Its rise reshaped newsroom standards and the language of journalistic authority.