Difference between revisions of "Newspaper"
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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* [[William Randolph Hearst]] | * [[William Randolph Hearst]] | ||
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[[category:Journalists]] | [[category:Journalists]] | ||
[[category:media]] | [[category:media]] | ||
Revision as of 21:12, March 4, 2009
A newspaper is a regularly printed digest of news stories, investigative journalism, review, editorial opinion and feature articles. Major papers are published daily; minor ones weekly. They contain syndicated news from sources such as Associated Press and Reuters, as well as features, as well as local reporting and advertising. The prestige papers have their own news bureaus in the state and national capital and other major cities.
The newspaper industry is currently in decline around the world, because of the influence of 24 hour television news channels and the Internet as sources of news. The recession of 2008 hammered newspapers hard, because their main revenue source is advertising for new houses, jobs, automobiles and department stores, all of which cut back sharply. Some major newspapers are in bankruptcy, including the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, while Denver's Rocky Mountain News shut down in February 2009 and other major papers may follow it into history.
In terms of prestige newspapers, the The New York Times and The Washington Post, are liberal, while the Wall Street Journal is conservative. Local newspapers tend to be conservative. prominent conservative viewpoints appear in the The Washington Times, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. Some newspapers have changed their political slant over time: the New York Post has gone back and forth between a liberal slant and a conservative one, depending on its owner at the time, it currently is conservative slant under the ownership of News Corporation. It endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2006, illustrating that newspapers can adapt their editorial views to the local market. Likewise the Chicago Tribune once had conservative editorial positions but is now more liberal.
Newspapers do have one advantage over news channels that have helped them stay afloat: there is no way to send comics over the airwaves. Therefore, newspapers make money by publishing comic strips like "For Better Or For Worse", "Mallard Fillmore", and the popular "Mutts". Another reason why newspapers have remained profitable is advertising. If newspapers had to rely solely on subscriptions and newsstand sales for their income, they would not be profitable. Newspapers suffer from declining sales, and fewer young people read them.
In 1850-1950 most cities, even small ones, had several daily newspapers, each catering to a political party or faction. The trend in recent years has been toward consolidation as cities are no longer being able to support so many newspapers. Washington, D.C., for example, now has only two daily newspapers. Another trend in recent years is the proliferation of free weekly newspapers. These make their money selling advertising and are distributed to readers free of charge. Many of these free weeklies are socially liberal.
Further reading
- Blanchard, Margaret A., ed. History of the Mass Media in the United States, An Encyclopedia. (1998)
- Brennen, Bonnie and Hanno Hardt, eds. Picturing the Past: Media, History and Photography. (1999)
- Caswell, Lucy Shelton, ed. Guide to Sources in American Journalism History. (1989)
- Emery, Michael, Edwin Emery, and Nancy L. Roberts. The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media 9th ed. (1999.), standard textbook; best place to start.
- Gorman, Lyn. and David McLean. Media and Society in the Twentieth Century: A Historical Introduction (2002) excerpt and text search
- Kotler, Johathan and Miles Beller. American Datelines: Major News Stories from Colonial Times to the Present. (2003)
- McKerns, Joseph P., ed. Biographical Dictionary of American Journalism. (1989)
- Marzolf, Marion. Up From the Footnote: A History of Women Journalists. (1977)
- Miller, Sally M. The Ethnic Press in the United States: A Historical Analysis and Handbook. (1987)
- Mott, Frank Luther. American Journalism: A History of Newspapers in the United States Through 250 Years, 1690-1940 (1941). major reference source and interpretive history. American+Journalism:+A+History+of&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=j0Iahd_mg6&sig=0m59AhBEBwXN-N-kgqQ91TLtrgk&hl=en&ei=iu2uSY3rBpK2sAPjmMWXDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result part 2 online
- Nord, David Paul. Communities of Journalism: A History of American Newspapers and Their Readers. (2001)
- Pride, Armistead S. and Clint C. Wilson. A History of the Black Press. (1997)
- Schudson, Michael. Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers. (1978).
- Sloan, W. David, James G. Stovall, and James D. Startt. The Media in America: A History, 4th ed. (1999)
- Streitmatter, Rodger. Mightier Than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History (1997)
