Com201 Media and Culture Chapter 8 [PDF]

Citation preview

COM 201 – Media and Culture Chapter 8: Newspapers I. Evolution of American Newspapers A. Colonial Newspapers and Partisan Press 1. partisan press: political papers that pushed plan of particular political group that subsidized paper a. editorial pages 2. commercial press served leaders of commerce, who were interested in economic issues a. business section B. Penny Press Era: Newspapers Become Mass Media 1. penny papers: cheaper paper combined w/ increased literacy a. innovative: first to assign reporters to cover crime 2. human-interest stories: news accounts that focus on daily trials and triumphs of human condition>>ordinary individuals facing extraordinary challenges 3. wire services: began as commercial organizations that relayed news stories and info around country and world using telegraph lines and, later, radio waves and digital transmissions a. enabled news to travel rapidly from coast to coast and set stage for modern journalism C. Age of Yellow Journalism: Sensationalism and Investigation 1. yellow journalism: late 1800s development that emphasized profitable papers that carried exciting human-interest stories, crime news, large headlines, and more readable copy a. age of sensationalism 2. Pulitzer and New York World 3. Hearst and New York Journal II. Competing Models of Modern Print Journalism A. “Objectivity” in Modern Journalism 1. Ochs and New York Times 2. “Just the Facts, Please” a. objective journalism: distinguishes factual reports from opinion columns i. modern reporters strive to maintain a neutral attitude toward issues/events b. inverted-pyramid style: writing and representation of objective journalism i. answer who, what, where, when, why and how questions at top of story and then narrow down to less significant details B. Interpretive Journalism Provides Explanation 1. Limits of Objectivity in Journalism a. interpretive journalism: explain key issues/events and place them in a broader historical/social context 2. Press-Radio War a. w/ rise of radio in 1930s, newspaper industry became increasingly annoyed by broadcasters who took their news directly from papers and wire services b. a major battle developed b/n radio journalism and established power of print C. Literary Forms of Journalism



1. Attack on Objectivity a. advocacy journalism: reporter actively promotes a particular cause/viewpoint b. precision journalism: push news more in direction of science i. argued that only by applying rigorous social science methods (using poll surveys and questionnaires) could they achieve a valid portrait of social reality 2. Journalism as an Art Form a. literary journalism: journalism’s ties to storytelling. Aka new journalism. Adapted fictional storytelling techniques to non-fictional material and in-depth reporting D. Contemporary Journalism in TV and Online Age 1. computerized news services 2. traditional role of newspapers are being challenged and changed w/ new age III. Categorizing News and U.S. Newspapers A. Consensus v. Conflict: Newspapers Play Different Roles 1. consensus-oriented journalism: carrying articles on local schools, social events, town gov’t, property crimes, and zoning issues a. small advertising base b. careful not to offend local advertisers who provide financial underpinnings for many of these papers c. foster a sense of community d. downside: may overlook/downplay discord and problems 2. conflict-oriented journalism: practiced by national and metro dailies. Front-page news is defined primarily as events, issues, or experiences that deviate from social norms a. journalists see their role not merely as neutral fact-gatherers but as observers who monitor their city’s institutions and problems b. papers offer competing perspectives on issues c. turns complex and controversial topics into 2-dimensional stories, pitting one idea/person against another (“telling both sides of the story”) B. Ethnic, Minority, and Oppositional Newspapers 1. Immigrant and Ethnic Press a. ethnic papers help readers both adjust to foreign surroundings and retain ties to their traditional heritage 2. African American, Spanish-Language, and Native American Newspapers 3. Underground Press a. questioned mainstream political policies and conventional values. Voiced radical viewpoints IV. Newspaper Operations: Economic Demands v. Editorial Duties A. Business and Advertising Decisions 1. newshole: space left over after ads are placed. Accounts for remaining 35-50% of content of daily newspapers B. News and Editorial Responsibilities C. Wire Services and Feature Syndication 1. feature syndicates: commercial outlets that contract w/ newspapers to provide work from nation’s best political writers, editorial cartoonists, comic-strip artists, and selfhelp columnists



V. Ownership, Economics, Technology, and Innovation A. Circulation Suffers as Readership Declines 1. rise in network TV viewing and competition from suburban weeklies intensified decline in daily readership 2. could no longer count on core readership group b/c increasing number of women working full-time outside home B. Joint Operating Agreements and Declining Competition 1. joint operating agreement (JOA): 2 competing papers keep separate news divisions while merging business and production operations for a period of yrs C. Newspaper Chains Invest in TV 1. newspaper chains: companies that own several papers throughout country D. Incorporating Electronic and Digital Technology to Survive 1. not as expensive: cost of newsprint is industry’s largest expense>>now papers can be online, so not as much printing 2. online newspapers are taking advantage of flexibility Internet offers b/c space isn’t an issue>>newspapers can post stories and reader letters online that they weren’t able to print in paper edition E. Alternative Voices 1. street papers a. proceeds of purchasing these papers go to homeless. Cover such topics as political and economic factors that contribute to homelessness, including availability of inexpensive drugs, loss of urban manufacturing jobs, downsizing of mental hospitals, and gentrification of downtown areas VI. Newspapers and Democracy A. of all mass media, newspapers have played longest and strongest role in sustaining democracy 1. venue for expression of ideas and dist’n of info 2. keeps readers informed of issues and events in their community, nation, and their world