MDIA 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: The New-England Courant, Pennsylvania Gazette, Pseudoscience
Document Summary
History early days: 58 bce rome (caesar) acta diurnia, sept 25, 1690 publick occurrences, both foreign and domestick. 1st north american newspaper: 1704 boston newsletter. 1st regularly published newspaper: 1721 new england courant (james franklin) Appealed to more ordinary readers, not just business or colony leaders: 1729 pennsylvania gazette (ben franklin) 1st paper to use ad venue (paper for $ and money for stuff in paper) Pre-revolutionary war: 1735 zenger case. Seditious libel (then: anything bad for government, even if it was true) Fair trial jury comes back with not guilty (truth being the defense: 1765 total of 30 colonial papers, 1784 first daily paper. Post-revolutionary war: 1800 papers political/commercial; readership is educated, wealthy, white men controlled local politics and commerce, 1820 average cost 6 cents; sold yearly -. Twice week"s salary for skilled workers: 1830s rise of the penny press. Got away from political and commercial stuff.
