8/8/2015 MIT202Newspapers1 Print, News, and Newspapers MIT202.

04/21/23 MIT202Newspapers 1

Print, News, and Newspapers

MIT202

Print/Modes of Reading

1. Individualism

2. “Dangers” of Private Reading

3. Mobile Reading

4. Silent/Vocalized Reading

5. Middle/Upper Classes Working Classes

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Women Readers

1. Fear unleashed emotions1. Novels/fiction

2. Bible/devotional works

3. Challenge to patriarchal authority

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Print/Modes of Reading

1. Critical Reading

2. Intensive to Extensive Reading

3. Format Changes

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Reformation/Printing (1520s to 1640s)

1. Printing Press not “causal”

2. Variety of Printed Matter1. Information Supply, not

advance Literacy

3. Illiterates and New Ideas

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Reformation

1. Vernacular Bible1. German, etc.

2. Catholic Prohibition

2. Bible Reading/Personal Salvation

3. Counter-Reformation

Censorship

Catholic Church –Index of Prohibited Books Protestant theology Erasmus, Machiavelli,

Dante England: Stationer’s Co.

1550s/1790s Inspect manuscripts

before printing

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Censorship Effects

1. Interest in banned titles

2. Clandestine publishing & communication

3. Printing abroad

4. Allegory

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Print Culture

1. Fixity of Texts

2. Accumulation of Knowledge

3. Destabilize Knowledge

4. Additive not Substitutive

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Pre-Newspaper/Printing Press Communication Networks (early 1400s)

1. Catholic Church

2. State/Political Authorities1. Administration of

Territory

2. Diplomacy

3. Commerce

4. Itinerant Peddlers1. Balladeers, entertainers,

merchants

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New Communication Networks (15th/16th centuries) Postal Services

France, 1464, Royal Post Hapsburg, 1500s England (1500s) 1700s: networks throughout Europe Slow

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Printed News (late 1400s)

1. Leaflets, broadsheets, posters

2. distant news

3. hawkers

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Early Newspapers (Corantos)

1. Corantos1. weekly journals German

cities, 1609-

2. Postmaster as news provider

3. Thomas Archer, 1621-

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English Civil War & Newspapers

1. 1640-1660

2. Press freedom

3. Growth of newspapers1. pamphlets, political

tracts

4. Domestic news

5. Restoration (1660) & press control

6. Monopolies of Knowledge/dialectic

British Newspapers

1. Samuel Buckley, Daily Courant, 1702

2. Specialized papers

3. 1750: 5 dailies; 5 weeklies 1. some w/100,000+ circ.

2. postal/countryside

4. Coffee houses, taverns1. Readership/Circulation

2. J. Habermas/Public Sphere

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Stamp Acts/Press Freedom

1. Stamp Act, 1712-

2. State Revenue/Press Restraint

3. Curb Abuse of State Power

4. Stamp Act, 1765, (US)

5. Freedom of Press 1. First Amendment of US

Constitution

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British North America/Canada

1. None in New France

2. Halifax Gazette, 1752

3. Quebec Gazette, 1764

4. Upper Canada Gazette (1793) state

5. Canada Constellation (1798) private

Upper Canada, 19th century

1. 1815-1860 Growth:1. Immigration,

economic development

2. Growth of towns with newspapers

1. 1819- 6

2. 1849- 39

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Upper Canada Newspapers (pre/post 1820)

Polite Sociability

1. Essays/letters

2. Morals/manners

3. History/literature

4. Genteel/Cultivate mind

5. Not discuss politics

6. State organs (some)

7. “Polite conversation”

Democratic Sociability

1. Reflect/Create public opinion

2. Partisanship

3. Discuss Legislative topics

4. Government watchdog

5. Responsible Govt (Legislature/Council)

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Newspapers/Rights of Citizens

1. Joseph Howe 1. Nova Scotian 1827-

2. Newspaper: defender of people vs. arbitrary state

3. Responsible Government

4. Publisher-Editor-Politician

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Politicized Newspapers

Editor-Politicians

1. Opinionated Press1. Etienne Parent (Le Canadien)

2. William Lyon Mackenzie (Colonial Advocate)

2. Responsible Government

3. 1837 Rebellion Mackenzie: Publisher-Editor-

Politician-Armed Rebel

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Disseminating Newspapers

1. Postal Networks

2. Preferential rates1. Heavily subsidized

2. Lax enforcement

3. Newspaper Agent

4. Media as Complex, Integrated Systems

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Readers (Upper Canada)

1. Circulation rates: Growth

2. Social classes of readers

3. Subscription Costs

4. Reading aloud/sharing newspapers

1. Non-paying readers

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Civic and Mass Newspaper

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Yellow Press/Mass/Entertainment NewspaperJoseph Pulitzer (World), 1883-

1. Advertising over subscription

2. Sensationalism

1. Local news, crime, scandal

3. Entertainment

4. Self-Advertising

5. Illustrations

6. Large Headlines

7. ‘Use-paper’

8. Commuter Friendly

9. Lead/Inverted Pyramid

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Mass/Entertainment Newspaper (CDA)Hugh Graham Montreal Star 1880s

John R. Robertson Toronto Telegram

1. Advertising

2. Higher Costs

3. Local news (crime, scandal)

4. Entertainment over information function

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From Civic to Mass Newspaper

Civic Newspaper (1820-1890)

(Democratic Sociability)

1. Political advocate

2. Public defender

3. Public responsibility

4. Civic education

5. Editor-publisher, small shop

6. Opinion-making

1. Editorial pages

7. Public record of legislative proceedings

8. “public utility”

Mass Newspaper (1890-)

1. Commercial Enterprise

2. Advertising reliant

3. Corporations & Chains (Southam, Sifton, Thomson)

4. Heavily capitalized

5. Decline of editorial pages

6. Less partisan

7. higher circulation, fewer newspapers

8. READERSHIP OVER PARTISANSHIP

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Space-Biased Media (Innis)

1. Dialectic1. liberty & monopolies of knowledge

2. Printing Press

2. Balance: 1. time/space

2. centrifugal/centripetal

3. democratic society

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Newspaper: Summary

Corantos Press Freedom Democracy/Responsible Government Postal System Polite Sociability/Democratic Sociability Civic Newspaper/Mass Newspaper Public Opinion/Commercial Profit Circulation/Subscription/Advertising News as Commodity