It is difficult to pinpoint the exact starting point of the history of news media. Gossippers have existed ever since the first language arrived on the scene. In fact, gossip was one of the driving factors behind the evolution of language in human beings.
Ibn Battuta, in his travel memoirs, tells us about some men who would run for miles and share intelligence; this was in the 14th-century India. We can keep going back. For example, China had official information sheets (tipao) almost 1000 years back. The same could be said about the reports and commentaries of many religious and cultural figures.
But, to tell our story, that is the history of news media, we have to start somewhere. So, let’s start with Gutenberg, the first printing press in Europe.
The primary institutional and cultural features of contemporary news have a relatively brief history — 400 years at the outside. People have been paid to write true stories about current events and to publish them on a regular basis only for about 250 years, and, in many places, for more like 150 years.
Michael Schudson (Sociologist)
The reason to start the history of news with Gutenberg is that it laid the groundwork for mass printing, without which the journalism as we know today (deeply connected with democratic ethos) would not have been possible.
Early days in the history of news
Europe’s politics leading up to the narrative of modernity, combined with the advent of printing press, gave way to the first flowering of English journalism. Boosted by the abolition of pre-publication censorship, diversely motivated journalists such as Daniel Defoe, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Jonathan Swift, John Wilkes, and Thomas Paine became men of great influence.
This was the time when the writings of even one journalist were capable of shaping the history. Thomas Paine’s journalistic work fomented revolution on both sides of the Atlantic. He wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet setting out the case for American independence from British rule, and Rights of Man, arguing that human beings have a natural right to govern themselves. His, along with Milton’s and Defoe’s, ideas can easily be noticed in the First Amendment to the American Constitution.
The freedom to report and share news stories expanded in different parts of Europe. In 1852, The Times mentioned that its purpose was to obtain the earliest and most correct intelligence of the events of the time and instantly, by disclosing them, to make them the common property of the nation.
20th-century and the broadcast services
During the 19th and 20th century, a number of new nations emerged. This led to the emergence of new institutions, which included news broadcasting agencies as well. At the same time, certain codified professional standards were established. In 1922 the American Society of Newspaper Editors was born, which inspired many similar societies around the world.
Within the first couple of decades of the new century, the market-based model came under threat. Upon realising the power of news, governments in many countries started interfering and seeking direct control of news media. This played out differently in America and Europe.
In 1922, the British Broadcasting Company, better known as the BBC, came into existence. It was the world’s first national broadcasting organisation. The mission was, ‘to inform, educate and entertain’, which remains quite the same till this day. The British news, therefore, remained somewhat regulated, unlike America where the commercial interests grew to such an extent that the American media did not have to depend on public funding and could pursue its own goals, making more money amidst the growing competition.
It is worth mentioning that the 20th century was also about two ideologies — Capitalism and Communism — clashing against each other. This too impacted the fate of the journalism in different countries. The countries which were under Communism gave rise to state-controlled news-media, while the opposite happened in Capitalist countries. Europe, for its part, tried to create a fine balance between the freedom of press and state regulations. The colonies of Europe also followed the same route.
Journalism in the 21st century
As the age of broadcasting gave way to the age of Internet, this new world of unlimited information threw new challenges to the reader or viewer. On the one hand, it is only because of the internet revolution that my words are able to reach you, but at the same time, we must not underestimate the threats it poses; the number of fake news reports, propaganda stories, pornography, etc are growing too.
Due to the massive technological shift and greater access of information, both the content as well as the structure of news have changed. There has been a noticeable shift away from event-based reporting in newspapers, towards narrative building via stories. For example, unpacking social and policy issues through character-centered stories, such as homeless children as a way to discuss homelessness.
TV news, too, have moved on to a more subjective, conversational, argumentative style of news presentation. The rise of independent voices on internet has meant that individuals are competing against institutions, and often winning the race. For example, Joe Rogan, a popular podcast host, has a larger audience than any of the news channels today. Is that a good thing? We don’t know. Was 20th-century’s journalism better than today’s? We can argue both ways. The point is, news-media evolves whether we like it or not. And now that it has, where do we go from here?
Today, the news is everywhere. We can’t stop constantly checking it on our computer screens, but what is this doing to our minds? Are we able to make sense of these 24*7 news services? How does one tell a meaningful news story in this day and age? These are the questions that are staring us in the face.
Reference books:
Kalampedia 