Sometimes the public seeks opinion and analysis of complicated issues. Providing such opinions and analysis is another important function performed by the media. The evolution of the media has been fraught with concerns and problems.
Accusations of mind control, bias, and poor quality have been thrown at the media on a regular basis. Yet the growth of communications technology allows people today to find more information more easily than any previous generation. Mass media can be print, radio, television, or Internet news.
They can be local, national, or international. They can be broad or limited in their focus. The choices are tremendous.
In earlier times, news was presented to local populations through the printed press. While several colonies had printers and occasional newspapers, high literacy rates combined with the desire for self-government made Boston a perfect location for the creation of a newspaper, and the first continuous press was started there in Readership across the colonies increased and daily papers sprang up in large cities.
Newspapers united for a common cause during the Revolutionary War. One reason was cost. Subscriptions and advertising did not fully cover printing costs and political parties stepped in to support newspapers that aided their parties and their policies. Papers began printing party propaganda and messages, even publicly attacking political leaders like George Washington. Despite the antagonism of the press, Washington and several other founders felt that freedom of the press was important for creating an informed electorate.
Indeed, freedom of the press is enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the first amendment. Between and , machines and manufacturing made the production of newspapers faster and less expensive. Roads and waterways were expanded, decreasing the costs of distributing printed materials to subscribers. New newspapers popped up. Yet readers still wanted to be entertained. Joseph Pulitzer and the New York World gave them what they wanted.
The tabloid-style paper included editorial pages, cartoons, and pictures, while the front-page news was sensational and scandalous.
This style of coverage became known as yellow journalism. Competition between newspapers led to increasingly sensationalized covers and crude issues. In , Adolph Ochs purchased the New York Times with the goal of creating a dignified newspaper that would provide readers with important news about the economy, politics, and the world rather than gossip and comics. The New York Times brought back the informational model , which exhibits impartiality and accuracy and promotes transparency in government and politics.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the media began muckraking : the writing and publishing of news coverage that exposed corrupt business and government practices. The Pure Food and Drug Act and other laws were passed to protect consumers and employees from unsafe food processing practices.
However, at the same time there are fewer journalists being hired than there used to be. The scarcity of journalists and the lack of time to dig for details in a hour, profit-oriented news model make investigative stories rare. There are two potential concerns about the decline of investigative journalism in the digital age. First, one potential shortcoming is that the quality of news content will become uneven in depth and quality, which could lead to a less informed citizenry.
Second, if investigative journalism in its systematic form declines, then the cases of wrongdoing that are the objects of such investigations would have a greater chance of going on undetected. In the twenty-first century, newspapers have struggled to stay financially stable. Given the countless alternate forms of news, many of which are free, newspaper subscriptions have fallen. Advertising and especially classified ad revenue dipped. Many newspapers now maintain both a print and an Internet presence in order to compete for readers.
The rise of free news blogs, such as the Huffington Post , have made it difficult for newspapers to force readers to purchase online subscriptions to access material they place behind a digital paywall. Some local newspapers, in an effort to stay visible and profitable, have turned to social media, like Facebook and Twitter.
Stories can be posted and retweeted, allowing readers to comment and forward material. Yet, overall, newspapers have adapted, becoming leaner—though less thorough and investigative—versions of their earlier selves. Radio news made its appearance in the s. Not just something to be enjoyed by those in the city, the proliferation of the radio brought communications to rural America as well.
News and entertainment programs were also targeted to rural communities. As radio listenership grew, politicians realized that the medium offered a way to reach the public in a personal manner. Yet it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who became famous for harnessing the political power of radio. On entering office in March , President Roosevelt needed to quiet public fears about the economy and prevent people from removing their money from the banks.
He delivered his first radio speech eight days after assuming the presidency. As radio listenership became widespread in the s a , President Franklin D.
Credit a: modification of work by George W. Ackerman; Credit b: modification of work by the Library of Congress. By the s, talk shows had gone national, showcasing broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh and Don Imus. The idea was to broadcast digital programming from satellites in orbit, eliminating the need for local towers.
By , two satellite stations had been approved for broadcasting. Satellite radio has greatly increased programming with many specialized offerings, including channels dedicated to particular political points of view. Television combined the best attributes of radio and pictures and changed media forever. As on the radio, quiz shows and games initially dominated the television airwaves.
But when Edward R. Murrow made the move to television in with his news show See It Now , television journalism gained its foothold. As television programming expanded, more channels were added. Edward R. Credit: OpenStax included image. Even more than radio, television allows politicians to reach out and connect with citizens and voters in deeper ways.
Before television, few voters were able to see a president or candidate speak or answer questions in an interview. Now everyone can decode body language and tone to decide whether candidates or politicians are sincere. Presidents can directly convey their anger, sorrow, or optimism during addresses. The first television advertisements, run by presidential candidates Dwight D. Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson in the early s, were mainly radio jingles with animation or short question-and-answer sessions.
In , John F. The Kennedy campaign ran interesting and engaging ads, featuring Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline, and everyday citizens who supported him.
In addition to television ads, the election also featured the first televised presidential debate. By that time most households had a television. His opponent, Richard Nixon, was still recovering from a severe case of the flu. In , Lyndon B. In , Adolph Ochs purchased the New York Times with the goal of creating a dignified newspaper that would provide readers with important news about the economy, politics, and the world rather than gossip and comics. The New York Times brought back the informational model, which exhibits impartiality and accuracy and promotes transparency in government and politics.
With the arrival of the Progressive Era, the media began muckraking : the writing and publishing of news coverage that exposed corrupt business and government practices. The Pure Food and Drug Act and other laws were passed to protect consumers and employees from unsafe food processing practices. However, at the same time there are fewer journalists being hired than there used to be. The scarcity of journalists and the lack of time to dig for details in a hour, profit-oriented news model make investigative stories rare.
There are two potential concerns about the decline of investigative journalism in the digital age. First, one potential shortcoming is that the quality of news content will become uneven in depth and quality, which could lead to a less informed citizenry. Second, if investigative journalism in its systematic form declines, then the cases of wrongdoing that are the objects of such investigations would have a greater chance of going on undetected.
In the twenty-first century, newspapers have struggled to stay financially stable. Given the countless alternate forms of news, many of which are free, newspaper subscriptions have fallen. Advertising and especially classified ad revenue dipped.
Many newspapers now maintain both a print and an Internet presence in order to compete for readers. The rise of free news blogs, such as the Huffington Post , have made it difficult for newspapers to force readers to purchase online subscriptions to access material they place behind a digital paywall. Some local newspapers, in an effort to stay visible and profitable, have turned to social media, like Facebook and Twitter. Stories can be posted and retweeted, allowing readers to comment and forward material.
Yet, overall, newspapers have adapted, becoming leaner—though less thorough and investigative—versions of their earlier selves. Radio news made its appearance in the s. Talk shows, religious shows, and educational programs followed, and by the late s, game shows and quiz shows were added to the airwaves. Almost 83 percent of households had a radio by , and most tuned in regularly.
These programs helped amuse families during the dark years of the Depression. Not just something to be enjoyed by those in the city, the proliferation of the radio brought communications to rural America as well. News and entertainment programs were also targeted to rural communities.
WSM in Nashville began to broadcast the live music show called the Grand Ole Opry , which is still broadcast every week and is the longest live broadcast radio show in U. As radio listenership grew, politicians realized that the medium offered a way to reach the public in a personal manner. Warren Harding was the first president to regularly give speeches over the radio. President Herbert Hoover used radio as well, mainly to announce government programs on aid and unemployment relief.
Yet it was Franklin D. Roosevelt who became famous for harnessing the political power of radio. On entering office in March , President Roosevelt needed to quiet public fears about the economy and prevent people from removing their money from the banks.
He delivered his first radio speech eight days after assuming the presidency:. I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, and why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be. Roosevelt spoke directly to the people and addressed them as equals. One listener described the chats as soothing, with the president acting like a father, sitting in the room with the family, cutting through the political nonsense and describing what help he needed from each family member.
Roosevelt would sit down and explain his ideas and actions directly to the people on a regular basis, confident that he could convince voters of their value. As radio listenership became widespread in the s a , President Franklin D. Ackerman; credit b: modification of work by the Library of Congress. During this time, print news still controlled much of the information flowing to the public. Radio news programs were limited in scope and number. The need and desire for frequent news updates about the constantly evolving war made newspapers, with their once-a-day printing, too slow.
People wanted to know what was happening, and they wanted to know immediately. Although initially reluctant to be on the air, reporter Edward R. Newscasters voluntarily agreed to suppress information, such as about the development of the atomic bomb and movements of the military, until after the events had occurred.
The number of professional and amateur radio stations grew quickly. Initially, the government exerted little legislative control over the industry. Stations chose their own broadcasting locations, signal strengths, and frequencies, which sometimes overlapped with one another or with the military, leading to tuning problems for listeners.
The Commission was under heavy pressure from Congress, however, and had little authority. The Communications Act of ended the FRC and created the Federal Communications Commission FCC , which continued to work with radio stations to assign frequencies and set national standards, as well as oversee other forms of broadcasting and telephones. The FCC regulates interstate communications to this day. For example, it prohibits the use of certain profane words during certain hours on public airwaves.
After WWII, frequency modulation FM broadcasting, with its wider signal bandwidth, provided clear sound with less static and became popular with stations wanting to broadcast speeches or music with high-quality sound.
By the s, talk shows had gone national, showcasing broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh and Don Imus. The idea was to broadcast digital programming from satellites in orbit, eliminating the need for local towers. By , two satellite stations had been approved for broadcasting. Satellite radio has greatly increased programming with many specialized offerings, such as channels dedicated to particular artists. It is generally subscription-based and offers a larger area of coverage, even to remote areas such as deserts and oceans.
Satellite programming is also exempt from many of the FCC regulations that govern regular radio stations. Television combined the best attributes of radio and pictures and changed media forever. The public did not immediately begin buying televisions, but coverage of World War II changed their minds. CBS reported on war events and included pictures and maps that enhanced the news for viewers.
By the s, the price of television sets had dropped, more televisions stations were being created, and advertisers were buying up spots. As on the radio, quiz shows and games dominated the television airwaves. But when Edward R. Murrow made the move to television in with his news show See It Now , television journalism gained its foothold. As television programming expanded, more channels were added. Edward R. Even more than radio, television allows politicians to reach out and connect with citizens and voters in deeper ways.
Before television, few voters were able to see a president or candidate speak or answer questions in an interview. Now everyone can decode body language and tone to decide whether candidates or politicians are sincere. Presidents can directly convey their anger, sorrow, or optimism during addresses. The first television advertisements, run by presidential candidates Dwight D.
Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson in the early s, were mainly radio jingles with animation or short question-and-answer sessions. In , John F. The Kennedy campaign ran interesting and engaging ads, featuring Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline, and everyday citizens who supported him.
Television was also useful to combat scandals and accusations of impropriety. Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon used a televised speech in to address accusations that he had taken money from a political campaign fund illegally. Nixon laid out his finances, investments, and debts and ended by saying that the only election gift the family had received was a cocker spaniel the children named Checkers.
Yet it was enough to quiet accusations. In addition to television ads, the election also featured the first televised presidential debate. By that time most households had a television. His opponent, Richard Nixon, was still recovering from a severe case of the flu.
In , Lyndon B. Then in , President Gerald Ford, who was behind in the polls, invited Jimmy Carter to debate, and televised debates became a regular part of future presidential campaigns.
Visit American Rhetoric for free access to speeches, video, and audio of famous presidential and political speeches. Between the s and the s, presidents often used television to reach citizens and gain support for policies. When they made speeches, the networks and their local affiliates carried them. With few independent local stations available, a viewer had little alternative but to watch.
Some of the best examples of this power occurred when presidents used television to inspire and comfort the population during a national emergency. In , President Bill Clinton comforted and encouraged the families of the employees and children killed at the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building.
Clinton reminded the nation that children learn through action, and so we must speak up against violence and face evil acts with good acts. Bush spoke to the workers and first responders and encouraged them, but his short speech became a viral clip demonstrating the resilience of New Yorkers and the anger of a nation. Presidents Clinton and Bush were both called upon to calm the people after mass killings. Murrah federal building just before the one-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing a.
The rest of the world hears you! And the people. Following their speeches, both presidents also received a bump in popularity. The invention of cable in the s and the expansion of the Internet in the s opened up more options for media consumers than ever before.
Viewers can watch nearly anything at the click of a button, bypass commercials, and record programs of interest. The resulting saturation, or inundation of information, may lead viewers to abandon the news entirely or become more suspicious and fatigued about politics. Citizens who want to watch reality television and movies can easily avoid the news, leaving presidents with no sure way to communicate with the public.
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