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Chris Abraham

Dr. Lyn J. Freymiller

CAS 137H

3 November 2016

From Old to Current News: How Different Mediums Influence Public Perspective

Is it important to be informed about the news? Author and journalist Alex S. Jones proposes

an interesting analogy in understanding the impact of the stories that shape our world: Imagine

a sphere of pitted iron, gray and imperfect like a large cannonball. Think of this dense, heavy

ball as the total mass of each days serious reported news, the iron core of information that is at

the center of a functioning democracy (1). To Jones, news is not just a scattered report of past

events. Rather, the news is at the core of a working democracy. If true, this definition has

serious implications for the people of the United States. If the news is at the core of a

democracy, and a democracy is a government by the people, then those people must be familiar

with the events unfolding around them in order to maintain the democracy. One way in which

people are informed of these events is through news reporting by the media. News reporting in

its purest sense has always had one goal: to give the public the best sense of the world in which

we live. In reality, news programming has the power to shape the ways in which its viewers see

the world. Over time, the ways in which the news has been delivered have changed along with

technological advancements and ingenuity. One cannot help but wonder, has our worldview

changed as a result? As the ways in which news is delivered to the American people have

changed, so too has the American publics worldview, from a local level to the national stage and

beyond. Due to the developing mediums of news reporting, Americans have become

increasingly aware of their position inside a global community.

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NEWSPAPERS DURING THE EARLY 1900S: PROPONENTS OF LOCAL NEWS

As evidenced by the newspaper publications of the 1920s and 1930s, American citizens in the

early twentieth century regarded events occurring at the local and regional level with the greatest

interest and priority. This inward focus can be primarily explained as a result of the economic

transformation taking place at the time. At the end of the 19th century, America was

experiencing the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, a time period in which the US

economy shifted from agriculture to manufacturing (Boustan, Bunten, and Hearey).

Consequently, the role of the city was redefined, as cities expanded their functions from central

places for the trade and shipment of agricultural products to the location of industrial activity

(Boustan, Bunten, and Hearey). American laborers seeking employment flocked to the city to

man the new factories. By the year 1920, more people in the United States were living in urban

areas than in rural areas (Urbanization of America). Within a short period of time, the

geography and economic identity of the country had changed dramatically.

In line with these societal shifts, newspapers were forced to tailor their reporting to an

increasingly urban audience. The literary product of this increased urbanization of America was

the creation of the tabloid. Essentially, the tabloid captured the lively subcultures of cities like

New York City in print. Americans were in awe of the cities that surrounded them, and for tab

readers, it was the city itself that was first and foremost the news (Wallace 5). After all, moving

to New York City must have been culture shock for farmers turned factory workers. Aurora

Wallace describes the city life that tabloids projected to the public: In building up urban culture,

the tabloids created larger-than-life characters of the new milieu: the gangster, the reporter, the

celebrity, the millionaire, the sports star, the hero, and, best of all, those famous for being

famous (4). Headlines on glamorous celebrities and gritty crime cultivated the enchantment
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that the city was regarded with by the public. Local reporting would continue throughout the

twenties, and eventually drained into the years marked by the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Although the content and message of newspapers became more morally sound during these

years, the community was still the focus: Following the stock market crash, droughts, and crop

devastation, the countrys farmers had their own agenda to put forward. In the pages of small-

town papers like the Emporia Gazette in Kansas, this meant a reinvention of what it meant to be

a good American: wholesome, family centered, and community oriented (Wallace 5). In

addition, newspapers purposely downplayed crime and hailed the work of noble citizens

(Wallace 5). The decades of the 1920s and 30s were dominated by news about America,

reflecting the small worldview with which the public perceived their environment.

WORLD WAR II AND THE EMERGENCE OF RADIO (1938-1945)

The local worldview that Americans held during the early twentieth century would be broadened

by the outbreak of World War II. Once the war began in 1938, Americans needed a medium that

could provide information on the ever-developing conflict. The radio was the device by which

this constant coverage could be accomplished. Put simply by Aurora Wallace, News radio

provided instantaneous bulletins around the clock in a way that the newspaper could not match

(189). Radio bulletins began to season the news landscape as early as the 1920s, but stations

were limited in their ability to report the news because of restraints imposed by newspaper

companies (Ponce de Leon 4). As a response, radio stations established their own news

divisions in the 1930s to supplement the reports they acquired through the newspaper-

dominated wire services (Ponce de Leon 4). Throughout most of the 1930s, newspaper

syndicates still held the reins of news reporting in America.

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However, CBSs coverage on the German annexation of Austria in 1938 changed the way

Americans consumed the news. The report relayed by William Shirer and Edward R. Murrow on

March 13th, 1938 sparked the beginning of the use of broadcast news correspondents (Hope),

a resource the American public would rely on for information about the second global conflict.

After Shirer and Murrows report, radio news broadcasting blossomed into a powerful medium:

The outbreak of the war sparked a massive increase in news programming on all networks. It

comprised an astonishing 20 percent of the networks schedules by 1944 (Ponce de Leon 4-5).

Radio news became so popular with the public that, by the end of the war, surveys conducted by

the Office of Radio Research revealed that radio had become the main source of news for large

numbers of Americans (Ponce de Leon 5). Because of the radio, Americans could see the

world through an international lens for the first time. Through the radios auditory descriptions

of the world, events happening outside of the United States became real to the American people

in a way that the newspaper could not emulate.

LIFE AFTER THE WAR: TV NEWS FROM THE 1950S TO 1990

Despite its popularity, radio news would not remain on top of the news pedestal for long. With

the development and popularization of television soon after World War II, the world described by

radio broadcasters could finally become visual reality for American viewers. Experimentation

with television broadcasting began as early as the late 1930s. In fact, if not for World War II,

radio broadcasting may have never covered the war. According to Charles Ponce de Leon,

television was poised for takeoff as early as 1939, when NBC, CBS, and Dumont [. . .]

established experimental stations in New York City (5). However, once men were drafted into

the armed forces and efforts on the home front shifted to support the fight against the Axis

powers, engineering the television was put on hold: The war interrupted its growth significantly,
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as personnel shortages forced stations to shut down (Herman). As soldiers returned home, the

television rapidly became a commonplace in many American homes: In 1946, there were

approximately 20,000 television sets in the US; by 1948, there were 350,000; and by 1952, there

were 15.3 million (Ponce de Leon 6-7).

In the 1950s, television programming was essentially glorified radio broadcasting, as many

radio stars and shows attempted to make the transition to television (Herman). Suddenly,

beloved radio personalities like CBSs Edward R. Murrow appeared in the homes of millions of

Americans. The medium of the news had changed, but international coverage continued to be

play an integral part. CBSs hallmark news program at the time was See It Now, an upgraded

version of the radio broadcast Hear It Now. Anchored by Murrow, the revolutionary program

compiled international news in a way never seen before: Many were reports from abroad that

introduced viewers to complex social and political issues (Ponce de Leon 24). NBCs marquee

news program at the time was entitled Background, a show that emphasized foreign policy and

national politics (Ponce de Leon 28). Clearly, focus on international events had not lost its

potency after World War II.

As time progressed, the television continued to illuminate national and international events.

In the 1960s, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement played out on the television

screens of millions of Americans. During the 1970s, Americans watched as their fellow citizens

were held during the Iran Hostage Crisis. 1980s TV news included coverage on the fall of the

Berlin Wall, protests in Tiananmen Square, and the Iran-Contra scandal. The interconnectivity

and interaction of the worlds people became apparent to the American people because of the

television. By enabling its viewers to visually experience the physical and social world for

themselves, the television revolutionized both news broadcasting and public perspective.
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INTERNET NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: 1990s TO PRESENT DAY

Like the relationship between radio and television, the TV would be surpassed by the Internet

beginning in the 1990s. Similar to the television, the developmental roots of the Internet lag far

behind its use by the general public. Initial experimentation with basic communication between

computers first took place in the 1960s, when the military thought it necessary to safeguard

communications systems against a Soviet attack on the telephone systems (History.com Staff).

In order to protect against this disaster, scientist J.C.R. Licklider proposed a solution [. . .]: a

galactic network of computers that could talk to one another (History.com Staff). The more

advanced form of the Internet used today, however, did not bloom until the 1990s, when a

computer programmer in Switzerland named Tim Berners-Lee introduced the World Wide Web:

an internet that was not simply a way to send files from one place to another but was itself a

web of information that anyone on the Internet could retrieve (History.com Staff). Once the

World Wide Web went live, the encyclopedia-like capabilities of the Internet became possible.

After years of data accumulation and software advancement, the Internet has become a

massive database that is added to everyday. Because of the Internets unique capacity for storing

and spreading information, news reporting has recently made the transition to a digital format.

Many newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post have begun to provide

online access through subscriptions, just like committing to a yearly paper newspaper. TV

networks like CNN and Fox News also regularly update their websites in addition to airing a

television broadcast.

Another way in which newspapers and TV networks reach a massive audience is through

social media accounts. Millions of people follow the threads of these news-delivering sources.

For example, The New York Times has 31.2 million followers receiving updates from its Twitter
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account. These accounts have begun to gain so much influence that a significant portion of

Americans rely on these relays for their news: Today, 15% of U.S. adults get most of their news

from family and friends through social media, and that number goes up as age goes down

(Gunelius). A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2012 confirms the recent rise in

social media news consumption: The percentage of Americans saying they saw news or news

headlines on a social networking site yesterday has doubled- from 9% to 19%- since 2010 (In

Changing News Landscape, Even Television is Vulnerable). Especially for younger adults, the

popularity of social media news is particularly high in comparison to other mediums: Among

adults younger than age 30, as many saw news on a social networking site the previous day

(33%) as saw any television news (34%), with just 13% having read a newspaper either in print

or digital form (In Changing News Landscape, Even Television is Vulnerable). It seems

increasingly likely that the Internet will be the dominant news medium for the next generation of

Americans.

CONCLUSION: INTERPRETING THE SHIFTS IN NEWS REPORTING

Due to the increasingly advanced instruments through which the news has been delivered over

time, the American public has become increasingly aware of events occurring within the nations

borders and beyond. The effect of every advancement in news reporting is clear: more

information, and more news content. With each technological progression, the media is able to

project the news more realistically. It should also be mentioned that none of these mechanisms

used during our recent history have completely disappeared. The newspaper industry is certainly

still alive in 2016, radio news stations like NPR still regularly broadcast, TV news stations

discuss issues all day, and the Internet hums right along in conjunction. In a way, the news

mediums of the last one hundred years have supplemented each other. Proof of this
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hybridization can be seen in any persons typical day. In todays world, Americans have the

ability to wake up to morning news shows, listen to the news while driving to work, receive

news updates while working, and make it home in time for the evening broadcast. Keeping up

with every piece of news is surely impossible. However, regardless of the means, every

American should tune in to at least one of the avenues available for news reporting. To pay

attention to the news is to plug into the world. As important as we may feel sometimes,

Americans are a part of a global community. Staying up to date with current events is a small

commitment. Looking out for and being informed about our fellow man is well worth it.
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Works Cited

Boustan, Leah Platt, Bunten, and Hearey. Urbanization in the United States, 1800-2000.

National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2013. PDF file.

Gunelius, Susan. Erosion and Conversion Are Main Themes Found in State of the News Media

2013. ACI Blog. ACI Information Group, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Herman, Karen L. A Brief History of Television. TV History. Academy of Television Arts and

Sciences Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

History.com Staff. The Invention of the Internet. A+E Networks, 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Hope, Jack. Media Moments. The 1930s. University of Kansas School of Journalism and

Mass Communications, 2007. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

In Changing News Landscape, Even Television is Vulnerable. U.S. Politics and Policy. Pew

Research Center, 27 Sep. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.

Jones, Alex S. Losing the News: The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy. New York:

Oxford UP, 2009. Print

Ponce de Leon, Charles L. Thats the Way It Is: A History of Television News In America.

Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2015. Print.

Urbanization of America. US Population. Active USA Center A.U.C., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Wallace, Aurora. Newspapers and the Making of Modern America. Westport: Greenwood, 2005.

Print.