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                      History of Journalism 

My peers and I were introduced to certain topics that were produced in the daily papers and broadcast regularly in the movies we watched.   It gave us insight into how journalism thrived in history and how these methods survived all the way to today. Journalism was introduced in all topics, not just reports about the government or politics. 
 
War was a topic that was widely discussed, especially during both World Wars. However, journalists found a way to spice up reports on war to entice the readers. War Journalism is a type of propaganda that was created to advertise the war efforts. Photojournalism was extremely popular during the war, as journalistic writings were seen next to a photo depicting to the readers what war was like. It showed the actual impact it left on America and the rest of the world.  

 

Political Cartoons are drawings that discuss politics and current events visually in a comedic way. These cartoons were seen in the newspapers. To get the gist of the cartoons, readers must have some background context about politics and various issues around the world. Thomas Nast was the first to create a political cartoon in which he formed the Republican Elephant and the Democratic Donkey. This has stuck with the parties to this day. Political cartoons started in newspapers and were meant to be very controversial. As technology advanced, these political drawings were seen on television through broadcasting segments live on the news giving the cartoonist a larger audience. The tabloids looked just like newspapers except the headlines were made to draw the reader’s attention to read a more politically fueled story. The headlines were called red tops, which contained a large heading in red to gain attention for the various political stories. The Gossip Column was a small segment in the papers that talked about scandals, celebrities, and politics. It seems gossip has been important to some for a very long time. The Roaring Twenties was a decade full of drama. Hedda Hopper was a famous gossiper who discussed the lives of many celebrities and their affairs. Political stories were amped up by including cartoons, catchy titles, and the lives of many A–listers.  

 
Journalism was transformed for leisure use starting with sports broadcasting. Boxing was the first sport to be broadcast. The first college football game to be broadcast was Pitt vs.WVU and oh what that developed into. Radio had a major impact well since the audience could visualize the games and more people owned radios than tv’s at the time. The coverage of the first television broadcasting of baseball and college football was a huge hit. Music journalism was a concept founded by a German journalist who criticized classical music during the 19th century. Once the 1920s transformed the decade with jazz, music reports were more interesting than ever. Elvis was the King of rock and roll and the Beatles became popular in the 1950s, so more artists wanted their songs discussed in the papers.  It became the “it” thing for them.

 

Journalism incorporated a wide variety of new methods to keep readers and listeners engaged. I learned about many of the informative ways that the papers were transformed. The pioneers who stepped out on a wing and a prayer truly were cutting edge with their firsts. These men and women defined modern journalism as we know it today. Modern journalists owe a debt of gratitude to these brave writers and reporters who paved the way for the industry.