The Rise of the Newspaper Industry

Growth of newspapers and magazines. In the period between 1870 and 1900, the number of daily newspapers in the country increased from 600 to nearly 2500. Their circulation multiplied by six times - a jump far greater than the growth in population. This huge expansion reflected gains in the reading ability of great segments of the population and a growing interest in the world beyond the local community. It also reflected a new trend in journalism.

Several important mechanical inventions made it possible to print newspapers as well as magazines and books in greater numbers and at lower costs. Most important of these inventions were the typewriter, improved printing presses, and the Linotype, a fast and efficient typesetting machine invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1885.

Mass circulation was also stimulated by the rapidly developing art of advertising. Business­men were ready to advertise, but they insisted that newspapers and magazines in which they advertised have a mass circulation. The desire to secure advertising stimulated publishers to capture an ever-wider reading public. Thus the publishers used more and more “popular” articles written in a “catchy” style to attract the largest possible number of readers.

New leaders and new trends. Three of the outstanding leaders of the new trend in journal­ism were Charles A. Dana, Joseph Pulitzer, and William Randolph Hearst.

Dana, publisher of the New York Sun, dug up sensational news and gave it prominent space on the front pages of his paper. Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, followed much the same technique. His paper appealed to the general reader because it contained human-interest stories and devoted considerable space to the scandalous activities of the rich and the tragedies of the poor. Pulitzer also developed the comic strip, the sports page, and the section with columnists, puzzles, and advice to the lovelorn.

Hearst, who was Pulitzer's chief rival, outdid Pulitzer at his own game. The son of a self-made California millionaire, Hearst bought the New York Journal 1895 and ran up its circulation beyond that of any other paper. Hearst denounced the irresponsibility and selfishness of some of the well-to-do and so appealed to the masses of people. But his special success rested on his ability to hire gifted feature writers, able sports reporters, and popular comic artists. His success also rested upon his ability to get the most sensational news before anyone else and to play it up for all it was worth - frequently for far more than it was worth. The use by both Hearst and Pulitzer of a comic strip in colour featuring a character named the "Yellow Kid" is said to have given the name of "yellow journalism" to exces­sive sensationalism in newspapers.

Journalism becomes big business. Well before the turn of the century, journalism began to adopt the methods of other big business enterprises. Leading publishers began to buy up small papers and to consolidate great newspaper chains. Large chains could use the same feature articles, the same comic strips, and even the same editorials. This was especially true as the different parts of the nation and the world became increasingly interdependent, with public interest reaching out beyond the local community to national and world affairs. Moreover, the newspaper chains subscribed to great news-reporting services, such as the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press (UP), which collected news items from every corner of the earth.

Even the newspapers that remained inde­pendent were influenced by the trend toward standardized practices in journalism. Many of them also subscribed to the big news-reporting services and bought columns, comic strips, and other features from "syndicates."

From ‘Rise of the American Nation’, volume II, by Lewis Paul Todd and Merle Curti, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1968, pp. 171-172.

 

Task 3. Match these definitions and paraphrases with words from the text. All words belong to the semantic field press.

a) The number of copies that are sold each time a newspaper or magazine is produced.

b) Trademark for a printing machine that is operated by a key-board like a typewriter.

c) Attracting interest or attention.

d) Articles about people which are of interest to the public.

e) To give a certain topic plenty of room in a paper.

f) A special article, usually not dealing with an actual news event.

g) Journalism based on the presentation of sensational news.

h) An article which gives the opinion of the editor or publisher.

i) To pay to receive copies of a paper regularly.

j) A piece of writing in a newspaper always written by the same person; also: a vertical section of print on the page of a newspaper.

k) News agency that sells articles, cartoons, photographs, etc. to several newspapers.

 

Task 4. Answer the following questions on the text:

1. What were the main developments in journalism at the end of the 19^th century?

2. How did Dana, Pulitzer and Hearst represent the new trend in journalism?

3. What does the writer tell us about the business side of journalism?

 

Task 5. Find English equivalents in the text to the following:

· Тираж увеличился в 6 раз;

· Это гораздо больший скачок, чем...;

· отражать рост чего-либо;

· отражать растущий интерес к миру за рамками отдельных сообществ;

· издавать газеты б о льшим тиражом и по более низким ценам;

· массовые тиражи;

· чему-либо способствует быстро развивающееся искусство рекламы;

· охватить все время расширяющийся круг читателей;

· ярко написанные статьи;

· привлечь как можно больше читателей;

· откапывать сенсационные известия;

· отводить чему-либо много места на первых полосах газет;

· действовать по той же схеме;

· нравиться обычному читателю;

· содержать жизненные истории;

· отводить много места чему-либо;

· обыграть кого-либо на его же собственном поле;

· сделать тираж б о льшим, чем у любой другой газеты;

· осуждать чью-либо безответственность и эгоизм;

· Своим особенным успехом он был обязан...;

· доставать самые сенсационные новости до того, как это сделает кто-то другой;

· преподносить что-либо в максимально выгодно свете, в гораздо более выгодном свете, чем это того достойно;

· чрезвычайная погоня за сенсацией;

· задолго до начала века;

· скупать небольшие газеты;

· создавать огромные газетные тресты;

· пользоваться услугами больших информационных агентств;

· собирать новости со всех уголков Земли.

 

Task 6. Almost every sentence below contains a mistake (a vocabulary, grammar or spelling one). Correct the mistakes or put a tick if a sentence is correct.

1. By giving substantial coverage to environmental issues, the mass media calls attention to them.	__________
2. The circulation of a local paper multiplied in 3 times since last year.	__________
3. Large newspaper chains usually subscribe to great news-reporting servises.	__________
4. This tabloid devotes considerable place to celebrity photos.	__________
5. CNN collects news items from every corner of the earth.	__________
6. Nowadays most newspapers try to include human-interest stories to caption an ever-wider reading public.	__________
7. You definitely played the violin better than Paul did. You outdid him at his own game.	__________
8. The more articles written in a “catchy” style a newspaper contains, the more it appeals to the general reader.	__________
9. I dislike many modern newspapers for their exessive sensationalism.	__________
10. The fact that newspapers begin to be printed in greater numbers and for lower costs can be explained by publishers’ desire to attract the largest possible number of readers.	__________
11. Mass circulation is stimulated by the rapidly developing art of advertizing.	__________
12. The special success of this newspaper rests on the ability of its feature writers to get the most sensational news before anyone else and play them up for all they are worth.	__________

Task 7. Translate the sentences into English:

1) На самостоятельных работах списывает даже Джон! Что уж говорить об остальном классе – они просто последовали его примеру.

2) Задолго до начала 21го века многие начали говорить о существовании НЛО и других необъяснимых явлений, что отражало растущий интерес человечества к миру за рамками обыденного понимания.

3) Молли такая сплетница! Создается ощущение, что она собирает новости со всех уголков Земли и раздувает их до невероятных размеров!

4) Чтобы привлечь наибольшее количество читателей, редакция школьной газеты решила включить в майский номер колонку с советами психолога по сдаче выпускных экзаменов.

5) Своим особенным успехом спортсмен обязан многочисленным тренировкам. На последних соревнованиях он сумел обойти чемпиона мира!

6) Какой читатель не любит ярко написанных статей и жизненных историй на первых полосах газет?

 

Task 8. Render the article into English.