Media And Politics

9 Pages 2190 Words

Amendment, American newspapers played an important and influential function in local and national politics. Newspapers were originally a luxury only enjoyed by the wealthy and the literate minority. It was during the era of Jacksonian democracy, the 1830’s, that newspapers became more widespread. This resulted from the invention of the “Penny Press.” It was now possible to sell newspapers for one cent a copy. Advances in technology made it possible to reduce the cost of newspapers and increase their availability to the public. It wasn’t until 1850, with the invention and development of photographs, that newspapers included pictures accompanying the stories reporters covered. By the end of the nineteenth century, newspapers took on a similar form to that of newspapers today.
The above brief history of newspapers demonstrates the growth of a free press in America. The benefits of a free press in a democracy include: the free and open exchange of ideas including ideas critical of government, widespread distribution of differing views on controversial issues, open debate during local and national elections, and access to information by a literate public. However, a free press is not free of detriments. It would be inaccurate to suggest or imply that the press in particular and the media in general are always responsible and truthful.
One example of how the print media can affect and influence the views of its readers and the politics of a nation came at the end of the nineteenth century. In Mightier Than the Sword: How the News Media Have Shaped American History, Rodger Streitmatter provides a brief account of “yellow journalism.” Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World, and William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the New York Journal, battled each other for increased circulation. In New York the World and the Journal were ranked number one and two respectively. Pulitzer and Hearst revolutionized journalism and mainta...