Media History: Newspapers and the Mass Press

Summary

The video explores the evolution of mass media, beginning with the Industrial Revolution and the rise of affordable newspapers like the penny press. It details how technological innovations reduced production costs, making news accessible to the general public. The rise of yellow journalism, investigative reporting, and the impact of key figures like Benjamin Day and William Randolph Hearst are discussed. It also covers major journalism milestones like the Watergate scandal, the challenges faced by local newspapers in the digital age, and the rise of platforms like Craigslist that transformed the industry.

Takeaways

• ⚙️ The mass press started with the Industrial Revolution, transforming newspapers with steam-powered presses and machine-made paper, drastically lowering production costs.
• 📉 Before this revolution, newspapers were expensive, costing 6 cents per copy and sold via yearly subscriptions for $10-$12, unaffordable for most workers.
• 📰 In 1833, Benjamin Day founded the New York Sun, setting the price at one penny per copy, marking the beginning of the Penny Press era.
• 👦 The Penny Press expanded circulation dramatically but relied on cheap child labor, which created ethical issues.
• 🎭 Yellow journalism, known for sensational stories on crime, celebrities, and scandals, emerged in the mid-to-late 1800s, named after the popular comic character 'Yellow Kid'.
• 👨‍💼 Newspaper moguls like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used sensationalism to gain readership and wield political influence, exemplified by Hearst’s role in pushing the U.S. toward the Spanish-American War.
• 🔍 Amid the rise of yellow journalism, investigative journalism also emerged, exposing corruption and abuse of power, with notable muckrakers like Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell.
• 🏛️ Objective journalism gained prominence with the New York Times under Adolf Ochs, offering fact-based reporting for an upscale, well-educated audience and becoming known as the 'paper of record'.
• 💻 In the 2000s, newspapers faced declining revenues due to online classifieds like Craigslist and competition from digital advertising platforms like Facebook and Google.
• 📉 Local newspapers are in crisis, leading to news deserts in the U.S., which threatens local journalism, civic engagement, and increases risks of unreported corruption.

Q & A

What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on the newspaper industry?

The Industrial Revolution introduced steam-powered presses and machine-made paper, significantly lowering production costs and enabling mass production of newspapers. This transformed the newspaper industry, making papers more affordable and accessible to the general public.

What was the 'penny press' and why was it significant?

The penny press was a wave of cheaply produced newspapers, costing just one cent per copy, initiated by Benjamin Day's New York Sun in 1833. It made newspapers accessible to the working class, marking the birth of the mass press.

How did yellow journalism affect the newspaper industry in the late 1800s?

Yellow journalism, characterized by sensationalized and dramatic stories, gained popularity in the late 1800s. It increased newspaper sales but also drew criticism for prioritizing profit over journalistic integrity. This style was epitomized by the rivalry between William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal and Joseph Pulitzer's New York World.

Who were the muckrakers and what role did they play in journalism?

Muckrakers were investigative journalists from the late 1800s to the early 1900s who exposed corruption and illegal activities by powerful institutions. Notable muckrakers like Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell published groundbreaking reports that led to significant social and political reforms.

What was the significance of Upton Sinclair’s work in the early 1900s?

Upton Sinclair's investigative journalism, particularly his book *The Jungle*, exposed unsafe working conditions in the meatpacking industry. His work led to public outcry and forced the U.S. government to pass laws improving workplace safety and working conditions.

How did the New York Times distinguish itself from yellow journalism under Adolf Ochs?

Under Adolf Ochs, the New York Times focused on accurate, fact-based reporting, avoiding sensational headlines. It became known for its objective journalism and served a more upscale, educated audience, earning a reputation as the 'paper of record.'

What was the role of local newspapers in their communities during the mid-20th century?

Local newspapers served as informational hubs for their communities, offering not only news but also classifieds, birth and death announcements, and local events. They were a crucial source of information and engagement for residents.

How did Craigslist and other online platforms impact the newspaper industry?

Craigslist and other free online platforms significantly reduced newspapers' classified ad revenue by offering a cheaper or free alternative for listings like jobs, rentals, and personal ads. This led to major financial losses for newspapers, contributing to their decline.

What is the 'news desert' phenomenon, and why is it concerning?

News deserts refer to U.S. counties with one or no local newspapers, a growing problem as local papers shut down. This lack of local journalism is concerning because it could lead to increased corruption and reduced civic engagement, with fewer reporters covering local events and governance.

What legacy did the Watergate scandal leave for journalism?

The Watergate scandal, uncovered by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, highlighted the power of investigative journalism in holding powerful figures accountable. Their work led to President Nixon's resignation and set a high standard for investigative reporting.

Outlines

00:00

⚙️ The Rise of the Penny Press and Mass Production in Journalism

The Industrial Revolution drastically transformed journalism in the mid-1800s, with new technologies like steam-powered presses and machine-made paper reducing production costs. This paved the way for affordable newspapers like Benjamin Day’s *New York Sun*, priced at one penny per copy, marking the rise of the ‘penny press’. Previously, newspapers were accessible only to the wealthy, but Day's innovation democratized access to news, leading to a wave of cheap, mass-produced papers and intense competition in the industry. However, the use of child labor to sell these papers on the streets was a dark consequence of this drive for profit.

05:02

📰 Yellow Journalism: Sensationalism Takes Over

The term ‘yellow journalism’ originates from a popular comic strip character, the Yellow Kid, and represents a style of news focused on sensationalism—dramatic stories about crime, scandals, and celebrities. This type of journalism thrived in the late 1800s, and major publishers like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer heavily relied on it to compete for readership. Despite its focus on scandal, yellow journalism also gave rise to investigative journalism, exposing corruption in powerful institutions. Cartoon critiques from the era, like *Puck* magazine, often highlighted the role of profit in driving sensational reporting.

10:02

💼 The Birth of Investigative Journalism

Amidst the sensationalism of yellow journalism, investigative journalism began to take root. Journalists, often referred to as 'muckrakers,' sought to expose corruption and abuse of power within powerful institutions. Notable figures like Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell led investigations that resulted in significant societal reforms. Sinclair’s work on the meatpacking industry spurred the government to implement better safety laws, while Tarbell's investigation of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company led to the U.S. government breaking up the monopoly in 1911.

15:03

🕵️ The Rise of Objective Journalism and The New York Times

As a reaction to yellow journalism, a new style of objective journalism emerged in the late 1800s, aimed at providing factual and high-quality reporting. Adolf Ochs, owner of *The New York Times*, pioneered this approach by focusing on fact-based stories and objective analysis, targeting well-educated readers. His leadership solidified *The Times* as a trusted source, avoiding sensational headlines and building a reputation for accuracy and credibility. This style laid the foundation for modern journalism, distinguishing between news reporting and opinion sections.

20:04

📉 The Decline of Newspapers in the Digital Era

The rise of the internet in the early 2000s, particularly websites like Craigslist, began to undermine the revenue model of local newspapers, which traditionally depended on classified ads. Social media platforms like Facebook further eroded newspapers' advertising revenue. As newspapers struggled to transition to a digital-first model, many introduced paywalls to compensate for the loss in revenue. However, the inability to convince enough people to pay for subscriptions led to the closure of many local papers, contributing to the rise of 'news deserts'—areas without reliable local news coverage.

Keywords

💡Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major industrialization that transformed economies from agriculture-based to mass production industries. In the video, it is significant because it enabled technological innovations like steam-powered presses, which lowered newspaper production costs and led to the rise of the mass press in the 19th century.

💡Penny Press

The Penny Press refers to the early 19th-century newspapers that were sold for one cent, making them affordable for the general public. This innovation by Benjamin Day in 1833 revolutionized journalism by making newspapers accessible to the working class and is viewed as the birth of mass media, driving significant increases in newspaper circulation.

💡Yellow Journalism

Yellow journalism is a style of sensationalized and exaggerated reporting, focusing on drama, scandals, and intrigue to attract readers. In the late 1800s, newspaper tycoons like William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used this method to boost sales. The video discusses its role in shaping public opinion and even influencing American politics, particularly the Spanish-American War.

💡Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalism involves in-depth reporting to uncover corruption, abuse of power, and other significant societal issues. The video highlights how yellow journalism, despite its sensationalism, gave rise to investigative journalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with reporters known as muckrakers exposing corporate and political wrongdoing.

💡Muckrakers

Muckrakers were reform-minded journalists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who exposed corrupt practices in industries and government. Figures like Upton Sinclair and Ida Tarbell played key roles in unveiling corporate misconduct and unsafe labor conditions, influencing public policy and corporate regulation, as highlighted in the video.

💡New York Times

The New York Times, under Adolf Ochs' leadership, became a model of objective journalism that avoided sensationalism. The video describes how the paper focused on fact-based reporting for a more educated readership, distancing itself from the yellow press. It remains a respected global news organization, known as the 'paper of record.'

💡Craigslist Effect

The Craigslist Effect refers to how the rise of free online platforms like Craigslist disrupted the traditional newspaper revenue model, especially by taking away classified ad revenue. The video explains how this effect contributed to the financial decline of many local newspapers starting in the early 2000s.

💡News Deserts

News deserts are areas where local newspapers have shut down, leaving communities with little to no original local news reporting. The video highlights the importance of local journalism and warns of the potential for corruption and civic disengagement in areas without dedicated local news coverage.

💡Watergate

Watergate refers to the political scandal in the 1970s that led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon. The video highlights the role of investigative journalism in uncovering the scandal, particularly the work of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, showing how journalism can act as a check on political power.

💡Objective Journalism

Objective journalism emphasizes factual reporting, free of bias and sensationalism. The New York Times pioneered this approach, focusing on providing accurate, well-researched news. The video contrasts this model with yellow journalism and shows how it became the standard for most newspapers by the mid-20th century.

Highlights

The mass press begins with the Industrial Revolution, transforming newspapers through steam-powered presses and machine-made paper.

Benjamin Day's New York Sun, launched in 1833, set the price at one penny per copy, initiating the 'Penny Press' model.

The Penny Press revolutionized news distribution, making newspapers accessible to the working class and growing circulations to hundreds of thousands.

The use of child labor, often from immigrant families, was a common and controversial practice in selling newspapers.

The 1899 newsboy strike was a pivotal moment, as thousands of newsboys fought for higher pay, emphasizing the importance of labor unions.

Before movies, radio, or television, newspapers were the primary source of news and entertainment for the working class in the late 1800s.

Yellow journalism, characterized by sensationalized stories about crime, celebrities, and scandals, emerged in the late 1800s.

The rivalry between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer epitomized the sensationalism of yellow journalism, influencing American politics.

The roots of investigative journalism, aimed at exposing corruption and abuse of power, were born out of the yellow press era.

Upton Sinclair's investigation of the meatpacking industry, published as 'The Jungle,' led to government reform and workplace safety laws.

Ida Tarbell's exposé on John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company led to the U.S. government breaking up the oil monopoly in 1911.

Adolph Ochs transformed the New York Times in 1896, focusing on objective journalism and factual reporting over sensationalism.

The objective journalism model, pioneered by the New York Times, became standard practice by the mid-1900s, focusing on accuracy and analysis.

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's investigation of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s exposed corruption at the highest levels of U.S. government.

The rise of digital platforms like Craigslist in the 2000s led to the 'Craigslist effect,' causing local newspapers to lose classified ad revenue.

The loss of local newspapers and the rise of 'news deserts' could lead to higher levels of local government corruption due to a lack of investigative journalism.

Transcripts

[Music]

the mass press really begins with the

Industrial Revolution which began in

Europe and then spread rapidly in the

United States in the mid 1800s

transforming the country from one based

primarily around agriculture to large

scale industrial

production industrialism based on new

methods of large scale mass production

transformed the newspaper steam powered

presses replaced the mechanical press

and machine-made paper replaced

expensive handmade paper these

Innovations not only dropped the cost of

production but also enabled a huge

ramping up of volume in the production

of papers before the Industrial

Revolution the average newspaper cost 6

cents per copy and was sold through

yearly subscriptions at $10 to12 which

was way more than a week salary for even

highly skilled workers so newspapers at

the time really were mostly for the

affluent but in

1833 printer Benjamin Day founded a

newspaper called the New York sun and

set the price at just one penny per copy

with no

subscriptions da paper grew rapidly in

popularity and inspired a wave of cheap

mass production papers that we now call

the penny press since they cost just one

cent per copy other papers followed

day's Penny press model like James

Gordon Bennett the New York heral and

horse gy of the New York Tribune many

historians view the penny press as the

birth of the mass press their

circulations Grew From just thousands to

tens of thousands and eventually

hundreds of thousands of papers per day

the mass press created intense

competition and young children often

from poor immigrant families were

employed to sell papers on the street

their dependency on child labor was one

of the uglier realities of the drive to

make profits and beat out the

competition Hey listen pit and Heist

have to respect the rights of the Wen

boys of New

York that's

right that work pretty good so what

else tell them that they can't treat us

like we don't exist

[Music]

pull a turn they think we're nothing are

we nothing we stick together like the

trolley workers and they can't break us

up pull turn H they think they got us do

they got us we're a union now the news

boys Union we have to start acting like

a

union even though we ain't got hats or

badges we're a union just by saying so

and the world will

know maybe you've seen the 1992 Disney

movie The Newsies starring a young

Christian Bale Newsies tells a

dramatized story of the 1899 news boy

strike in which thousands of News Boys

organized a successful strike for higher

pay these News Boys worked extremely

hard and often worked late into the

night or were up Before Sunrise and

their stried help Force newspaper owners

to increase their

wages here you can see some real life

newes of the time not so much singing

and

dancing so why was there such a demand

for newspapers well remember in the mid

to late 1800s there were no movies no

television and no radio there were books

and a variety theater called Vaudeville

was a popular form of entertainment but

news newspapers were the main form of

daily news and entertainment for

millions of people especially workers in

this new industrialized

Society get

[Applause]

your get your

Pap I'm here to shout it read all about

it get your paper

[Music]

read about the guy who murdered his

rival get the electric

chair read about a country's fight for

survival read about the

[Music]

count this desire for daily

entertainment fueled by growing

competition between Publishers would in

the mid to late 1800s create a new style

of Sensational journalism M yellow

journalism the term yellow journalism

stems from a popular cartoon that was

carried in newspapers at the time with a

character called the yellow

kid yellow journalism focused on overly

dramatic Sensational stories about crime

celebrities disasters scandals and

Intrigue the term yellow journalism is

actually still used today for example if

a new source is known for Orly dramatic

crude and Sensational headlines it might

get criticized as practicing yellow

journalism let's stop for a moment and

take a closer look at this cartoon from

Puck a popular Humor Magazine of the

era titled the Finn dle or end of the

century newspaper proprietor this image

was published in 1894 at the height of

the yellow press

era in the image we see dozens of her

buried newspaper reporters carrying

scandalous sounding

stories high spice sensation private

Scandal trashy gossip cheap

sensation damaging rumors thrilling

Expose and a term we hear quite often

these days with the internet and social

media fake

news yes people were worried about fake

news and misleading stories back then

too the reporters are tossing their

stories into the printing press as fast

as they can meanwhile the newspaper

owner is sitting pleased as his pile of

profit spills through the door of his

office

closet this cartoon is sterzing the

influence of money and profit in driving

the creation of Sensational and

scandalous news stories part of a

broader critique of the excesses and

greed of capitalism that was common at

the time this was after all the Gilded

Age where there was a growing gap

between the rich and the

poor the mass Penny press really did

make a handful of newspaper owners very

rich many of these earliest media Moguls

as they came to be called got rich from

selling Scandal filled newspapers to the

public in the 1890s newspaper owners

William Randolph Hurst and Joseph pzer

engaged in a bitter intense rivalry

their respective papers hurst's New York

Journal and polter's New York World

competed for readers by emphasizing

sensationalism in their reporting really

epitomizing the style of yellow

journalism their immense readership and

financial wealth gave them significant

power and influence over American

politics Hurst in particular is believed

to have helped push the United States

into war with Spain through exaggerated

and sensationalized coverage of Spanish

atrocities in Cuba all covered extensive

in his

newspaper yet the other Legacy of the

yellow press that is often forgotten is

that amid the drive to sell copies with

dramatic stories they also created the

roots of investigative journalism that

is news that investigates powerful

institutions like companies or

government officials to expose

corruption illegal actions and abuse of

power from the 1890s to the 1920s

reform-minded journalists carried out

major investigations of wealthy and

Powerful companies and

industrialists as they were out digging

for the truth they earned the nickname

muckrakers many of these mck raker

journalists were published in news

magazines like Harper or mlar popular

Progressive news magazines that sought

to expose corruption their serialized

Publications were also turned into

bestselling

books in 1906 Muk rcking journalist

Upton Sinclair exposed unsafe and horrid

working conditions in America's meat

packing

industry his reports were first

published in the popular socialist

newspaper appeal to reason and later

compiled into his book The Jungle which

became a best seller among the public

Sinclair's investigative journalism

raised public outcry putting pressure on

the US government which then passed laws

for greater workplace safety and better

working conditions in

factories in 1902 journalist Ida Tarbell

writing in mcc's magazine exposed the

ruthless and illegal business tactics of

John D Rockefeller the richest man in

America who owned the Standard Oil

Company her work was all the more

impressive given the time when few women

worked as journalists or in other

professions her investigations of the

Standard Oil company which was nicknamed

the octopus for its heavy control of the

oil industry and financial influence

over Congress led to such widespread

public outcry that the US government

declared the standard oril company an

illegal Monopoly and in 1911 broke it up

into 34 different

companies amid the yellow journalism of

the penny press there existed a growing

demand for a more professional newspaper

that reported information that was

useful to merchants professionals and

businessmen so in 1896 Adolf Oaks

purchased the New York Times a newspaper

founded in the 1850s and he rebuilt the

paper around providing highquality

substantial and accurate reporting to

distance his papers reporting from the

yellow press Oaks is New York Times

intentionally avoided Sensational

headlines and favored documented

fact-based reporting the times wrote

about Foreign Affairs business business

deals Court reports political

developments as well as things like

theater and book reviews targeting an

upscale well-educated

readership the New York Times under

Oak's leadership pioneered this new

style of objective journalism in which

reporters focus on facts and Analysis

relegating opinion to a special oped or

opinion

section this objective model follows the

inverted pyramid style of Journalism

putting facts and information first and

answering the who what when where how or

why in the beginning of the article

followed by less important details or

analysis building a reputation for

accuracy and Prestige the New York Times

became known as the paper of record

meaning historians archist lawyers and

others use the paper as a daily

reference for important stories of a

given day in history today the times is

the most prestigious newspaper in the US

us and one of the most influential news

organizations in the world covering us

and Global News it remains known as the

paper of record I myself start most days

out by reading the New York Times

although online in digital

form no matter what you're interested in

you're likely to find something about it

in the newspaper

[Music]

by the mid 1900s most newspapers had

taken on the objective style of

reporting trying to appeal to the

growing middle class other mass media

media like radio and TV would provide

the drama and Intrigue that yellow

journalism once offered leaving

newspapers to focus more on news

reporting journalism as a profession

also experienced a kind of Golden Era

while journalists of the past often saw

themselves as merely reporting the words

and information from officials

journalists in the 1960s and 1970s

increasingly took on major

investigations and started to see their

role as a check on the power

powerful perhaps the most famous story

among investigative journalism is

Watergate the Scandal that took down a

US

president when two young City reporters

for the Washington Post Bob Woodward and

Carl Bernstein heard about a break-in at

the Democratic party national

headquarters at the Watergate Hotel they

began what would turn into a three-year

investigation which found that President

Richard Nixon a republican had paid a

group of men to to break into the

Democratic party national headquarters

at night in order to try to steal their

election strategy and dig up dirt on the

Democrats so that Nixon could try to win

reelection in a televised farewell last

night President Nixon acknowledged that

because of the Watergate Affair he no

longer has a strong enough base in

Congress to continue with any

Effectiveness he and his family are

expected to leave by air for their home

in California later this morning and we

expect to see their departure from the

White House I'm Barbara Walters with Jim

Harts good morning good morning Jim and

we will have uh full of details on this

momentous story in just a moment a story

that many of us are still having trouble

believing actually

occurred here is part of what the

president said in his resignation speech

last

night I have never been a

quitter to leave office before my ter is

completed is abhorent to every Instinct

in my

body but as president I must put the

interests of America

First

therefore I shall resign the presidency

effective at noon

tomorrow President Nixon was forced to

resign in disgrace over the Scandal and

to this day is the only US president

forced from Office the Fearless

journalism of Woodward and Bernstein was

portrayed in the 1976 Academy

award-winning film All the President's

Men

Woodward Burstein you're both on the

story I don't

up Redford I'm Bob Woodward of the

Washington Post Mr Markham are you here

in connection with the Watergate

burglary I'm not

here Hoffman hi this is Carl barnstein

of the Washington Post and I was just

wondering if you can remember

All the President's Men the story of the

two young reporters who cracked the

Watergate

conspiracy part of watergate's legacy is

that today the word gate is often used

to Signal a scandal from the serious to

the silly like deflate Gate Bridge gate

gamergate and many

others while Americans would turn to

television for much of their national

news in the second half of the 20th

century newspapers remained the better

Rock of American journalism especially

at the local

level yet starting in the early 2000s

newspaper started losing major sources

of their revenue in a process called the

Craigslist effect to understand what

happened let's first explain the revenue

model for

newspapers you can think of a newspaper

as a kind of bundle a little bit of

everything a newspaper would have local

National and international news sure but

it would also have a whole bunch of

other stuff a sport section travel

guides home decor tips relationship

advice a pending columns and so much

more local newspapers functioned as a

kind of informational hub for their

communities birth wedding and death

announcements classified where people

could pay a fee and list an apartment

for rent or job listing put uh putting

up real estate for sale you name it

newspapers even offered a way to find a

date with classified sections like men

seeking women or women seeking men you

could pay by the line to put in a little

self- advertisement hoping to win a date

something like adventurous 30-year-old

self-employed single male looking for

funloving woman enjoys walks by the

beach hopeless romantic must love

cats so in 1999 Craig new Mark created

Craigslist a website where people could

for free post classifi apartments for

rent jobs Furniture electronics and yes

dating and romantic encounters too my

next guest may have the biggest idea of

all it was a website that changed the

lives of tens of millions of people some

folks even say he could be bringing down

the entire newspaper industry I love

guys like this the founder of Craigslist

Craig Newark welcome to big idea sir how

are you man hey I'm great glad to be

here but I want to S the point you do

your initial what would you call it

initially what were you doing what you

were launching what would you call it

initially it was just a little bit of an

a mailing list for events involving

technology and arts okay how does it

what I don't understand is how you okay

you're this guy and you're this kind of

interesting you know computer guy you do

this thing a little bit of a mailing

list for when did it start to become the

Everyman classified section for

apartments for jobs for girlfriends I

mean that's a that's a big gap in our

case there's been no single t uh Tipping

Point at the end of 97 when it was just

me I noticed that I was getting about a

million page views per month uh the

folks at Microsoft sidewalk now defunct

asked me about running banner ads I said

no by the way and decided not to uh but

it's been slow continuous growth you've

got the newspaper industry that their

their classified revenues are down 36%

some could look at you and say you're

going to take down newspapers that

basically newspapers are going to I want

to put something on your shoulds

newspapers going to go away because of

this crazy uh you know iconic class this

this guy who doesn't care about making

money and he's going to bring it to the

people and we're going to bring

newspapers crashing down because their

entire Revenue stream is built on

classified Craigslist was just one of

many new totally free websites and web

platforms that would take away the

revenue sources for

newspapers so the Craig effect refers to

how the internet with its extremely low

or free cost of production would kind of

unbundle the newspaper and really take

away many of its key sources of AD

Revenue the second wave of Revenue loss

came with the emergence of social media

platforms like Facebook many local

businesses depended on newspapers for

their advertisements but today

businesses of any size can easily and

more cheaply put ads on social media

platforms like Facebook or on websites

through Google's

AdSense to survive in the digital age

many newspapers have created pay walls

for their online news content which

enable people to read either five or 10

free articles per month but then require

a paid

subscription while this has helped some

papers create a new digital Revenue

model many papers just can't convince

enough people to actually pay for a

subscription

All In All by the 2010s local newspapers

were losing money and many were going

out of business this continues to be a

really worrisome Trend as local

newspapers create upwards of 50% of all

original news reporting in the United

States we're also seeing a new worrisome

Trend news

deserts these are us counties with just

one or no local

newspaper there are many in ative and

exciting new forms of Journalism and

news reporting online like utilizing

amateur shot video for Rapid on theg

ground coverage or interactive forms of

data journalism through things like

infographics these all help tell

complicated stories for the public and

many national and international news

sources are actually thriving also given

the large amount of false and often

misleading information that thrives on

social media many prestigious news

organizations like the New York Times

And The Washington Post are actually

doing quite well with millions of

digital subscribers willing to pay for

fact-based highquality

journalism yet as any local reporter

will tell you local journalism isn't a

kind of Crisis and there's no clear

solution in sight will people be willing

to pay for local digital news

stories ultimately without local

newspapers and reporters to cover local

business and government we could be

facing a new era of high levels of

corruption and abuses of power gone

unreported and we could also see a

continued decline in local Civic

engagement

[Music]