The lecture on early journalism started at the beginning. And when I say beginning, I mean the very beginning. We start with a timeline at 6000BC with the first evidence of any kind of written language, the Chinese pictographic script. This was a system in which a picture represented a word, or perhaps a phrase. This was followed 2000 years later by Egyptian hieroglyphs, which was in turn followed by Summarian cuneform script. This was the first written language which could be used to form sentences, albeit rather crudely. Fast-forward a few thousand years and we come to a much more advanced language, Latin, complete with the alphabet that we still use today. In 1440 comes Gutenberg's printing press. The first movable-type printing press meant that books could be produced at an extraordinary rate, in comparison to the previous printers, monks who could produce a few books per lifetime. The new press allowed ideas to be recorded, and as a result, the rate of technological and philosophical innovation skyrocketed.
From this point in the timeline, the dates of important events begin to appear much closer together. A mere 20 years after Gutenberg's invention, came the Italian Renaissance, which further influenced various philosophical creativity. Not to mention improving technology with the rediscovery of ancient Greek manuscripts. In the centuries following, there are countless religious bickering, the colonisation of America, and the English civil war. This brought about a new type of thinking with philosophers like John Locke, and Thomas Hobbes both writing about social contracts and states of nature, changing the way that sovereignties were viewed, and upheld. The 1700s show a dramatic improvement to science and mathematics thanks to Isaac Newton and his many scientific laws. Also, not insignificantly to us budding journalists, 1702 was the year in which the first daily newspaper was created, the Daily Courant. The Courant concerned itself with foreign news and was in no way confined in any regulations or codes of conduct. It set itself as the standard for all newspapers that were to follow. Although they would end up slightly longer than a single sheet, especially the Sundays.
The birth of a true journalistic media having finally arrived, the next thing to happen would be the coming of the journalists. Daniel Defoe, considered by some to be the first ever journo, arrived on the scene in 1703, and made his career by pamphleteering all kinds of subjects. Eventually however, he was arrested for his pamphlet 'The Shortest Way with the Dissenters', which was judged to be critical of the Anglican church, and he was locked in a pillory (a device somewhat like the stocks) for 3 days before being sent to prison, and released in return for his services as an intelligence agent. This is not to say that he was only a pamphleteer. he wrote many novels, most notably, Robinson Crusoe, which made him famous.
After Defoe and the Courant, came other paper media in the form of the Spectator and the Tatler, created by Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. I will discuss Addison in more detail in a future blog.
What I consider to be the last directly journalism-contributing part oh the timeline, was the possible birth of photojournalism by William Hogarth. Now obviously this was not photography, rather a depiction of events. Perhaps the most famous being 'Beer Street' and 'Gin Lane', prints showing the debauchery and evils of drinking gin, compared to the great merits of drinking beer (substitute cider for beer and I heartily agree).
If this brief timeline of the history of early journalism has whetted your appetite. Please feel free to badger your teacher or local librarian. I'm just far too busy and important.
Not necessarily in that order.
Showing posts with label Gutenberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gutenberg. Show all posts
Friday, 5 November 2010
Friday, 29 October 2010
Citizen Journalism
Citizen Journalism (CJ) refers to a wide range of activities that members of the public can contribute information and opinions concerning news events to. CJ is a very old, perhaps even ancient, practice that has evolved along with the technology of the age. The first major technological breakthrough to give CJ an effective outlet was Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press. The Gutenberg press revolutionised the media, effectively making scribes redundant and allowing publications to be made by anyone who could afford to produce them. These publications ranged from simple pamphlets and newsletters, to books and, eventually, newspapers. CJ was used in this way by Suffragettes during the early 1900s. By handing out pamphlets and flyers, they hoped to put across their message, change current opinion, and grant women equal rights.
As with the printing press, many think that the telegraph, radio, and television made significant contributions to this field. But it was not until the advent of digital technologies and media were the public given such unparalleled access to new production and investigative software, as well as an immensely improved systems of communication in the form of email, instant messaging, and web forums. This allowed CJ to develop into a media field that was increasingly professional, accurate, and world-wide.
Initially, the citizen journalists on the internet were primarily bloggers. These bloggers would not, in the same way as conventional journalists, investigate stories or use sources to gain information. They would take the information that had already been published and using their own style, reformat the story for their own use. Many bloggers have thousands of subscribers and can exert an increasing amount of influence. This style of blogger has become more popular since the creation of sites such as YouTube, home to the ‘Philip DeFranco Show’ and ‘What the Buck‘.
Of the more promising neo-CJ that has developed in recent years, the Huffington Post has emerged as a first-rate news source. From its formation in May 2005 as a forum for various bloggers, including Rob Reiner and Larry David. The Huffington Post has become a fully fledged news website, with over 3000 bloggers, and coverage that ranges from politics and religion, to entertainment and education.
In April 2008, during the run-up to the American presidential election, there was a demonstration of the influence that can be exerted by CJ; in this case through the Huffington Post. Mayhill Fowler, a blogger on the Post was following Barack Obama’s campaign through Pennsylvania to California. At a fundraiser in California, Obama, after asking members of the press to leave, gave a speech that discussed the cultural gap in certain states such as Pennsylvania, as opposed to richer, more liberal states, such as California. Fowler, not technically a member of the press was not required to leave and was able to record the speech. As a result, she was able to publish a story that quoted him saying that Pennsylvanians, “cling to guns or religion”. Regardless of Obama’s intentions, this remark almost cost him the election. If Fowler had not been there as a representative of CJ, this may never have been reported and a huge amount of controversy would have been avoided. Nonetheless, the public had a right to know such statements were being made and CJ was able to provide the medium.
As with the printing press, many think that the telegraph, radio, and television made significant contributions to this field. But it was not until the advent of digital technologies and media were the public given such unparalleled access to new production and investigative software, as well as an immensely improved systems of communication in the form of email, instant messaging, and web forums. This allowed CJ to develop into a media field that was increasingly professional, accurate, and world-wide.
Initially, the citizen journalists on the internet were primarily bloggers. These bloggers would not, in the same way as conventional journalists, investigate stories or use sources to gain information. They would take the information that had already been published and using their own style, reformat the story for their own use. Many bloggers have thousands of subscribers and can exert an increasing amount of influence. This style of blogger has become more popular since the creation of sites such as YouTube, home to the ‘Philip DeFranco Show’ and ‘What the Buck‘.
Of the more promising neo-CJ that has developed in recent years, the Huffington Post has emerged as a first-rate news source. From its formation in May 2005 as a forum for various bloggers, including Rob Reiner and Larry David. The Huffington Post has become a fully fledged news website, with over 3000 bloggers, and coverage that ranges from politics and religion, to entertainment and education.
In April 2008, during the run-up to the American presidential election, there was a demonstration of the influence that can be exerted by CJ; in this case through the Huffington Post. Mayhill Fowler, a blogger on the Post was following Barack Obama’s campaign through Pennsylvania to California. At a fundraiser in California, Obama, after asking members of the press to leave, gave a speech that discussed the cultural gap in certain states such as Pennsylvania, as opposed to richer, more liberal states, such as California. Fowler, not technically a member of the press was not required to leave and was able to record the speech. As a result, she was able to publish a story that quoted him saying that Pennsylvanians, “cling to guns or religion”. Regardless of Obama’s intentions, this remark almost cost him the election. If Fowler had not been there as a representative of CJ, this may never have been reported and a huge amount of controversy would have been avoided. Nonetheless, the public had a right to know such statements were being made and CJ was able to provide the medium.
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