The history of newspapers is surprisingly long, as broad definitions for it allow for many early news sources to be considered as newspapers. For example, government reports of the current news in Ancient China and Ancient Rome are considered to at least be ancestors of the newspaper if they are not considered as newspapers proper.
In the earliest days of newspapers, they were handwritten and thus did not enjoy widespread circulation. Literacy was also rare, so the earliest examples of news writings were almost certainly the purview of the upper classes and those who served them in an intellectual capacity. The Ancient Chinese government news reports, for instance, were intended solely for servants of the Imperial government. Wider distribution was not official, it was simply organised by those who understood that knowledge would empower them.
A pile of newspapers
The modern concept of a newspaper stems more from the introduction of moveable type and the increase in literacy and the importance of literacy that this brought with it. Any concept of a free press that reports on news impartially is ridiculous without the easy dissemination of information that was created by moveable type and mass literacy. This is why most histories of the newspaper will focus on the 17th century in Europe as the starting point of the modern newspaper, at least in the spirit of modern journalistic ideals.
Before looking at the newspaper developing in Europe, however, it is important to note that the Jing Bao, or Capital Report, also known as the Peking Gazette, was published as early as the 8th century BCE by the Imperial court of China. It switched to movable type around 1638, making it an early example of a moveable type news source. In terms of journalism, however, it does not really fit the ideal of the modern newspaper, due to its publication by the government.
Many consider the first newspaper to be a publication of Johann Carolus in what used to be part of Germany. This was called Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, published in 1605 in Strassburg. This was a frequent publication that at one point even reported on Galileo’s invention of the telescope. The Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien was followed in 1609 by another German publication, Avisa Relation oder Zeitung, published by Lucas Schulte. Both of these were published in a quarto format, generally measuring 12 by 9.5 inches and consisting of 8 pages. Much smaller than modern day newspapers, some classify these as news books instead, though they certainly influenced the later folio sized newspapers and laid down the groundwork for them.
Newspapers continued to be published in other parts of Europe, from the Netherlands to France, and eventually England. The first regular daily newspaper in England was the Daily Courant, beginning in 1702 published by Elizabeth Mallet. Mallet only intended to publish foreign news, and she might be considered one of the earliest examples of a journalist with ideals of impartiality. She claimed that she would not add further commentary to what she had reported as other readers would have “sense enough to make reflections for themselves”.
The publication ran until 1735 when it was combined with the Daily Gazetteer, showing that the daily newspaper format had certainly caught on with some success. Before that, however, the Daily Courant was sold by Mallet to Samuel Buckley, who relocated the newspaper from Fleet Street to a place near St Bartholomew’s Hospital. History has often remembered Buckley’s contribution to early English newspaper history much more strongly than Mallet’s, but she founded the first daily newspaper in Britain and should be given due credit for her role in the development of British journalism.
Years before the first successful daily English newspaper was published, the American colonies had their own attempt at newspaper publication, with Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick in 1690. It was quickly suppressed by the government, with orders that outlawed newspapers except under permission of the authorities. In 1704, The Boston News-Letter was given permission for publication, which led to many more American newspapers soon after. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first daily American newspaper, starting in 1783.
Once newspapers had overcome initial governmental resistance and suppression, becoming popular and even necessary parts of the daily life of the gentry and rising middle classes, more newspapers were published and modern ideals of journalism began to develop. Many of the earliest newspapers were more political tracts than strict reportage, with the writers making their own opinions clearly known. This is partly why governments would sometimes treat newspapers and journalists harshly, as persuasive criticism of government policy might turn people against them. Considering that this became a period of many bloody revolutions, it is understandable that governmental forces may not have cared for what newspapers were printing.
Revolutions, both violent and philosophical in nature, which destabilised the power of the monarchy and upper classes in England and abroad were responsible for a rising middle class by the time the 19th century arrived. This new middle class meant a much larger literate population, a population that craved news and allowed the newspapers of the time to wield an astonishing amount of power. The business side of newspapers also expanded, with advertising becoming more prominent as circulation increased.
By the 20th century, the newspaper was now a habit for most people, and the power of newspaper magnates was shockingly far reaching. Owners and editors of major newspapers were capable of influencing government policy and the manipulation of reader opinion was something of a given. The newspapers themselves also became much more professional, with concern given to design, editing and overall presentation. This would continue throughout much of the 20th century, but radio, television, and finally the Internet greatly diminished the power of the newspaper and influenced changes in design.
The 21st century sees physically published newspapers being abandoned by many younger readers for Internet newspapers and news sites. Being lower cost, more frequently published and searchable, news sites have advantages that pure print newspapers cannot compete with. A common complaint of newspaper publishers is that this is the first generation that does not buy a newspaper out of habit since the popularisation of the newspaper. For some, this is seen as something horrifying, that this generation will not be as well informed due to ignorance of the news. The truth of the matter, though, is that people who used to buy newspapers were only ever as informed as they wanted to be. Not all sections of newspapers are vital news, and the publication of pure sports newspapers in many parts of Europe suggests that people will often only be interested in a small sub-section of everything featured in a daily newspaper.
The Internet makes it much easier for people to search for the news they are interested in, and almost every user will visit multiple generic news sites where they get exposure to news stories that they might not otherwise be aware of. The history of newspapers has always been one of improved dissemination of information, of which newspapers and their descendant technologies will always be an important part. Online newspapers are just the next step in this history, and even they may be supplanted some day, by whatever new technology can most efficiently and effectively perform the dissemination of information.