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Journalism in America began as a humble affair and became a political force in the campaign for American independence. Following independence the first article of U.S. Constitution guaranteed freedom of the press and speech and the American press grew rapidly following the American Revolution. The press became a key support element to the country's political parties but also organized religious institutions. During the 19th century newspapers began to expand and appear outside eastern U.S. cities. From the 1830s onward the Penny press began to play a major role in American journalism and technological advancements such as the telegraph and faster printing presses in the 1840s helped expand the press of the nation as it experienced rapid economic and demographic growth. By 1900 major newspapers had become profitable powerhouses of advocacy, muckraking and sensationalism, along with serious, and objective news-gathering. During the early 20th Century, prior to rise of television, the average American read several newspapers per-day. Starting in the 1920s changes in technology again morphed the nature of American journalism as radio and later, television, began to play increasingly important roles. In the late 20th Century, much of American journalism became housed in big media conglomerates (principally owned by the media moguls, Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch). With the coming of digital journalism in the 21st Century, all newspapers faced a business crisis as readers turned to the internet for sources and advertisers followed them. New social media technologies such as Twitter have proved to be a major source and venue for American journalism in the early 21st century. see also History of American newspapers ==Origins== The History of American journalism began in 1690, when Benjamin Harris published the first edition of "Publick Occurrences, Both Foreign and Domestick" in Boston. Harris intended to publish a regular weekly newspaper along the lines of those that existed in London, but he did not get prior approval and his paper was suppressed after a single edition. The first successful newspaper, The ''Boston News-Letter,'' was launched in 1704. This time, the founder was John Campbell, the local postmaster, and his paper proclaimed that it was "published by authority." As the colonies grew rapidly in the 18th century, new papers appeared in port cities along the East Coast, usually started by master printers seeking a sideline. Among them was James Franklin, founder of the ''The New England Courant'' (1721-1727), where he employed his younger brother, Benjamin Franklin, as a printer's apprentice. Like many other colonial newspapers, it was aligned with party interests. Ben Franklin was first published in his brother's newspaper, under the pseudonym Silence Dogood, in 1722, and even his brother did not know at first. Pseudonymous publishing represented a common practice of newspapers of that time of protecting writers from retribution from government officials and others they criticized, often to the point of what would be considered libel today. The content included advertising of newly landed products, and locally produced news items, usually based on commercial and political events. Editors exchanged their papers, and frequently reprinted news from other cities. Essays and letters to the editor, often anonymous, provided opinions on current issues. While religious news was thin, writers typically interpreted good news in terms of God's favor, and bad news as evidence of His wrath. The fate of criminals was often cast as cautionary tales warning of the punishment for sin.〔Stephen L. Vaughn, ed.,''Encyclopedia of American Journalism'' (2008) pp 108-9, 179, 330,445〕 Ben Franklin moved to Philadelphia in 1728 and took over the ''Pennsylvania Gazette'' the following year. Ben Franklin expanded his business by essentially franchising other printers in other cities, who published their own newspapers. By 1750, 14 weekly newspapers were published in the six largest colonies. The largest and most successful of these could be published up to three times per week. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of American journalism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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