Notas sur le historia de jornales American

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Le prime jornal publicate in lo que nunc es le Statos Unite esseva “Publick Occurrences, both Forreign and Domestick” (Eventos public, e estranie e domestic). Solmente un numero de iste jornal esseva publicate. On prohibeva le continuation de su publication a causa de tres rationes:

Primo, su redactor, Benjamin Harris, non obteneva permission pro publicar lo. Un secunde ration essava su criticismo del abuso de plure prisioneros francese qui habeva essite capturate per le alliatos indian del angleses. Le tertie ration esseva su speculationes sur le vita sexual del familia regal francese.

Pro evitar offensas contra functionarios colonial, jornales ulterior publicava articulos que veniva de jornales europee del epocha. Lor redactores evitava le publication de articulos sur le politica e politicas public.

Ma omne isto cambiava con le publication in Boston, Massachusetts, del “New England Courant” in 1721. Iste jornal accusava le governamento colonial, pro exemplo, de non facer assatis pro proteger le naves del epocha del depredationes de piratas.

Su redactor, James Franklin, esseva arrestate, e ille non poteva continuar le publication de su jornal. Assi ille contractava su fratre plus juvene, Benjamin, pro esser su nove redactor. De iste maniera un famose Americano de ille epocha, Benjamin Franklin, comenciava su longe e distinguite carriera public.

Le libertate del pressa nunc es protegite per le constitution American, ma le processo que resultava in iste garantia esseva lente e dolorose. Un processo juridic in New York in 1735 contribueva multo a iste processo. Peter Zenger, le redactor del “Weekly Journal’, habeva criticate le politicas del governator colonial, qui mandava que on le arrestava.

Zenger concedeva que ille habeva criticate le governator, ma ille se defendeva dicente que lo que ille habeva dicite sur le governator esseva le veritate. Su juratos absolveva Zenger de su “crimine” proque illes concludeva que vermente ille habeva publicate le veritate.

Alicun jornales in le America colonial appoiava le governamento colonial anglese. Ma le criticismo de altere jornales contribueva multo al movimento contra le governamento colonial britannic que culminava in le Revolution American. Post ille guerra, le redactores del jornales del pais appoiava plure partitos politic e, convencite de lor nove protection constitutional, criticava le nove governamento american quando illes voleva.

Ma le governamento del nove nation a vices resisteva le libertate del pressa. Le lege contra sedition de 1798 criminalisava de novo le critica del governamento pro damnificar su prestigio in le oculos del publico. Tres annos plus tarde, Thomas Jefferson esseva elegite como le presidente del pais, e ille nullificava iste lege. Ille appoiava le pressa libre fortemente, dicente que si ille poteva decider si nos deberea haber un governamento sin jornales o jornales sin un governamento, ille appoiarea enthusiasticamente le continuation del existentia del jornales.

In le prime parte del seculo dece e nove, le precio de nostre jornales esseva 6 cents--troppo moneta pro multe travaliatores e immigrantes in le Statos Unite. Tunc in le decada inter 1830 e 1840 veniva jornales que costava solmente 1 cent, le “penny press”. Iste jornales poteva esser vendite a un precio tan basse proque illos ganiava moneta per le vendita de anuncios a crescente gruppos de interprisas commercial. Pro augmentar lor circulation, le major parte de iste jornales publicava articulos sensationaliste sur problemas de crimine e le processamento de criminales per nostre systema legal--un practica que totevia es multo commun in le publication de jornales.

(Le Newspaper Association of America dice que hodie venditas de publicitate commercial forma 80% del appoio economic pro nostre jornales. Ma iste venditas se reduceva per 16% le anno passate, e le organisation predice un nove cadita de 10% iste anno.)

In 1846 un gruppo de jornales de New York arrivava a un accordo pro sparniar moneta per combinar lor effortios pro colliger e distribuer articulos de novas, establiente un organisation que deveniva le “Associated Press”. Le augmentante uso del telegrapho in ille epocha significava que nostre jornales poteva publicar information sur eventos recente in multe partes del pais.

Le redactores del jornales del epocha sovente usava lor publicationes pro advocar nove politicas social. William Lloyd Garrison, pro exemplo, comenciava le publication de un jornal, “The Liberator”, pro eliminar le sclavitude in le Statos Unite. In 1827 appareva le prime jornal publicate per afroamericanos, “Freedom’s Journal”. E gruppos de immigrantes comenciava a publicar jornales in lor linguas native.

Le guerra civil american in le prime parte del decada inter 1860 e 1870 augmentava le demanda pro reporters. Post le guerra, le emphase editorial de nostre jornales cambiava lentamente verso le publication de informationes utile. Ma mesmo assi, illos habeva un influentia assatis significante sur le evolution de eventos e politicas social in le Statos Unite.

In 1883, Joseph Pulitzer comprava le “New York World” e lo usava pro meliorar conditiones pro le obreros e le povres del citate. Ille anque inaugurava le practica de jornalismo investigative. Un reporter famose de ille epocha, Nellie Bly, pro exemplo, investigava le tractamento cruel e inhuman de patientes in un manicomio in ille area.

Pulitzer habeva un competitor multo potente, William Randolph Hearst, qui publicava le “New York Journal”. Lor competition mutue provocava le publication de grande numeros de articulos sensationaliste pro augmentar le circulation de lor jornales. Hearst anque criticava fortemente le governamento colonial de Espania in Cuba e esseva un forte influentia que provocava nostre guerra contra Espania in 1898.

Il es impossible scriber sur le historia del jornalismo american sin mentionar Bob Woodward e Carl Bernstein del “Washington Post”. In 1972 illes scribeva un serie de articulos post que le “plumberos” del administration de Richard Nixon invadeva le bureaus del democratas in un del officios del complexo Watergate. Lor travalio eventualmente causava le expulsion de Nixon ex le presidentia american.

Le apparentia de jornales American cambiava post le publication del prime numero de “USA Today” in 1982. Le major parte del articulos in iste jornal esseva breve con un emphase in le uso de sondages del opinion public. Su formato accentuava le uso de colores. E multes lo comparava con le practicas del programmas de novas del television american. Iste jornal deveniva multo popular e significantemente influentiava le practicas de altere jornales american.

A causa de competition per Internet, nostre jornales lucta pro devenir plus relevante in un mundo de augmentante communication electronic. Milliones de personas nunc ha accesso gratuite per le Rete a articulos in jornales como “USA Today” e le “New York Times” e non compra lor versiones imprimite. Multe jornales nunc vole vender al minus un selection de lor articulos publicate in Internet in vice de distribuer los gratuitemente. Ma sin dubito il habera multe resistentia a iste practica per le publico, como il ha habite multe resistentia public al vendita de musica in le Rete.

Il es possibile que eventualmente nostre jornales devenira organisationes sin objectivos de lucro. Assi, illos poterea solicitor donationes philanthropic. Ma usque nunc le induistria non ha functionate de iste maniera, e il ha habite un certe resistentia a tal transformation. Ma le competition de servicios gratuite trans le rete e de blogatores, como io, qui travalia gratuitemente, es multo forte, e cambios al traditiones de nostre jornales es inevitabile. In iste momento tamen il es difficile predicer exactemente le forma eventual de iste cambios.

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The first newspaper published in what is now the United States was “Publick Occurrences, both Foreign and Domestick.” Only one issue of this paper was published. Its continued publication was forbidden for three reasons:

First, its editor, Benjamin Harris, did not obtain permission to publish it. A second reason was its criticism of the abuse of several French prisoners who had been captured by the Indian allies of the English. The third reason was its speculations on the sex life of the French royal family.

To keep from offending colonial officials, later newspapers published articles that came from European newspapers of that era. Their editors avoided the publication of articles on politics and public policy.

But all this changed with the publication in Boston, Massachusetts, of the “New England Courant” in 1721. This paper accused the colonial government, for example, of not doing enough to protect the ships of that era from the depredations of pirates.

Its editor, James Franklin, was arrested, and he could not continue publishing his paper. So he hired his younger brother, Benjamin, to be its new editor. In this way a famous American of that era, Benjamin Franklin, started his long and distinguished public career.

Freedom of the press is now protected by the American constitution, but the process that resulted in this guarantee was slow and painful. A trial in New York in 1735 contributed a lot to this process. Peter Zenger, the editor of the “Weekly Journal,” had criticized the policies of the colonial governor, who had him arrested.

Zenger conceded that he had criticized the governor, but he defended himself by saying that what he had said about the governor was true. His jurors acquitted Zenger because they concluded that he had indeed published the truth.

Some newspapers in colonial America supported the English colonial government. But criticism from other newspapers contributed greatly to the movement against the British colonial government which culminated in the American Revolution. After that war, the editors of the newspapers of the countries supported several political parties and, convinced of their new constitutional protection, they once again criticized the new American government when they felt like it.

But the government of the new nation at times resisted the freedom of the press. The anti-sedition law of 1798 once again criminalized criticism of the government in order to damage its prestige in the eyes of the public. Three years later, Thomas Jefferson was elected to the presidency of the country, and he nullified this law. He strongly supported press liberty, saying that if he could decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, he would enthusiastically support the continued existence of newspapers.

In the first part of the nineteenth century, the price of our newspapers was six cents--too much money for many workers and immigrants in the United States. Then in the decade between 1830 and 1840 came newspapers that cost only one cent, the “penny press.” These newspapers could be sold at such a low price because they earned money by selling advertisements to growing groups of commercial enterprises. To increase their circulation, most of these newspapers published sensationalist articles on crime problems and the trials of criminals by our legal system--a practice that is still quite common in the publication of newspapers.

(The Newspaper Association of American says that today advertising sales make up 80% of the economic support for our newpapers. But these sales went down by 16% last year, and the organization predicts a new reduction of 10% this year.)

In 1846 a group of New York newspapers reached an agreement to save money by combining their efforts to collect and distribute news articles, establishing an organization that became the Associated Press. The increasing use of the telegraph in that era meant that our newspapers could publish information on recent events in many parts of the country.

The editors of the newspapers of that era often used their publications to advocate new social policies. William Lloyd Garrison, for example, started the publication of a newspaper, “The Liberator,” to eliminate slavery in the United States. The year 1827 saw the publication of the first newspaper published by African Americans, “Freedom’s Journal.” And groups of immigrants started publishing newspapers in their native languages.

The American Civil War in the first part of the decade between 1860 and 1870 increased the demand for reporters. After the war the editorial emphasis of our newspapers slowly changed toward the publication of useful information. But even so, they had a rather significant influence on the evolution of events and social policies in the United States.

In 1883 Joseph Pulitzer bought the “New York World” and used it to improve conditions for the workers and the poor of the city. He also inaugurated the practice of investigative reporting. A famous reporter of that time, Nellie Bly, for example, investigated the inhuman and cruel treatment of patients in an insane asylum in that area.

Pullitzer had a very powerful competitor, William Randolph Hearst, who published the “New York Journal.” Their mutual competition provoked the publication of large numbers of sensationalist articles to increase the circulation of their newspapers. Hearst also strongly criticized the colonial government of Spain in Cuba and was a strong influence that provoked our war against Spain in 1898.

It is impossible to write about the history of American journalism without mentioning Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the “Washington Post.” In 1972 they wrote a series of articles after the “plumbers” of the Nixon administration invaded the offices of the democrats in one of the buildings of the Watergate complex. Their work eventually drove Nixon out of the American presidency.

The appearance of American newspapers changed after the publication of the first issue of “USA Today” in 1982. Most of the articles in this paper were brief with an emphasis on the use of public-opinion polls. Its format emphasized the use of colors. And many compared it with the practices of American television news programs.

Because of the competition from the Internet, our newspapers are fighting to become more relevant in a world of increasing electronic communication. Millions of people now have free Net access to articles in newspapers like “USA Today” and the “New York Times and don’t buy their printed versions. Many newspapers now want to sell at least a portion of their articles published on the Internet instead of distributing them for nothing. But without doubt there will be a lot of resistance to this practice by the public, as there has been a lot of public resistance to selling music on the Net.

It is possible that eventually our newspapers will become non-profit organizations. In that form they would be able to ask for philanthropic donations. But up to now the industry has not worked in this way, and there has been a certain resistance to such a transformation. But the competition of free services through the Net by bloggers like me, who work for nothing, is very strong, and change in the traditions of our newspapers is inevitable. At this moment, however, it is difficult to predict the eventual form of these changes.