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The first continuous publication of a newspaper in the american colonies in Boston, Massachusetts. This marked the beginning of regular news prints in the U.S. and allowed information to become more accessible.
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During the American Revolution, before the United States of America was established as its own country, newspapers played a major role in spreading information about what the British were doing, encouraging colonial resistance (i.e. boycotting), promoting revolutionary ideas, and motivating citizens to support independence.
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Political parties started using newspapers as a means of publishing partisan content, promoting their political ideology through the newspaper. Because political groups helped fund newspapers, many newspapers printed political articles propaganda, an early example of media bias and politics' influence on the media.
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The development of machinery and manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution made production faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Transportation, such as roads, also made newspapers more accessible to the public and led to even more news publications.
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Joseph Pulitzer with the New York World starts using sensational headlines, dramatic stories, comics, pictures, and editorial notes to attract readers, focusing more on entertainment than information. This style became known as "yellow journalism," which raised concerns about media ethics and news accuracy.
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Adolph Ochs purchases the New York Times with the goal of restoring a more professional and dignified newspaper that provided readers with important news (i.e. politics and the economy), emphasizing the importance of factual reporting and accurate information instead of sensationalism.
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Investigative journalists exposed corruption in businesses and the government such as the unsafe working conditions and unethical practices that workers faced. These newspapers and works like Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" led to public outrage that caused government reforms like the Pure Food Drug Act in 1906, showing how the media could play an important role in social reforms.
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The radio brought live news and entertainment to American families across the country, including rural areas. It allowed politicians to communicate directly to the public, such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt starting his fireside chats in 1933 to address the country's affairs to the nation. This started changing how people received information and how it influenced them.
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Television quickly became the main source of news and entertainment for American families, with households even planning their evenings around TV programming. It strengthened television journalism through programs like Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now." Televised political ads and the first televised presidential debate showed people how a candidate's image, appearance, and body language could affect how voters perceive them.
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The rise of the internet and social media allowed people to access and share news instantly, transforming how information spreads compared with the traditional media style. Social media users began posting and sharing news themselves, creating "citizen journalism" and shifting who has control of information. Algorithms continue to further shape what users see on their feeds by deciding which posts and stories to show depending on what they interact with online.