The Penny Press was the term used to describe the revolutionary business tactic of producing newspapers which sold for one cent. The Penny Press is generally considered to have started in 1833, when Benjamin Day founded The Sun, a New York City newspaper.
Day, who had been working in the printing business,
started a newspaper as a way to salvage his business. He had nearly gone broke
after losing much of his business during a local financial panic caused by the
cholera epidemic of 1832.
Penny press newspapers were cheap, tabloid-style
newspapers mass-produced in the United States from the 1830s onwards. Mass
production of inexpensive newspapers became possible following the shift from
hand-crafted to steam-powered printing. Famous for costing one cent while
other newspapers cost around 6 cents, penny press papers were revolutionary in
making the news accessible to middle class citizens for a reasonable price.
Though Day merely saw it as a business strategy to
salvage his business, his analysis touched upon a class divide in society.
Newspapers that sold for six cents were simply beyond the reach of many
readers.
Day reasoned that many working class people were literate, but were not newspaper customers simply because no one had published a newspaper targeted to them. By launching The Sun, Day was taking a gamble. But it proved successful.
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| The Sun by Benjamin Day |
ANOTHER INNOVATION- NEWSBOY
Besides making the newspaper very affordable, Day instituted another innovation, the newsboy. By hiring boys to hawk copies on street corners, The Sun was both affordable and readily available. People wouldn’t even have to step into a shop to buy it.
INFLUENCE OF THE SUN
The success of The Sun encouraged James Gordon Bennett, who had serious journalistic experience, to found The Herald, another newspaper priced at one cent. Bennett was quickly successful and before long he could charge two cents for a single copy of his paper.
Subsequent newspapers, including the New York Tribune of Horace Greeley and the New York Times of Henry J. Raymond, also began publication as penny papers. But by the time of the Civil War, the standard price of a New York City newspaper was two cents.
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| James Gordon Bennett |
REASON FOR PENNY PRESS’S SUCCESS
The heavy dependence on advertising as a major source
of revenue was a main reason that the Penny Press was able to sell papers for a
lower price than anyone else. Other papers relied heavily on subscriptions and
daily sales.
Newspapers rely heavily on advertising as a main source of income and that is also a major reason that they are still being offered at relatively low prices today.
POLITICAL FACTORS
Political and demographic changes were also significant. Much of the success of the newspaper in the early United States owed itself to the attitude of the Founding Fathers toward the press. Many of them saw a free press as one of the most essential elements in maintaining the liberty and social equality of citizens. Thomas Jefferson said he considered a free press as even more important than the government itself: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate any moment to prefer the latter." It was because of his attitude that freedom of the press gained mention in the First Amendment to the Constitution, and though early politicians, including Jefferson, occasionally made attempts to rein in the press, newspapers flourished in the new nation.
CHANGE IN ROLE OF JOURNALISTS
In the early 1800s, newspapers were largely for the elite and took two forms – mercantile sheets that were intended for the business community and contained ship schedules, wholesale product prices, advertisements and some stale foreign news, and political newspapers that were controlled by political parties or their editors as a means of sharing their views with elite stakeholders. Journalists reported the party line and editorialized in favour of party positions. The emergence of the penny press greatly influenced communication technologies by covering news outside those of government interests. The first penny paper, the Sun, was founded in New York in September 1833.
After that time, newspapers became nonpartisan since they were not supported by political parties. Penny papers hired reporters and correspondents to seek out and write the news, while at the same time, started to sound more journalistic than editorial. Reporters were assigned to beats and were involved in the conduct of local interaction. The penny press contributed to changes in newspaper content and structure. New journalism practices resulted in the development of concepts such as news reporting, emphasizing the importance of timeliness, and appealing to wider audiences. These newspapers, though not completely uninfluenced by political parties and their views, were self-funded and not party-funded. This allowed them to shift allegiance on political issues that the papers dealt with quite easily, which also aided in their success and acceptance by the general public.
IMPACTS
With these new publications, the lower classes were
newly introduced to the latest information unlike before.
The spark of the new penny presses began a new
revolution in the world of journalism. The whole content and structure began to
completely change, allowing new material to be released more quickly and
efficiently. Penny presses began to allow news to reach larger and wider
audiences, expanding publication size and influences.
The period between 1833 and 1860 is often referred to by historians as a "spectacular phenomenon" for it revolutionized American journalism. Since the mid-eighteenth century, the population in America had been growing steadily. In 1833, there were 650 weeklies and 65 dailies in distribution, each with an average circulation of 1,200 (Martin, 1988). The advent of the "penny newspaper" (the colloquial name given to newspapers sold at one penny when contemporary newspapers cost 6 cents) in 1833 was to transform not only the delivery and the content of the news, but also those who for the first time had access to the news, which was no longer limited to the mercantile and political elite. According to Emery and Emery (1996), there are three factors which are essential to the successful development of a newspaper: readership, delivery, and production improvements. In the early nineteenth century, all of these factors played an important role in the development of the newspaper. Consequently, as a new economic level of the population was introduced to the newspaper, this came to have profound effects on mass literacy and society.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND
Changes began to appear in the workforce in terms of
service and technology, and functional and practical needs for literacy grew.
"Economic needs for reading and writing reached unprecedented levels"
(Graff, 1987, p. 261). Accordingly, the elite's fears toward educating the
masses began to subside, and it was slowly becoming accepted that they too
should be educated.
The early nineteenth century also saw an explosion of print. Numerous religious groups, political parties, educational groups and cultural promoters pervaded the market with print in search of sales and influence (Graff, 1987). Technological advances in printing also paved the way for the development and proliferation of the newspaper. The wooden, hand-powered press which had remained unchanged since Gutenberg, was transformed in this century. The printing press frame was converted from wood to steel, the press became steam powered, and the print surface became a cylindrical cast of letter punches. More innovations would follow, including the switch from printing on discrete pieces of paper to printing on continuous rolls (Carroll, n.d.). These developments were vital to the rise of newspaper circulation in order to print larger quantities of papers and sell them at a reduced cost.
A PRESS FOR THE MASSES
The penny papers flourished based on increased
circulation, but also due to a new importance being placed on advertising. Unlike
their predecessors, the penny papers did not rely on annual subscriptions or
subsidies from political parties. Advertising began targeting the working class
readership’s needs. While in the past newspapers did not print advertisements
they did not agree with, the penny papers relinquished their
"authority" on moral judgement, leaving this up to its readers.
"The cheap press had emphasized technological improvements and recognized
the importance of news as a device for advertising the paper as an advertising
medium" (Innis, 1951, p. 162). The penny papers made advertisement
available to more people, to an entire new economic class, thereby enlarging
the potential market for manufactured goods (Shudson, 1978).
The writing in the penny papers was yet another novel concept that added a new dimension to journalism as we know it today. Particularly in the beginning, the stories were sensationalist and were selected to draw in the readers. Stories were often detailed and included brutal accounts of murders and household disputes. Along with the sensationalism, came an emphasis on local and human interest stories (Mott, 1978). The penny papers broke from the traditional newspapers of the time and began reporting "interesting" stories regardless of their relevance. When the penny newspapers did report on serious issues, they were often treated with less "heaviness" than their 6 cents counterparts (Mott, 1978). As it relied on sales and advertising, the penny press was free to publish whatever stories it thought interesting or pertinent, but ultimately selection was based on what would garner more advertisement revenues. Bennett was quoted as saying that only the penny press could be considered a free press because it was deferential only to its readers, but really it deferred a great deal to its advertisers. Before the 1830s, newspapers were not even expected to be objective, but rather to present a partisan viewpoint (Shudson, 1978). Mott says of Bennett’s endeavour that it represented half sheer opportunism and half humanitarian idealism(Mott, 1978, p. 232). Bennett tried to sell as many papers as possible, and therefore adapted the stories for the less educated working class, but he was also a democrat at heart, and applied the doctrine vox populi vox dei (the voice of the people is the voice of god) to the running of his paper (Mott, 1978).
THE IMPACT ON LITERACY AND SOCIETY
All this, then, resulted in the fact that the mass
public could now not only afford to buy the newspaper, but its needs were being
taken into consideration. Was the penny paper then instrumental in increasing
literacy levels, and/or did increased literacy levels of the early nineteenth
century make the penny newspaper possible and successful?
History shows that the penny papers were conducive in
expanding America’s newspaper readership. In his book, American Journalism,
Mott cites from the Public Leger, a penny newspaper in Philadelphia in 1936:
In the cities of New York and Brooklyn, containing a
population of 300,000 the daily circulation of the penny papers is not less
than 70,000. This is nearly sufficient to place a newspaper in the hands of
every man in the two cities, and even of every boy old enough to read (Mott,
1978, p. 241).
One out of three Americans were reading the newspaper daily. America's literacy levels were already on the rise when the penny paper was launched, however, the penny press played a key role in pushing literacy levels higher, at an accelerated rate. Since the penny newspapers were simply written, and affordable, they may have incited more people to read daily, thus allowing them to improve their own literacy. It should be noted that as literacy levels grew among the population, the quality of the writing in the penny press also improved. Furthermore, when the penny newspaper brought the news to the masses, it gave them "a new consciousness and new ideas". The penny papers placed an importance on the voice of the common people, and often published that people should be provided with a realistic view of contemporary life; that abuses by authority (such as banks, churches, courts, etc) should be exposed; and that the newspaper has a duty to give readers the news and not to support a political party. The penny press was instrumental in increasing literacy levels in a pragmatic society that was technologically ready to move forward.
SUMMARY
History shows that American journalism was indeed
revolutionized during the nineteenth century, particularly with the
introduction of the penny newspaper. Shudson (1978) explains the evolution of
the newspaper in three sequential stages:
� the press is a monopoly controlled by the government;
� the press is controlled by political parties;
� the press finally breaks free from both government and politics by
enlisting the commercial profitability of advertising and appealing to a much
wider audience.
Several other factors played an important part in the development of the newspaper in the nineteenth century: the country's growth in population, the establishment of public education and increased literacy, democratic forms of government, increased popular interest in public affairs, and lastly the reduction of price (Mott, 1987). However, providing an affordable and easy-to-read newspaper to the mass public can obviously be attributed to the penny newspaper's legacy.
SOURCES
1)http://courses.educ.ubc.ca/etec540/Sep02/ResearchAssignment/LattucaM/full.htm
2) https://www.openschoolofjournalism.com/resources/encyclopedia/penny-press - OPEN SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
3) https://www.dawn.com/news/801366 - DAWN
4) WIKIPEDIA
5) https://www.thoughtco.com/penny-press-definition-1773293 THOUGHTCo.
COMPILED BY:
SHRADDHA ACHARYA
14 comments:
In September 1883, Benjamin Day founded 'The Sun'( a Penny press newspaper) , a New York City newspaper. While other newspapers cost around 6 cents per paper , it had relatively a very cheaper price i.e. one paper per penny. Since it was the cheapest newspaper at that time, the middle class and the poor can now afford these Penny press newspaper. It developed mass literary among the masses. It helped to cover the news stories other than government interests.
Today the low price of newspaper can be credited to the Penny press.
a penny press was a tabloid newspaper put out for the price of a single penny. These newspapers began to appear around the 19th century as competitors for editions which cost slightly more.
The main revenue for the penny press was advertising while other newspapers relied heavily on high-priced subscriptions.
July 24,1830 - first penny press (Transcript).
The penny press was originally apolitical both in content and in attitude.
Since these newspapers were not politically funded, the core interests of the journalists themselves were obviously quite different from competing newspaper agencies that had heavy political influence.
to summarise what I understood about penny press -The penny press was a type of newspaper that emerged in the United States in the 1830s. These newspapers were sold for one penny and were aimed at a working-class audience. They focused on sensational stories, crime, and human interest stories to attract readers. The penny press helped to create a mass audience for newspapers and paved the way for modern journalism.
Basically, penny press refers to the business tactic of producing newspapers which were sold for a single cent. These were invented by Benjamin day in 1983 when he founded The Sun a New York City newspaper. These gained popularity because unlike regular newspapers, it wrote about things that were appealing and newsworthy to the working class population.
These newspapers were tabloid styled and manufactured by steam powered printing machines. To make them even more accessible and readily available, Day came up with the idea of getting newsboys to deliver newspapers at people’s doorstep.
A big advantage of penny newspapers was that it increased the literacy among the working class population.
The penny press, also known as the "penny papers," was a major development in the history of journalism that took place in the early 19th century. This term refers to a new type of newspaper that was affordable for the general public, as it was sold for just a penny. The penny press was a major development in the history of journalism, making newspapers accessible to a wider audience and helping to shape American society.The penny press had a profound impact on American society, as it helped to spread information and ideas to a wider audience. This, in turn, led to greater civic engagement and a more informed public. The penny press also helped to shape public opinion and played a crucial role in shaping American culture and politics.
Penny press was invented by Benjamin H. Day, the founder of New York's " The Sun". It is a tabloid newspaper famous for its low price.
Penny press newspapers were cheap,tabloid style newspapers mass produced in the US from the 1830s onwards.It was started by Benjamin Day with the coming of The Sun,anew York city newspaper.
It soon became popular with the American public because while other papers were of around 6 cents ,it was only priced a penny.
The period between 1833 to 1860 is generally called as spectacular phenomenon ,for its revolutionized journalism.
Penny press provides the opportunity for the lower classes to read a newspapers and be aware of their surroundings.
History shows that the popularity of penny press resulted in the increase in American readership.
Along with the literacy rate,the quality of news also increased.
This article highlights the need for the penny press, especially for those who couldn't afford newspapers. The Penny Press refers to a type of newspaper that emerged in the United States in the 1830s and 1840s. These newspapers were called "penny presses" because they were sold for one penny each, making them affordable to a wider audience. Prior to the penny press, newspapers were typically expensive and only accessible to a small, wealthy segment of society.
The penny press newspapers of the 1830s and 1840s were different from their predecessors in several key ways. They were designed to appeal to a wider audience and were characterized by their sensationalized stories, use of illustrations, and focus on crime, scandal, and human-interest stories. They also made use of new printing technologies, such as the steam-powered rotary press, which allowed them to print more copies in less time.
Now what i understood by this blog is that "THE Penny Press" was most famous for its low price, a paper per penny. It was invented by Benjamin H. Day; the founder of New York’s The Sun. it became popular with the American public because while other papers were priced around six cents, it was only priced for a penny. These papers were revolutionary in making the news accessible to middle class citizens for a reasonable .Day reasoned that many working class people were literate, but were not newspaper customers simply because no one had published a newspaper targeted to them. By launching The Sun, Day was taking a gamble. But it proved successful. Penny papers emerged as a cheap source of news with coverage of crime, tragedy, adventure, and gossip. The penny press made the news and journalism more important and also caused newspapers to begin to pay more attention to the public they served. These new newspaper readers enjoyed the information about police and criminal cases. The main revenue for the penny press was advertising while other newspapers relied heavily on high-priced subscriptions to finance their activities. Day also introduced a new way of selling papers by putting into practice the London Plan. This plan included newsboys hawking their newspapers on the streets. Most newspapers at the time did not have any sort of timeliness, so buying a newspaper daily seemed pointless to readers. But, eventually, people became interested in reading the latest news which the penny papers strived to provide
An informative and well researched write up on penny press, which helped me gain more knowledge on the history and significance of the penny press newspapers,how they weren't just making newspapers more accesible but also touching upon a class divide.They played a crucial role in spreading literacy as well as making the average man more aware of his surroundings and contributed greatly to the socio political situation of those times.
Penny press seemed like such a long topic. However thanks to this blog which has made it to the point and really understandable.
A newspaper that would sell of a cent. The idea was vague to me until I heard about penny press. Its history is interesting how the founder wanted to salvage his business and ended up with this revolution of penny press. It helped in spreading literacy a lot since now even lower middle class people could afford it. These newspaper began in 19th century and were competing with their 6 cent counterparts. The main source of revenue for penny papers had been the newspaper.
The blog provides you with all round approaches to penny press. Really useful and informative. Appreciate the work. 👍🏽👏
The article covers the topic of 'penny press' in a holistic manner, giving even the first-time reader (who doesn't know about this topic at all) clear understanding and clarity on the subject. It made me aware that selling newspapers on streets by newsboys was a strategy to boost sell of penny newspapers.
Sometimes, there are things that one just perceives to know about without really knowing its background/history. It is surprising to some extent to know that selling of newspapers at stations, crowded places etc. was not something prevalent with the advent of newspapers but rather became prominent with Benjamin Day innovative idea in order to boost sales as well as revenue for his penny newspaper, The New York Sun.
Ma'am your blog was really helpful as i learnd about penny press in details the newspaper which cost only 1 and because of advertising it also gained popularity
The article presents a fascinating concept 'Penny Press' in an understandable manner. Mention of the factors that influenced the arrival of such a medium and its impact tells the reader how effective Penny Press was. An interesting point in the write up was the coming of newsboy and how it made the newspapers easily available.
The article explains the concept in a comprehensive way, giving space to the ideas involved in the emergence of the presented topic.
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