The Evolution of Newspaper

By: Kyle Langfoss

Introduction

• Today’s newspapers are the offspring of countless predecessors

• New technologies shaped the path by which newspapers became what they are today

• We’ll examine some of the more monumental publications…

Acta Diurna

• Latin for “Daily Acts”• Acted as a gazette of daily Roman official

notices• Carved into wood or stone and then

presented to the people• 59 B.C.• First predecessor to the common

newspaper

This is a different version from the original Acta Diurna. A photograph of the original, Roman version would be impossible to find as it dates back to 59 B.C.

Notizie Scritte

• First monthly publication ever made

• Started in Venice• Cost one gazetta• Handwritten documents• Began in1556

Venice’s Notizie Scritte is an extremely old publication. No images could be found. Here is what Venice looked like once ago.

Relation

• First weekly printed publication• Also commonly recognized as first

“newspaper”• Started in Antwerp, Germany by Johann

Carolus• First issues released in 1605

La Gazette

• First weekly in France• Founded by Théophraste Renaudot• Originally published as “Gazette de

France”• Started May 30, 1631 and ended in 1915

Post-och Inrikes Tidningar

• Swedish newspaper • Translation - “Post and Domestic Times”• Started in 1645• Still published today, making it the oldest

newspaper ever

Publick Occurences

• First ever American newspaper• Printed in Boston, 1690, by Benjamin

Harris• The newspaper angered officials, and it

was promptly shut down• Only one issue ever was published• It was only 2 pages

Daily Courant

• First successful English-language daily• First published by Elizabeth Mallet• Became a daily paper in 1702• Ended in 1735• Single page with two columns, meant to

cover foreign news

Boston News-Letter

• First continuously published American newspaper

• Founded by John Campbell in 1704• Limited circulation• Heavily subsidized by Brittain

National papers of America Today

• N.Y. Times• Started in NYC, largest local metro paper in U.S.• Founded 1851

• Wall Street Journal• Largest paper in U.S. by circulation (2.1 million)• Founded 1889

• USA Today• Widest spanning newspaper (distributed in all 50

states, Canada, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico)• Founded 1982

From Acta Diurna to Today

• Advents in technologies shaped the means by which newspapers could be produced and circulated

• Acta Diurna was carved into stone and wood, and orally spread to the people

• Today, the internet, postal system and various forms of broadcast media can bring newspapers to you