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BIRTH OF JOURNALISM

HOW WE .GOT THE DAILY PAPER. SATISFYING THE PASSION FOR NEWS. Without attempting to canvass the question as to whether China issued a newspaper prior to the Roman diurnal, there is a good case in favour of the contention that the English idea of a newspaper was suggested by the Venetian gazettes (says a writer in John o' London's Weekly). These writings were displayed in the galleries and public places of Venice, a coin called a gazetta being paid by any who desired to peruse the contents. Both "journal" and "gazette," so frequently used as the second words in newspaper titles, are lineal descendants of the Roman and Venetian prototypes of our great daily newspapers. II NEWS LETTERS. In the opening years Of the seventeenth century aristocratic gentlemen, whenever they left the town for their country seats, .took care to be informed as to current happenings. Th.*ir correspondents were mostly men ; about town—frequently retired officers —whose duty it was to send a news letter at regular intervals to their ,subt scribers. Peers usually had their own "specials," who were generally..well paid. Benches of county magistrates ' and groups of gentlemen would join J together to shore the cost of a letter I between them. A number of those f documents have been preservd, and | bear evidence of much handling—be- ! .tokening keen interest in their conI tents. Macaulay says that the Writers i must have gone from one coffee-room II to another gathering up the chit-chat |i of the day. Such communications were , practically the only source from which i dwellers in the larger provincial towns could obtain information as to the social, political, and Court life of the metropolis. I . ' f *

e "THE WEEKLY NEWES." V e ~Tt* was Nathaniel Butler, a London l ~ stationer, who first conceived the idea J of a printed letter. He must have been a very successful gatherer of news, with a large number of clients. * Ab a labour-saving device he determined to collect, arrange, and print r | his lott©r on a sheet, - to be issued on 8 a fixed day in the week.' The first '"■ number appeared on May 23, 1622, as I the "Weekly Neweg from Italy, Germany, etc.'' It wad an instant success, securing a big circulation among people who were delighted at having information as to current events first'"lhand, instead of being dependent on $ gossip, passing travellers, or the loan lof a manuscript letter after it had been thumbed and mutilated until almost undecipherable. On September '25, Butler and a partner called Shefford published a quarto sheet entitled "Nowes from Most Parts of Christendom." Thig was the original English newspaper—the sheets being numbered consecutively as issued. There is-no complete set extant. , ' f THE MERCURIES. = The fashion being * set, thfere wera numerous imitators, and Ben JorisonJs of News,'* which was acted * in''' 1625, satirised the fashion and e poked fun at Butler. The Long Parliament may claim to have Jbeen the c authors of the first report of the proceedings of Parliament, for it was by 3 its order that the Grand Remonstrance ''f was printed in November, 1641, and I cried in thft streets. l | During the Civil War both Cavaliers; 1 i and Puritans issued a number of newsI papers—indeed, 170 weeklies were i 'I started in London between 1642 and 11640—mostly called ''Mercuries." I Advertisements began to appear. F Amongst announcements of books, re t | watds for recovery of losf; property, r list of ' coaching time-tables, in the |"Mercurius Politicus" the follpwing I advertisement of tea was publiahed in. { 1658: / § " That Excellent, and fey all Physi-, jF cians approved, China Drink, called by the Ghineans Tcha, by other nations ' Tay, alias Tee, is sold at the Sultanese [Head, a cophee-house in Sweetings Eents, by tho Royal Exchange, ! London." . .' > , PRESS LICENSED. A great and picturesque figure of this period is Sir Roger L'Estrange. Charles U suppressed the Press, which denounced him and made Sir Roger Surveyor of the Press, with "the sole privilege of writing, printing, and publishing all narratives, advertisements, Mercuries, intelligences, diurnals, and other books of public intelligence." The two leading organs of the Com* • [monwealth were -(continued by L'Estrange, the titles being changed, the "Public Intelligencer" becoming | the "Intelligencer," and the "Mer-,* curiua Politicus" 'the "News." He ; had a cynical contempt for the public. Ho told them all newspapers were ba.d, I as tending to make the populace "too | familiar with the actions and counsels , of their superiors," but he would seek f to bring them to reason by judicious ' guidance. In 1681 he began the . "Observator," which served as a model for succeeding newspapers. It ' was a rival named Williamson who , induced Charles 11, in 1665, to let him . start the '' Oxford Gazette," as the jf only official paper. This killed the I'' Intelligencer.'' Williamson's paper | afterwards changed its titlp to the j "London Gazette," which has continued to,, the present time. I ~ ARRIVAL OF THE "DAILY." f; An attempt to run a daily newspaper | ! was made in 1695 —with the "Post ( Boy." It had a very brief existence, f and not until March 11/ 1702, was the first daily newspaper successfully launched. This was the "Daily Courant," which appeared three days after the accession of Queen Anne. It was printed on one side only of a sheet ; measuring fourteen inches by eight (inches. The blank side was utilised | by persons in London for the purpose lof writing to their friends in - the i country, and so combining a personal | with a news letter. The proprietor | was E. Mallett, and it was published ) r *' next door to the King 'a Arms ' Tavern at Fleet Bridge." Fleet Street was, the birthplace, as it ia now th© centre, of daily journalism, *

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19200330.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, 30 March 1920, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
955

BIRTH OF JOURNALISM Wairarapa Age, 30 March 1920, Page 3

BIRTH OF JOURNALISM Wairarapa Age, 30 March 1920, Page 3

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