On September 25, 1690, news-hungry Bostonians, who had to wait months for papers from Britain, bought the first copies of the American Colonies’ first newspaper. It was a small four-page journal with one blank page on which readers could fill in their own news.
The paper was fairly sensational for its day, with reports of smallpox and fevers, a suicide, Indian raids, and a scandalous story about the King of France.
That first issue was also the last because the printer, Benjamin Harris, had not obtained the license required by law. More than a decade passed before Americans saw another native newspaper.
The press in the United States has followed a smoother path since 1690. Relations between press and government have not always been the most cordial, for the press has traditionally tended to be its determined – but loyal – adversary. Since 1791 the First Amendment to the Constitution has guaranteed freedom of the written word from action of the Federal Government, a guarantee that has been tested and consistently upheld through the years.
The Media indeed have uncovered and made public many secrets the government would have preferred to keep secret (such as the Watergate scandal), leading to constant tension between journalists and government officials. Some people say that the media – and television in particular – have become so influential that in effect they are the political process, shaping public opinion.
The power of the press has not always been used for noble purposes. From the very beginning there have been examples of sensationalism, inaccuracy, and, occasionally, slander. But for the most part the story of the press is one of responsibility, for the press, whether in its staid journals, glossy ladies’ magazines, or television documentaries, has on the whole dealt responsibly with the freedom guaranteed it by the Constitution and has fulfilled its primary duty: to inform the public of the truth.
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