In The Beginning…

When the First Amendment guaranteed freedom of the press, ‘the press’ consisted of town criers and a smattering of four page news sheets, the latest technology allowing printing on both sides of the paper. With the evolution of the printing press, newspapers flourished. By the 1800’s, published in most major cities. During the Civil War larger newspapers hired war correspondents to report through the newly invented telegraph in short concise text, setting a standard for such reporting that would continue into the next century. With smaller papers unable to afford bureaus outside of their local areas, news agencies were also formed, like the Associated Press and later United Press International.