Penny Press In The 1800s

The Penny Press was developed during a very dynamic and colorful period in American history. In the early 1800s, newspapers were biased and controlled by political parties that only reported on political news. Social, economic,political and cultural conditions created a new form of journalism which began during the penny press. For once readers were able to read a newspaper and not just view it. This new press refelcted the new politics going on in America. Many historians believed that the nations growing litercay was the reason for the development of this cheap new press. By 1862, a number of editors wrote editorials including gossip and sports. The penny papers were influenced by Charles Knights magazine, Penny Magazine. This press was very sucessful . After a year this paper attainted a circulation of more than 20,000 and boosted a large American audience.
" Now the commitment came from private entrepreneurs who owned their power and it was the kind of power the press had never enjoyed before" ( Fellow 85). The penny press produced several changes that reported on different forms of news . They broke away from their roots and then began mass production and distribution. The penny press newspapers started to attract people into a common interest. These papers gave stories the readers could understand and relate to. The papers were organized to get the news out efficently and faster but cheaply. As the population grew the demand for news grew. "The nation saw a 233 percent increase in population between 1833 and 1860 " ( Fellow