Journalism 112
Perspectives on Journalism History

You can assess various periods in media history by looking at different themes on a historical timeline or continuum. As you look at different themes, you can get a perspective on the history of the period. You also can use the thematic approach for comparing two or more periods of media history. You may want to suggest your own themes for assessing the historical development of the media but here is a list of possibilities:

1. Competition.
2. Technology.
3. Freedom of the press.
4. Tradition.
5. News and how it evolved.
6. People.
7. Organizations/institutions.
8. Media relationships--books, magazines, newspapers, radio and television, the Internet.
9. Reporting.
10. Editing.
11. Business/advertising.
12. Writing styles.
13. Media-government relationships.
14. Responsibility.
15. Credibility.
16. Subject matter (for example, coverage of war).
17. Muckrakers/investigative reporters.
18. Women.
19. Men.
20. Personalized history (how does what you have learned and experienced influence your understanding of media history?).

How does this approach work? Let's look at the theme "freedom of the press." Place the theme on a continuum tracing from 1640 to the present; then, begin to develop the ability to discuss and to analyze how "freedom of the press" has developed over that time in America. As the semester progresses, you should gain a clearer understanding of how press freedom developed--drawing on your readings, on class assignments, on discussions with other students, etc. You should be able to do the same with other themes, and, in time, you should be able to show how different themes relate to each other.