The Evolution of Newspapers: Competing Models of Modern Print Journalism

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In the late 1800s, as newspapers pushed to expand circulation even further, two distinct types of journalism emerged: the story-driven model, which dramatized important events and characterized the penny papers and the yellow press; and “the facts” model, an approach that seemed more impartial and was favored by the six-cent papers.3 Provocative questions arose: Could news accounts be entirely objective? Should reporters actively interpret the meaning of particular events for readers?

As observers wrestled with these questions, newspapers also began changing shape in response to technological advances. These advances included the introduction of color printing and the digitization of text and images—innovations that would ultimately transform the world of print journalism.