Journalism Then and Now

  

Journalism and public writing have become a major factor in everyday life. However, society was not always like this such as before the 18th century. Prior, very few had the means nor ability to read or write but as society entered into the 18th-century life would drastically change. The most important being the printing press that would have the greatest impact as no longer did just the wealthy have access to literature. The printing press would introduce newspapers, pamphlets, books, and other reading material that could be absorbed by the new upcoming middle class. As the 18th century moved forward the middle class was formed with merchants, shop owners, and others that now had the ability to earn more money. Now more people could be educated and most importantly read. With more readers allows journalism and other public writings much more relevant.

One such series of essays that became very relevant in the 18th century was The Spectator, by Addison and Steele. The Spectator was a bestseller of its time and talked about different topics such as manners, morals, and literature. People would gather in coffee shops and other local gatherings and read out loud for everyone to hear. In many ways, The Spectator acted as a good source of entertainment as there were few other options to be entertained for little money. In the second issue of The Spectator, it talks about the different kinds of gentlemen in society at its time. I believe that these gentlemen were being ranked on importance and power. This issue is significant as it does not just simply show the reader the social class structure but skillfully identifies with each possible reader. Times have changed in many regards since this period as our social class has expanded much more past just higher, middle, and lower classes but today the separation or gap between the classes is tremendous. Unfortunately, unlike The Spectator, I do not believe that people can write as freely and any journalist voices are silenced much more frequently than ever before. The American saying is that this is the land of the free but how? Everything must be politically correct and can not long offend people on opinionated views. I must be clear though, there is a difference between 

Similarly to The Spectator, Samuel Johnson was also a famous critic that shared his options on several different topics. One such topic was the modern fiction from the time that he discussed in Rambler No. 4.

In this essay, Johnson expresses his disappointment with fiction from his time explaining that it was too unrealistic. Many topics that stories would write about simply would never happen in real life therefore would not be relatable. Another issue he took with fiction was how different characters were being portrayed in the stories. He would explain that the youth of his generation was impressionable and would seek out to imitate those characters. 

I can not help but compare Johnson to many parents who fear their children may become more violent by playing video games. As someone who has grown up playing video games, more specifically the ones that parents complain about, I did not become more violent. Granted I am only one person, but I would argue the Johnson the same argument I have today and that is that the youth of any generation is more influenced by their surroundings than any kind of literature or video game. People that lived in Johnson's period grew up during a consent war or famine or any other issue his time period brought. The same could be said about people who grow up in the United States. The United States has been at war somewhere with someone for almost the entire time it was formed in 1776. The point is people's environments affect them more than anything else. I believe this is important as a society's environment directly affects journalism and the topics that are covered. 

Luckily, the 18th century did begin something essential to not just the 18th century but today. The art of Journalism and the importance of informing the people. True many people are just critics and only complain about many issues but the fact that there is a platform for that to happen is essential for any society to grow and continue to progress. Before true journalism, the public was at the mercy of its rulers who could choose what the population was allowed to know. Granted I believe that many governments including the United States controls the media and they allow only so much information to get through. Such as the recent riots, or Covid-19. The news only covered the riots for a couple weeks and then stopped. Why? The riots did not stop and the message was still very relevant. Why did the American population not find out about Covid-19 in February when the presedent knew about it? I believe that these issues are on two among many and illustrate what journalism has become in the present. Stories that can be bought and paid for and controlled. Fact-checking and fake news is now a norm and it is difficult to know what journalist you can trust or what newspaper to read. In the end, the only truth is that which one can find for themselves. 

In regards to my personal writing and turning it into a dropbox or not. I do my best on every writing piece I am involved with or complete. The only difference is that I found I use many more sources for academic papers than I use for blogs. Granted I believe the material I have been typically been writing does not require a strong source as my material stands on its own. However, that could just be my arrogance but what great writer was not arrogant? 

Sources:

Shelfmark. "The Spectator 18th century." The British Library Board. https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126933.html#:~:text=The%20Spectator%20was%20a%20periodical,on%20manners%2C%20morals%20and%20literature. 

"Samuel Johnson, The Rambler," English. English. http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mgamer/Etexts/johnson.rambler.html