Annotated Bibliography (a)

Huntzicker, William E. “News Hits the Streets”. The Popular Press: 1833-1865. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. 1-18.

Huntzicker recounts the History of American Newspapers beginning with “blanket sheets”: large newspapers big enough to “sit on”. These begin to change as The New York Sun incorporates personal articles and smaller papers.  The switch from “partisan and merchant journalism to commercial penny press” occurs with the creation of a mass audience.  David Day opens the Sun for ordinary people to read about themselves.  “A Boy Who Whistled Too Much” is an example of a simple narrative about people with little political relevance. As the paper grows, George Wisner, the “first full time police reporter” for the Sun becomes Day’s partner.  The “editorial moralizing” and “human miscellany” encompassed by articles such as “THE WAY THE WORLD WAS MADE” are titled all in caps to grab attention. Personal biases form most of the stories.  The sentiments cease once The Civil War leads to the following criteria in journalism: Who, what, where, and when.  Wisner follows the lead to become a master of journalism for the Sun, and Day promotes his company and heads the advertisements such as  “Marshall’s Infallible Remedy for the Piles”, a cure for hemorrhoids, which appeals to “unfortunate New Yorkers”.  This type of “succinct advertising” grabs the attention of the masses.