History of Journalism: Before 1861

Western European Heritage, 1455–1630

The process of moving from very ornate, hand-lettered and illustrated books to newsletters and then moveable type printing presses in fifteenth-century Europe slowly revolutionized life by making printed information available to more readers. Eventual results of the introduction of moveable type printing included growing education and thus a rise in literacy rates, the scientific revolution, and the Protestant Reformation and Renaissance. Before the printing press, information was primarily exchanged orally or in the written form of personal letters, and only the very wealthy or the clergy had access to (or could read) the elaborately handcrafted illustrated books. In 1568, the Fugger German banking family hired correspondents to gather and report political and economic news from across the continent in the form of handwritten newsletters. These “Fugger newsletters” became the leading news source across Europe through the late 1500s. Early forms of the modern newspaper appeared in Holland in the 1620s and were known as Corantos, [Page 696]which translates as “currents of news.” These were published irregularly in different cities and featured very little of timely news value.

British Journalism, 1509–1702

King Henry VIII in the early 1500s instituted a system of licensing printers that lasted until 1695. To publish legally in England, one had to have a license from the crown, and only those who published information favorable to the crown were granted licenses, making licensing an early form of censorship. Henry VIII used the Court of the Star Chamber to prosecute those who published without a license or published information deemed inappropriate. Taken together, licensing and the Star Chamber formed the basis of governmental prior restraint (control prior to publication), the first press philosophy practiced in England.

Mary I and Elizabeth I continued their father's practice. During her 45-year reign, Elizabeth controlled the press via the Stationer's Company, which had originated in the 1400s as a guild for printers, booksellers, and publishers. Under Elizabeth's control, Stationer's Company members had the power to search and seize all unauthorized publications, and the Star Chamber court enforced laws against such publications. Penalties were severe and could include torture, maiming, imprisonment, or execution.

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