6. Types of edition (history of newspaper, classification of press)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The early evidence of an official means of spreading news dates from 59 BC in Rome, where a daily gazette called Acta Diurna was published. The Acta Diurna was written in manuscript and displayed in prominent places in Rome. A similar approach to publishing news was undertaken in China from the 6th to the 20th century.

During the Middle Ages manuscript newsletters containing political and commercial information. There were also occasional newsbooks, or pamphlets, detailing an unusual event such as a battle.

In the 16th century an official newspaper was issued in Venice, with accounts of battles and other matters of public interest. This paper was circulated throughout Europe, and originally was called "gazetta" or "gazette", a name, which is still used.

The first true newspapers were derived from commercial bulletins early in the 17th century. They appeared first in Holland and shortly after in England and France. Other countries also soon had their rudimentary newspapers: Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, and Poland.

In the United States the principle of a free press was established in 1735, when publisher John Peter Zenger was acquitted of libel charges. The principle was defined as a civil right by the first article of the Bill of Rights in 1791. Sweden preceded the United States with a law guaranteeing freedom of the press in 1766. Denmark gained the same freedom in its Constitution of 1849. Other European nations were slower to allow a free press because of the ever-present fear of revolution.

And I also should say that the first Belarusian Newspaper was founded in 1906, which was called «Наша доля».

Types of newspaper:

- Daily / weekly

- National / local

- Quality = serious = broadsheet / Tabloid = popular = red-top

- With suplements or without it.

7. Types of News (news criteria and determiners, hard news vs soft news)

Criteria of News:

News is perishable. People want to know now. What happened yesterday, last night, or this morning is more newsworthy than what happened last week.

TV news is up-to-the-minute. This is a key application of new technology.

Negativity plays a large part in the selection of events to classify as news.

The most general relevance criterion for news is simply that it is something that journalists deem their audiences would be interested in and want to know. Getting a little more specific, anything that might affect large numbers of people - whether that effect is good or ill or neutral. Much of what is defined as news is information about whether things are, or will, get better or worse for the audience, or for some group of people.

The job of journalists is to take the temperature of events.

Criteria for News Selection:

Timeliness – The closer an event is to the publication date, the more new value it has.

Prominence – Important people are more newsworthy than others. Politicians, actors, singers--anyone in the public arena or public eye--are newsworthy.

Human Interest

Types of News:

There are two major types of news: "hard" and "soft." The term "hard news" usually refers to serious, factual and timely stories about important topics. The stories may describe a major crime, fire, accident, speech, labor dispute or political campaign. Hard news also may be called "spot news" or "straight news."

The term "soft news" usually refers to feature or human-interest stories. Their topics may be old and unimportant − but never dull. Soft news is written to entertain rather than inform and appeals to its readers' emotions more than to their intellect. Such stories may make readers laugh or cry, love or hate, envy or pity.

Most Americans are more familiar with the terms "good" and "bad" news.