During my studies at the University of West Alabama, I have been looking at several newspapers from the early 20th century from our region in Mississippi. Newspapers have always played a central role in informing the public, and from the late 1700s to the early 1900s, newspapers were the only source of information for the public to become informed. However, after the first American newspapers from the 1790s, the press was also heavily invested in partisan politics. The many newspapers that people would read were based on their political party. The name of the title reflects the political party with which the newspaper was associated. Although newspapers have shifted away from this partisan journalism, they have mostly kept the same name, and modern newspapers (including this one) have become one of the best ways to become an informed citizen.
Newspapers for political purposes have always been a core foundation of the United States. During the American War of Independence, newspapers were an effective tool for building opposition to the British. They also helped gain support for the Constitution during the 1780s. The “National Gazette” was the first American newspaper to form for a political purpose, but it did not last because political parties were only in the process of development. After the development of political parties, newspapers began to spring up in support of one party or another. The notion of “fair and balanced journalism” did not exist at the time; the newspapers exercised the freedom of the press as much as they could. Politicians began to take advantage of this as well and used newspapers to gain support in their campaigns. This trend continued until after World War II.
This association with political parties was also reflected in the names of newspapers, especially at the local level. For instance, “The Neshoba Democrat” was originally associated with the Democratic party until after World War II. Those who subscribed to this newspaper were usually Democratic voters. An important development to note, however, is that the ideology of the political parties was different during this time period. The Democratic party was the conservative party, and the Republican party was the more liberal party. These changed into the modern political parties during the 20th century. Furthermore, many people did not just read one newspaper; most people subscribed to a national newspaper, a state newspaper, and a local newspaper. These were all associated with political parties. The “Los Angeles Times” was one of the premier national Republican newspapers.
During the late 1800s, costs began to affect the abilities of newspaper companies to publish papers as party subsidies would not cover the costs. In general, newspaper companies began to present news more objectively while finding new revenue sources. These new advertisers insisted on a less partisan stance on journalism. There were still several holdouts until the 1950s, but by then, most newspapers had dropped the partisan influence of their reporting. After the shift in political parties during the mid 20th century, and the rise of other forms of reporting, national newspapers began to take on an interpretive stance in order to keep readers.
In the 21st century, newspapers have held on as one of the best forms of information and have adapted to the modern journalism climate. National and state newspapers generally have a large social media presence, and local newspapers have been growing theirs as well. For instance, “The Newton County Appeal” and “The Neshoba Democrat” both use Facebook to help convey information in real time. Furthermore, local newspapers remain one of the only ways to obtain information about the local communities. Without “The Newton County Appeal,” Union voters would have had a much harder time finding information about local candidates. Newspapers are also one of the best primary sources that historians have to represent the lives of local communities throughout history. The newspaper both informs Union residents of local news and chronicles our history.
