Happy 300th, American Newspapers

By: John Lenger April 24 marks the 300th anniversary of America's first successful newspaper. The Boston News-Letter's birthday is cause for celebration: the American newspaper industry endures despite the invention of radio, television and the Internet, all forecast to end newspapers as we know them.

Yet this party must include a somber note, for there's no guarantee the American newspaper will reach 400 years -- or 350. Readership continues to decline as new generations largely ignore newspapers and news audiences become fragmented. Despite this, newspapers remain the No. 2 medium that Americans turn to for news behind television, far outpacing the Internet, radio and magazines.

In the 21st century, will newspapers hold on? The answer depends on how they respond to challenges the industry has faced since that very first edition of The Boston News-Letter. To help meet those challenges, here are seven birthday wishes -- one for each half-century, and one to grow on.

1. Freedom from government control

Historians have noted the three most important words in The Boston News-Letter were "Published by Authority," printed immediately below the masthead. America's first newspaper, Publick Occurrences, was suppressed by Massachusetts authorities in 1690 after one issue; Boston News-Letter Editor John Campbell secured the governor's permission before publishing.

Once the newspaper industry began in earnest, courageous editors and wise politicians championed a free press, eventually enshrined in the First Amendment. In the 1700s, government censorship was swift and harsh, and the antagonistic relationship continues today, as evidenced by a U.S. deputy marshal forcibly erasing two print reporters' recordings of Justice Antonin Scalia's April 7 speech -- a speech about the Constitution -- because, according to an Associated Press article, "one of the service's responsibilities is to provide a traveling Supreme Court justice with security."

More insidious are attempts to influence, through such practices as "embedding" reporters or providing "video news releases" starring actors playing reporters. Regarding recent Medicare "news releases," Health and Human Services spokesman William Pierce told The Denver Post, "We're trying to influence you. It's nothing new. I'm at a loss as to why the media is coming down on this. This is frankly a problem for the media." Indeed.

2. Fewer news monopolies

Campbell wasn't just editor of the News-Letter; he was also postmaster, getting foreign periodicals and official government news first, making him America's first news monopoly. When he lost the postmaster job in 1719, however, Campbell continued publishing the News-Letter while his replacement started the Boston Gazette, initiating an era of journalistic competition that continues to this day. Even as media ownership trends toward control by monopolies, journalists carry a responsibility to report independently.

3. More robust local news

The Boston-News Letter was filled with reports clipped from foreign papers; "local happenings received slight notice on the well-warranted assumption that the residents already knew the facts," writes historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Today strong local news reporting is what most differentiates newspapers from competitors.

Yet as "The State of the News Media 2004" notes, many newspapers have been shrinking staffs as profits have soared. "[T]he possible economic recovery of 2004 and resumption of good times in years to follow will pose a test," says the report from the Project for Excellence in Journalism. Savvy newspapers will invest in people.

4. A strong wall dividing news and advertising

Printing and newsgathering are expensive, and readers are reluctant to pay their true cost. From its first issue The Boston News-Letter intended to make money through advertisements. Advertising has always underwritten freedom of the press; in 300 years, no better system has emerged.

Yet this arrangement has cost newspapers credibility. A 1999 survey by the American Society of Newspaper Editors found 59% of those polled "say newspapers are concerned mainly with making profits rather than serving the public interest" and 50% "believe newspapers allow advertisers' interests to influence news decisions." As declining credibility continues to drive down readership, newspaper editorial and advertising departments must remember: "Good fences make good neighbors."

5. Promotion of tolerance through balanced coverage

In 1704, the world was at war over religious differences, which was reflected in the very first article published in the very first Boston News-Letter: a retelling of an anti-Catholic diatribe from Scotland. While it's tempting to say nothing has, or will, change, American newspapers best serve readers by avoiding "us" vs. "them" stances, whether the topic is terrorism, gay marriage, or the presidential election.

6. Less infotainment and sensationalism

The Puritans who read The Boston News-Letter would not have understood Britney Spears -- they might have jailed her, if not worse. Yet they knew the sensational: the News-Letter contained reports of the dangers of the day, from shipwrecks to pirates to Indian wars. Yet reading the News-Letter gives little sense that tragic stories were reported only for their entertainment value -- a policy newspapers should adopt today.

7. Ability to embrace new technologies

Journalism professor Donald R. Avery writes that Boston News-Letter editor Campbell began printing in 1704 because he couldn't keep up with the demand for his hand-written newsletter. Smart journalists will use new communications tools to do what they do best -- keep Americans informed.

That's a lot of candles to blow out, but the newspaper industry must not hold its breath. Journalists must resolve to breathe new life into America's most venerable news medium.