Before the time of the Penny Press, newspapers were too costly for the average person to be able afford on a daily basis. The newspapers cost around six cents each, and their main topics focused mainly on politics and commerce. Once the idea of the one-cent Penny Press newspaper was established in 1830, it completely revolutionized how newspapers were produced, distributed and funded. With new technology arising during this time, newspaper companies were able to quickly produce and print newspapers at a rate cheaper than ever before. Before the printing press, newspapers were sold in expensive subscriptions (how many newspapers of the time earned their profit), but with Penny Press, newspaper companies were able to sell the penny papers one day at a time and rely on advertisers for earnings.
The Penny Magazine: A early penny paper in England that aimed to educate and improve the lives of the lower class in England. In just a year of it's proudction it had a circulation of more than 20,000 copies, with a large following in the US as well.
Before the Penny Press, the main readers of newspapers were the educated elite who could afford the high price of newspapers. The Penny Press adapted to their now large, less educated audience, by selecting words and phrases that were easier for the public at large to understand. This allowed everyone to be involved in the conversation.
An early look at the first popular Penny Press paper: The New York Sun
As the Penny Press papers began to gain popularity, competition arose, and journalists began dwelling on what the average person could relate to and be interested in: social life. Local news was now discussed in the paper including social events and outrages, police reports, as well as the gossip of private affairs. Early newspapers were controlled by the government, so therefore were heavily censored to the governments liking, but now newspapers were owned privately, allowing the newspapers to post their own stories, thoughts, and opinions (to an extent) with little to no repercussions enforced by the government.
The Spirit of the Times, a sports and theater paper.
Today, we can thank the Penny Press for its influence on modern journalism by recognizing it's lasting effects. One lasting effect is the press associations that formed during and since the creation of the Penny Press. Press associations provided news stories to companies who couldn't afford to send their own reporters out on the field. These companies would then pay the press associations a fee for using the story. The introduction of the telegraph, which allowed for messages (i.e. news) to be sent from across the country (or countries) in a matter of seconds, set the definitive norm for the immediacy we see in the media today. Stationed correspondents from Washington D.C. were hired for the first time, allowing news straight from the government to be dutifully reported back to the particular company the reporter was working for. Finally, probably the largest effect the Penny Press had on modern journalism was that journalists began to see the value in objectivity and quality in reporting.
Also just a fun fact I discovered when I was searching for information on this topic: there's an actual Penny Press game that is in development! Check out the Kickstarter campaign!
thanks for the great information
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