News is not what it used to be – in more ways than one. Let’s take a look at how news has changed over the years, and how TrueNews.Global fits into its future.
The first thing to understand is that for most of human history, the news was an oral tradition. That is, people relied on word-of-mouth to learn about what was happening in the world around them. Of course, this meant that news tended to be local; it was very rare for someone to hear about events outside of their immediate community.
The beginning of modern news
The invention of the printing press in the 15th century changed all of that. For the first time, the news could be disseminated widely and quickly. Town criers would make their way through the city, yelling out the latest news and handing out pamphlets.
Newspapers started gaining popularity in the 17th century in part because production costs were lower than those of pamphlets. This had a profound effect on society, as people were now able to stay informed of events happening far away from them. Newspapers quickly became the primary source of news for most people, but that would change in the early 20th century.
News hits the airwaves
The first broadcast news program aired on radio in 1920 and was called “News from WOR”. In 1926, the first dedicated news station hit the airwaves as RCA’s Radio Group launched NBC and not long after CBS began broadcasting. By 1939, 70% of people preferred radio news to print.
Putting a face with a voice
The next major development in the history of news came with the advent of television. In 1940, Lowell Thomas hosted the first-ever regularly scheduled TV news segment; the broadcast was a simulcast of his nightly NBC newscast.
For those who owned television and lived in New York City (the only area where the segment aired), news stories were now more than just words on a page or a disembodied voice. They came to life right before people’s eyes.
This had a huge impact on the way people consumed news, and also on what sorts of stories were considered important enough to be worth broadcasting.
The Advent of The Internet and its Impact on News
The internet has arguably had the most significant impact on news of any development since the invention of television. Not only does it offer near-instantaneous delivery of breaking news stories from all over the globe, but it also gives people unprecedented access to information and analysis from a wide variety of sources.
Moving forward: The Future of News
Unfortunately, in recent years, there has been an increasing problem with misinformation and “fake news.” TrueNews.Global will change that by leveraging the growth of something else: Citizen journalism.
TrueNews will bring citizen journalists and professionals together to corroborate facts, share evidence and push the news industry into the next phase of evolution. We aim to bring integrity, accountability, trust and, most importantly, truth back to the news.