Colonial Press

• In the American colonial period, Benjamin

Harris published the first newspaper, Publick
Occurences, in Boston in 1690. He was in hot
water right away. Harris scandalized Puritan
sensitivities by exposing shameful occurrences
of the king’s private life. In the colonies, just
as in England, a newspaper needed royal
consent. The governor had not consented, and
Harris was put out of business after one issue.
• Even so, Harris’ daring was a precursor for
emerging press defiance against authority. In
1733 John Peter Zenger started a paper in New
York in competition with the existing Crown-
supported newspaper. Zenger’s New York
Journal was backed by merchants and lawyers
who disliked the royal governor.
• From the beginning, the newspaper
antagonized the governor with items
challenging his competence. Finally, the
governor arrested Zenger. The trial made
history. The jury found for Zenger, who had
become a hero for standing up to the Crown.
He was freed. To the government’s chagrin,
there was great public celebration in the streets
of New York that night.
• Zenger’s success against the Crown
foreshadowed the explosive colonial reaction
after Parliament passed a stamp tax in 1765.
The colonies did not have elected
representatives in Parliament, so the cry was a
defiant “No taxation without representation.”
The campaign, however, was less ideological
than economic.
• It was led by colonial printers, who stood to
lose from the new tax, which was levied on
printed materials. Historian Arthur Schlesinger
has called it the newspaper war on Britain. The
newspapers won. The tax was withdrawn.
• Having seen their potential to force the
government’s hand, newspapers then led the
way in stirring other ill feelings against
England and precipitating the American
Revolution.
• These traditions from the colonial period
remain today:
• The news media, both print and broadcast,
relish their independence from government
censorship and control.
• The news media, especially newspapers and
magazines, actively try to mold government
policy and mobilize public sentiment. Today
this is done primarily on the editorial page.
• Journalists are committed to seeking truth no
matter who is offended.
• The public comes down in favor of
independent news media when government
becomes too heavy-handed, as demonstrated
by Zenger’s popularity.
• In a capitalistic system the news media are
economic entities that sometimes react in their
own self-interest when their profit-making
ability is threatened. Newspaper opposition to
the stamp tax illustrates this point.