The Rise of the Newspaper

International audienceThis chapter charts changes in the business of news in England and its North American colonies from the early seventeenth century through 1775. Insisting that the “rise of the newspaper” was not inevitable, it discusses a variety of news publications, from handwritten newsletters and broadside ballads to printed newspapers and magazines. The chapter explains how writers, editors, and printers of news adapted to changes in press regulations (including censorship and taxation) and postal distribution. By examining editorial conventions and business strategies in their historical context, it reveals how the newspaper became the primary means of packaging and distributing news during the eighteenth century