Insight B 2 Unit 6 Reading

In paragraph 6, what does ‘went viral’ mean?

• Went bad

• Got expensive

• Became popular

• Started to be stressful

The first German newspaper was

• An in-depth study of the news.

• Similar to current newspapers.

• Smaller than newspapers are now.

• A book with more than 100 pages.

The writer believes that newspapers will

• Disappear before too long.

• Be as popular as they ever were.

• Remain popular with some people.

• Keep up with internet and TV news.

According to the writer, Elizabeth Mallet

• Filled the Daily Courant with celebrity gossip.

• Used the newspaper to communicate her political views.

• Gave herself a man’s name so she could be taken seriously.

• Made an important contribution to the development of the newspaper.

The history of newspapers is probably longer than you think. Although it wouldn’t be accurate to consider government reports in Ancient China and Rome to be newspapers, they are at least the distant relatives of the print media we know today.It’s very easy to forget what life must have been like without modern technology. These days, we receive the latest stories from people in the limelight, know which politicians are out of favour with the public and hear about what’s making headlines all over the world in real time. Obviously, centuries ago, there wouldn’t have been any of this. As a matter of fact, the first newspapers were handwritten, which immediately restricted their circulation. It’s also safe to say that the majority of people were illiterate, so a newspaper would have been out of reach for most.Many people regard the first newspaper as the Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, published in Germany in 1605. It is probably more accurate to call this a news booklet, given its dimensions, which were a fraction of the size of the newspapers we are familiar with today. It summarized the news over a total of eight pages. Not until almost 100 years later did England see its first daily. Elizabeth Mallet was responsible for the production of the Daily Courant and she prided herself on reporting with impartiality as far as politics was concerned. There wasn’t any delving into the lives of the rich and famous; however, interestingly, she did try to focus on a global perspective rather than a local one.When Elizabeth Mallet sold her publication to Samuel Buckley, he relocated the business to Fleet Street in London. Buckley’s name often appears in the history books when talking about early newspapers, but undoubtedly, it is Mallet who played an even bigger role. Her impartiality was actually well before its time, with most journalists in the 18th century making their feelings clearly known. This was bound to cause tension between journalists and politicians if the former had written something negative about government policies.By the 19th century, the number of literate people was on the increase, and this led to a desire to know what was going on both locally and overseas. Newspapers were in their element with this fresh demand for news, and they became more politically powerful as a result. It was also at this time that newspaper advertising became more prominent.In modern day terminology, the 20th century was the period when reading newspapers ‘went viral’. The activity was a daily habit for most. The power journalists had to influence policy and manipulate the opinions of their readers was at its height. More attention was paid to layout and design as well.In the current century, however, newspapers are starting to feel somewhat out of their depth. With TV, radio and especially the internet, all reporting on the same stories, newspapers are being left behind. Young people growing up today are the first in many generations that won’t regularly buy a newspaper, opting in favour of the many alternative ways of receiving the news instantly. Having said that, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks – and it’s surprising how many old dogs there are who still like to read a newspaper!