The Penny Press introduced newspapers to thousands of Americans who could not afford the more expensive "Wall Street" type of newspaper that cost 6 cents per issue. Because Benjamin Day, James Gordon Bennett and other editors/publishers decided that a penny a paper would increase circulation and subsequently advertising revenue, a new era of newspapers developed in the United States following the publication of Day's Sun in  September1833.

Day's plan for establishing a penny paper was simple, and the paper's motto, "The Sun shines for all," summed it up.  Create a newspaper that appeals to people in all walks and stations of life, and you will have a financial boon.  Day decreased the size of his newspaper to 71/2 inches x 10 inches, making it easy to hold and read. Many papers of the day had increased their size to the point that pages were sized in feet, not inches. The Penny Press, led by Day, created a new business plan for America's newspapers:

   1. Create a small, easily accessible paper,

    2. Sell it on the streets with newsboys,

    3. Let it cost something so that it will have worth,

    4. Avoid strong political ties,

    5. Talk about everyday occurrences, spice them up, fib if you have to,

    6. Go for quantity, not quality in circulation,

    7. Go for quality in printing.

The old plan for newspapers called for newspapers to

   1. Align with a political party and depend on it for support,

    2. Sell papers by subscription only, at prices too expensive for "ordinary" people,

    3. Sell individual copies for at least 6 cents, if you sell them at all,

    4. Depend on subscriptions for income,

    5. Sell ads by the "square" and cheaply.

How successful was Benjamin Day and the Penny Press? Day began the Sun in 1833. He sold it in 1838 with a circulation of 34,000. Papers at the time rarely had circulations of more than a few thousand issues at best. Day sold the Sun for $38,000, which was equal to more than 162 years worth of work for the average American in that time period! And, Day was just 28 years old when he sold the paper!

We have read and discussed the most famous of Day's stories in the Sun: "The Moon Hoax," which writer Richard Adams Locke produced in six appealing "pieces" for readers. Locke said his story about life on the moon was based on an article in the Scottish Edinburgh Journal of Science. That article said the creatures were discovered with a giant telescope in South Africa. The moon creatures, according to Locke's story on August 28, 1835, were flying people who "averaged four feet in height, were covered, except on their face, with short and glossy copper-colored hair, and had wings composed of a thin membrane."

Many American editors copied the Sun's stories verbatim. Others accused the Sun of publishing rubbish and tall tales. Thousands of Americans believed the stories, however. Locke's story was similar to much of the literature being created at the time, and another editor and writer, Edgar Allan Poe, claimed that Locke (who was an acquaintance) copied Poe's story about a balloon adventurer named Hans Pfaal that appeared in a journal called the Southern Literary Messenger.  Locke denied any copying, but the blurring of news and fiction stirred emotions in America. And, as we have seen, it increased greatly newspaper circulation.

Another Penny Press story that we have discussed is the famous Ellen Jewett murder. The editor responsible for the Ellen Jewett murder stories was James Gordon Bennett. Bennett started his own penny paper in 1835, calling it the New York Herald. Bennett became the epitome of the editor who ran sensational stories and exaggeration in this era, but he said in his May 6, 1835, paper, "I mean to make the Herald the great organ of social life, the prime element of civilization, the channel through which native talent, native genius, and native power may bubble up daily." Bennett was despised by more people, especially other editors, than any newspaperman of the era. The Jewett murder coverage was just the beginning of the dislike for Bennett.

As you remember, Ellen Jewett was a prostitute who was murdered in a hotel room. The bed she was in was set on fire. Bennett reconstructed the murder in exacting and fabricated detail to produce a good story. "He then drew from beneath his cloak the hatchet, and inflicted upon her head three blows, either of which must have proved fatal," Bennett speculated of how Jewett met her end. Bennett continued with the story all the way through the trial of the man accused of the murder, Richard Robinson. He was acquitted to the chagrin of Bennett and no doubt thousands of the Herald's readers.

Your Assignment

Read through the stories you find in today's newspapers. Pick one and rewrite it in the best Penny Press form possible.

We want to attempt to understand the difference in objective and fair reporting that we expect from most media outlets and news that is manipulated to make it a better story. Work to incorporate elements that make for a story line that would appeal to many people and seem plausible.

As you write, think about the information we are given by media outlets today to determine if there are certain elements or types of stories that we still have that are similar to those produced in the Penny Press era. Think of headlines from the past decade that would lend themselves to stories of the type that the Sun and the Herald ran.

Often there is a thin line between credible information and that which is fabricated. See if you can keep your story credible sounding while you add Penny-Press style information.

Finally, be ready to discuss whether we are as gullible as the readers of the 1830s or whether we are more discerning and why. Be able to discuss the role media today play in the formulation of your answer.
 

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