Civil War and the Press

The Civil War was a pivotal point in the history of the United States for obvious reasons, but many fail to realize the revolution it brought about for journalism. This period of time produced some of the biggest stories to date, and was documented in ways that had never been publicized before.

The shift of journalism was not only due to the reporter's coverage, but also to the demands of the editors. No longer were publications waiting for the news to come to them, they were now chasing the stories (Risley). This was partly due to the fact that a majority of the public was consuming news, and the penny press did this by allowing for the middle class to partake along with the elite.

The daily newspapers in the North and South, which only accounted for 10 percent of the papers in publication at the time, had a combined circulation of 1.4 million issues per day (Coopersmith).

The public's demand for news was met with technological advances during the Civil War, which allowed for the spread of mass media. The telegraph was a monumental invention in 1844 that provided an outlet for reporters to quickly transfer their work to editors for publication. This truly shaped the timely aspect of news, which was furthered by the steam-powered cylinder press that allowed for mass production and greater spread to audiences. (Risley)

With the ability to produce and consume news at an all time high, the way in which it was laid out also took a new direction. Illustrations became a very important part of the papers and the news industry. Since photographs were harder to capture, and usually posed, artists were quite influential in their depictions of the war. People now expected to see what they were being told. Harper's Weekly in New York set the precedent for illustrated magazines during the Civil War period. While these newspapers attempted to remain nonpartisan, they inevitably fell to a pro-Union stance which strengthen their readership in the North.

There were noticeable differences in the publications of the North and South, mainly because the South lacked the resources that the North possessed. Only 10% of the news circulation in the United States was accounted for in the South (American Antiquarian Society). The publications were also quite partisan in their approach to reporting the war, which obviously accounted for differences in their coverage (Sachsman).

It is also important to note the conditions that reporters and illustrators endured in order to disseminate the news of the war to the rest of the country. These correspondents were on the battle fields and living the harsh circumstances of a soldier in terms of their meals, clothing, and settings.

While some of the "reporting" during this era was falsely portrayed and over-dramatized in order to sell papers, this era also set the bar for the breaking news aspect for journalists. Many of the articles produced during this time were ground-breaking and revolutionary to the state of the country.