The Survival of Journalism in the Colonies

As a journalist if fascinates me how little journalism existed in the early days of the colonies. The reason there was little journalism was because most publications were shut down by British rule. Obviously, this angered the colonist. The idea of "no taxation without representation" in some ways falls under this. Part of being represented was allowing the colonist to have newspapers to share information. Most colonist did not know what was going on across the pond in Britain, due to the lack of not having a strong newspaper in the colonies. The colonist did not like the power that Britain had over them to shut such things down. It is one of the big reasons that our American values shares the idea of the publics check on government. We have journalists to check our government, by expressing what the people want changed. 

The Boston News Letter was not the first newspaper in the colonies. It was technically the second one. However, the first printed newspaper, Publick Occurrences, was only printed once. It was shut down immediately by British rule. The Boston News Letter was the first newspaper to be printed more than once. In fact in stayed in print for 72 years. The Boston News Letter was eventually shut down by the British, but it stayed in print for years. 

The Boston News Letter was not supposed to be a newspaper, but rather a political letter between two colonists. John Campbell wrote political letters to Connecticut's Governor Fitz-John Winthrop. Campbell began writing to other political leaders too. Everyone loved Campbell's political and newsworthy updates that they urged him to turn them into a newspaper. With the help of John Green, Campbell started the Boston News Letter (hence the newspapers name). 

The big question is: how did The Boston News Letter continue to be published, when other newspapers were being shut down? 

There is no clear answer as to how The Boston News Letter continued its publications for 72 years under British law. However, it is clear that at the the time of its publication the newspaper was not just a luxury to the colonists, but a need. They also needed a place to obtain information about what was happening locally and in Britain. Campbell, understood that people wanted their political voice to be heard. He left the last page of the newspaper blank for readers to contribute to the dialogue. This was significant because it helped fuel the new idea of the "marketplace of ideas". 

A lot of sources have concluded that it is not so much that it was allowed to be published, but rather that it survived British rule. The paper printed stories and ideas that the British definitely did not like, but it prevailed and continued publishing stories. 

The truth is there were lots of journalists in the early days of the colonies. That is why the concept of the "marketplace of ideas" eventually took shape. People have opinions and need a place to voice them. However, their voices were suppressed by the king. The Boston News Letter survived because those journalists needed a place to publish their voice.