In the article “The Emancipation of Boyhood” by Lara Langer
Cohen (2013) from the Common Place website, and in the book The History of Amateur Journalism written
by Truman J. Spencer in 1940 (accessed on www.thefossils.org), it talks about
the rise of amateur journalism in the late 1800’s.
In the late 1860’s, Gutenberg’s printing press had become
such a popular item that manufacturers in the US invented smaller printing
presses called hobby presses. They were small enough to fit comfortably in
homes, which made printing accessible to almost everybody. People could print
whatever they wanted to in their own home, and this brought about amateur
journalism.
 |
| A hobby press |
To quote Finlay Grant, President of the National Association
of Amateur Journalists, "Amateur journalism is an institution of youth who
edit, publish, print, or contribute to, miniature journals as a means of
self-improvement, as a pleasing pastime, and for the advancement of their own
peculiar institutions.” Many teenage boys (those who participated in amateur
journalism were almost always boys) in every state started their own newspapers
using their new hobby presses.
 |
| Teenage boy using his hobby press |
However these newspapers were not the rowdy, immature newspapers
that you might expect teenage boys to write; they were usually very moralistic
and well written. Teenage boys didn’t usually start an amateur newspaper
because they were interested in something and wanted to write about it; they
started one to become a part of a community of other amateur journalists. The
way to receive an amateur newspaper was to exchange one newspaper for another.
So, young boys wanted to start their own newspaper to become a part of this
community and exchange program. One boy would write to another asking for an
exchange of newspapers, and soon it would become an exchange arrangement.
 |
| One boy asking to exchange newspapers with another boy |
These amateur newspapers were a part of teenagers’ social
lives in the late 1800’s. Amateur journalism is so unique because it is
voluntary learning. Teenagers were learning and becoming better at writing
literature in their own spare time and for their own enjoyment. In The History of Amateur Journalism,
Spencer compares and contrasts amateur journalism to baseball in that they are
both activities done in a child’s spare time, however, “as amateur athletics develop the body, amateur journalism shapes
the mind”.
Amateur newspapers still exist today. The National Amateur
Press Association originated back in the late 1860’s and is still being written
today. However, it was much more popular back in the late 1800’s.
In our history class, we learned about Gutenberg’s invention
of the first printing press. We learned how important and influential it was in
the Protestant Reformation because it allowed for the mass production of texts,
making reading and information accessible to many people, not just the rich and
educated. It also spread ideas and improved literacy among all social classes
because books became affordable to lower social classes.
Gutenberg’s printing press started this spread of knowledge,
and, using Gutenberg’s technology, smaller printing presses allowed for even
young teenagers to produce their own literature. In amateur journalism, we see
that young teenagers started to use the printing press to their own advantage.
They improved their literacy and produced many copies of their newspapers for
others to read.
I find this to be a very interesting topic because, being a
teenager, I can relate to it. I find it surprising that writing newspapers was
part of the social lives of teenagers in the late 1800’s. In modern day, you
don’t find a lot of teenagers voluntarily writing their own literature just for
fun. You find them watching TV, playing on their phones, or playing sports.
However, these things don’t help improve teenagers’ education. Blogs might be
considered the modern day equivalent of these newspapers, but it is very rare
to see a teenager using a blog to write about something educational that
interests them for fun. If we did this more often, it would be beneficial to
the education of teenagers, and might improve our society by educating the
younger generations that will become tomorrow’s leaders.
Bibliography:
1.) The article “The Emancipation of Boyhood”:
Cohen, Lara Langer. “The Emancipation of Boyhood.”
Common-Place. Fall 2013. The American
Antiquarian Society. http://www.common-place.org/vol-14/no-01/cohen/#.Usg4Ysso6P9 (January 4, 2014).
Spencer, Truman J. The
History of Amateur Journalism. The Fossils Inc., 1957. The Fossils.
Pictures:
1.) “Hobby Press.” Drawing. Common-Place. Fall 2013.
2.) “Teenage Boy Using Printing Press.” Drawing.
Common-Place. Fall 2013.
http://www.common-place.org/vol-14/no-01/cohen/#.Usg4Ysso6P9
(January 4, 2014).
3.) “Exchange of Amateur Newspapers.” Photograph.
Common-Place. Fall 2013.
http://www.common-place.org/vol-14/no-01/cohen/#.Usg4Ysso6P9
(January 4, 2014).
I really like your blog post! I think it's really interesting that writing amateur newspapers used to be part of teens' social lives! I also had no idea that printing presses were made small enough to fit into homes. They were kind of like an 1800's version of Microsoft word! Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and I thought it was very interesting. I had never heard about hobby presses before reading your post. I think it's very interesting that teenagers in the 1800's used to write amateur newspapers for fun. I agree that today we definitely do not see kids writing their own literature in their spare time, and maybe it would be beneficial to our society if kids started writing more. Overall, I think your post was very well written and you did a really good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Alisyn! This was very interesting to read because I had never heard of amateur journalism before I read your blog post. I think you could have added a little bit more detail about what we are learning in class. I do think this really shows how significant the printing press is and how much it has influenced our world today. Over all, great job explaining your article and showing how this connects to what we have learned in class.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post, I especially liked how you related it to teenagers which is what makes up your audiences. I also liked how you related it to our modern day world by showing us how the printing press changed it, and not just in the big ways, but in the small ways as well such as armature journalism. All in all I find your blog post intriguing as well as interesting.
ReplyDeleteI liked your title it was really interesting to think that a kid could start a newspaper. The connection to class was very good because it was very clear how and why it connected. The comparison to how it is today makes you see just how odd it is that kids could be running things like a newspaper. Good job!
ReplyDeleteAlisyn, great job! I picked your blog post because of the short paragraphs, and also most of the pictures caught my eye. But like others said, I like your connections. They were very easy to follow and to the point. Before reading your post, I had never known of "amateur Journalism, never mind think that teenagers could be making newspapers. I liked how you gave the definition of amateur journalism, the concept seems almost backwards compared to today. These days, every one is always on their phone texting someone or playing games, they never sit down and write about something interesting that just happened to them. Great Job though! Your post was very interesting and fun to read!
ReplyDeleteGreat Title! The use of pictures is also phenomenal. To think that people would start a newspaper to have fun is also quite interesting. The paragraphs are just long enough to get your point across while still keeping it shorter. The connection to class was clear, and the writing quality was great. Good job!
ReplyDelete