History of News in Timeline

News encompasses current events disseminated through various media, including oral communication, print, postal services, broadcasting, and electronic channels. It relies on accounts from observers and witnesses. The term 'hard news' distinguishes it from softer forms of media content.

1900: News Cartel Formed

Around 1900, Wolff, Havas, and Reuters formed a news cartel, dividing the global market into sections with exclusive distribution rights and relationships with national agencies. Each agency's area corresponded roughly to the colonial sphere of its mother country.

1902: Britain and the U.S. completed the circumtelegraphy

In 1902, Britain and the U.S. completed the circumtelegraphy of the planet with transpacific cables from Canada to Fiji and New Zealand, and from the US to Hawaii and the occupied Philippines.

1903: Britain and the U.S. completed the circumtelegraphy

In 1903, Britain and the U.S. completed the circumtelegraphy of the planet with transpacific cables from Canada to Fiji and New Zealand, and from the US to Hawaii and the occupied Philippines.

1904: Wire Services Opened Relations with Vestnik

In 1904, the big three wire services opened relations with Vestnik, the news agency of Czarist Russia, to their group, though they maintained their own reporters in Moscow.

1904: James Joyce's Ulysses derives from newspapers

Newspapers became significant aspects of national and literary culture. James Joyce's Ulysses, which derives from the newspapers of 16 June (and thereabouts), 1904, and represents the newspaper office itself as a vital part of life in Dublin.

Ulysses

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September 1918: Lenin Instructed the Soviet Press to cut back on their political rambling

In a 20 September 1918 Pravda editorial, Lenin instructed the Soviet press to cut back on their political rambling and produce many short anticapitalist news items in "telegraph style".

1920: Radio expanded rapidly

Radio expanded rapidly across the continent, from 30 stations in 1920 to a thousand in the 1930s.

1922: The British Broadcasting Company began transmitting radio news

In 1922, The British Broadcasting Company began transmitting radio news from London, dependent entirely, by law, on the British news agencies.

May 1926: BBC gained importance in the general strike

In May 1926, The BBC gained importance in the general strike, during which newspapers were closed and the radio served as the only source of news for an uncertain public.

1926: RCA's Radio Group established its radio network, NBC

In 1926, RCA's Radio Group established its radio network, NBC, in the US. The Paley family founded CBS soon after.

1929: Soviet Union began a major international broadcasting operation

In 1929, the Soviet Union began a major international broadcasting operation, with stations in German, English and French.

1931: Chinese Communist Party Created News Agency

In 1931, the Chinese Communist Party created its news agency, the Red China News Agency, with responsibilities for the Red China newspaper and the internal Reference News.

1933: Radio broadcasters negotiated an arrangement with the press

In 1933, Radio broadcasters in the United States negotiated an arrangement with the press, when they agreed to use only news from the Press–Radio Bureau and eschew advertising.

1937: Red China News Agency renamed to Xinhua News Agency

In 1937, the Red China News Agency was renamed Xinhua News Agency by the Chinese Communist Party.

1937: British government used BBC radio as a diplomatic tool

The British government used BBC radio as a diplomatic tool in 1937, setting up Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese services to promote cultural integration of their empire.

1939: Americans considered radio news more accurate than newspapers

By 1939, 58% of Americans surveyed by Fortune considered radio news more accurate than newspapers, and 70% chose radio as their main news source.

1942: The U.S. set up its Office of War Information

In 1942, The U.S. set up its Office of War Information which sent programming across South America, the Middle East, and East Asia.

1945: New Yorkers exhibit a virtual addiction to news

A 1945 study by sociologist Bernard Berelson found that during the 1945 New York newspaper strike, New Yorkers exhibited a virtual addiction to news, describing themselves as "lost", "nervous", "isolated", and "suffering" due to the withdrawal.

1949: Xinhua News Agency became the official news agency

In 1949, Xinhua News Agency became the official news agency of the People's Republic of China.

1955: The United States Information Agency surpassed Britain's radio network

By 1955, the worldwide Voice of America programs, produced by the United States Information Agency surpassed the scope of the British radio network.

1969: The Moon landing

In the United States, news events such as the 1969 Moon landing was cited as a source of the country's most important news.

1975: Experimental satellite television system in India

Beginning in the 1960s, the United States Agency for International Development, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and UNESCO developed the use of satellite television for international broadcasting. In India, 1975–1976, these agencies implemented an experimental satellite television system, called the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment, with assistance from the Indian Space Research Organisation, and All India Radio.

1976: Experimental satellite television system in India

1979: Capture of American hostages in Iran

In 1979, the capture of American hostages in Iran dominated months of news coverage in the western media, gained the status of a "crisis", and influenced a presidential election.

1980: Soviet Union tops broadcaster by some accounts

American propaganda broadcasters include Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, set up during the Cold War and still operating today. The United States remains the world's top broadcaster, although by some accounts it was surpassed for a time c. 1980 by the Soviet Union.

1980: Ted Turner Created CNN

In 1980, Ted Turner created the Cable News Network (CNN) which inaugurated a new era of 24-hour satellite news broadcasting.

1980: MacBride report calls for an interdependent global news system

In 1980, the MacBride report, "Many Voices, One World", called for an interdependent global news system with more participation from different governments. UNESCO also formed the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool.

1981: Bloomberg LP founded

In 1981, Michael Bloomberg founded Bloomberg LP, a private company that made rapid advances with computerized stock market reporting updated in real time.

1986: Space Shuttle Challenger explosion

In the United States, news events such as the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion was cited as a source of the country's most important news.

1987: U.S. media reports on riot in Dominican Republic

In 1987, the U.S. media reported on a riot in the Dominican Republic, which was the first major news item regarding that country in years. This event led to a decline in tourism that lasted for years and had a noticeable effect on the economy.

1989: Chinese government's actions in Tiananmen Square

In 1989, local and global communications media-enabled instant exposure to and discussion of the Chinese government's actions in Tiananmen Square. The news about Tiananmen Square travelled over a fax machine, telephone, newspaper, radio, and television, and continued to travel even after the government imposed new restrictions on local telecommunications.

1990: News story about Iraqi soldiers taking babies out of incubators in Kuwaiti hospitals

In 1990, a news story emerged about Iraqi soldiers taking "babies out of incubators" in Kuwaiti hospitals. This event is an example of public relations dovetailing with state objectives.

1991: BBC Introduced BBC World Service Television

In 1991, the BBC introduced a competitor to CNN, BBC World Service Television.

1992: The United States waged the Gulf War with the assistance of nonstop media coverage

The United States waged the 1991–1992 Gulf War with the assistance of nonstop media coverage, combining the use of embedded reporters.

1994: Netscape browser released

In 1994, the Netscape browser was released making the internet available to a wider public. Also, a 1994 earthquake in California was one of the first big stories to be reported online in real time. An early online newspaper was the Electronic Telegraph, published by The Daily Telegraph.

April 1995: People flocked to newsgroups and chatrooms

On the day of the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995, people flocked to newsgroups and chatrooms to discuss the situation and share information. The Oklahoma City Daily posted news to its site within hours.

April 1996: Al Jazeera Emerged

In April 1996, the Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera emerged as a powerful alternative to the Western media, capitalizing in part on anger in the Arab & Muslim world regarding biased coverage of the Gulf War. Al Jazeera hired many news workers conveniently laid off by BBC Arabic Television, which closed in April 1996.

1997: Death of Princess Diana

In the United States, news events such as the 1997 death of Princess Diana was cited as a source of the country's most important news.

2000: Intervention of the Supreme Court in the 2000 presidential election

In the United States, news events such as the intervention of the Supreme Court in the 2000 presidential election was cited as a source of the country's most important news.

2001: Television coverage of the destruction of the World Trade Center

In 2001, television coverage of the destruction of the World Trade Center, which repeated the same footage over and over, led to symptoms of psychological trauma experienced across the United States.

2001: September 11 attacks

In the United States, news events such as the 2001 September 11 attacks was cited as a source of the country's most important news.

2002: Xinhua Subscribers

In 2002, Xinhua has 16,969 subscribers, including 93% of Chinese newspapers.

2003: World Summit on the Information Society

Some issues relating to global information flow were revisited in light of the internet at the 2003/2005 World Summit on the Information Society, a conference which emphasized the role of civil society and the private sector in information society governance.

2005: World Summit on the Information Society

2009: Journalists reproduce fictional quotation from Wikipedia

In 2009, a number of journalists were embarrassed after all reproducing a fictional quotation, originating from Wikipedia. This illustrates the problem of circular reporting and the propagation of errors through increasingly reliable sources.

2010: Google News Redesigned Its Front Page

In 2010, Google News redesigned its front page with automatic geotargeting, which generated a selection of local news items for every viewer.

2011: Thomson Reuters employed more than 55,000 people

In 2011, Thomson Reuters employed more than 55,000 people in 100 countries, and posted an annual revenue of $12.9 billion.

2012: Twitter declared

In 2012, Twitter declared that their service is like being delivered a newspaper whose headlines you'll always find interesting, where you can discover news as it's happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and get the inside scoop in real time.

2013: Release of the film Anchorman 2

It has been acknowledged that sponsorship has historically influenced various news stories. This history gained widespread attention following the release of the 2013 film Anchorman 2.

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February 2018: TechCrunch journalist states Facebook stole the news business

In February 2018 TechCrunch journalist Josh Continue even stated that the company "stole the news business" and used sponsorship to make many news publishers its "ghostwriters."