History of News in Timeline

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1900: Formation of the Global News Cartel

Around 1900, the major news agencies Wolff, Havas, and Reuters established a cartel that divided the global market into exclusive zones of influence, effectively mirroring the colonial spheres of their respective home countries and creating a high barrier to entry for new competitors.

1902: Completion of Global Circumtelegraphy

In 1902, Britain and the United States began the final phase of establishing a global telegraph network by laying transpacific cables, connecting Canada to Fiji and New Zealand, as well as the United States to Hawaii and the Philippines.

1903: Finalization of Transpacific Telegraph Links

By 1903, the British and American efforts to complete the circumtelegraphy of the planet were finalized, linking major global regions through transpacific underwater cables.

1904: Expansion of the News Cartel into Czarist Russia

In 1904, the prominent European wire services formalized relations with Vestnik, the official news agency of Czarist Russia, integrating the agency into their international network while continuing to station their own reporters within Moscow.

September 1918: Lenin Directs Soviet Press to Adopt Telegraph Style

On 20 September 1918, Vladimir Lenin published an editorial in Pravda instructing the Soviet press to abandon lengthy political commentary in favor of producing concise, anticapitalist news reports written in a telegraphic style.

1920: Early Radio Station Growth

As of 1920, the foundation for the expansion of radio was set with 30 stations operating across the United States before growing to over a thousand by the 1930s.

1922: BBC Radio News Transmission Begins

In 1922, the British Broadcasting Company commenced radio news transmissions from London, strictly adhering to laws that required them to source news exclusively from British news agencies while targeting an elite audience with specific linguistic standards.

May 1926: BBC Coverage of the General Strike

During the general strike in May 1926, the BBC became the primary information source for the public due to newspaper closures, though it faced criticism for adopting a pro-government bias.

1926: Establishment of NBC

In 1926, RCA's Radio Group officially established the NBC radio network, which went on to become a dominant force in news broadcasting in the United States.

1929: Soviet Union Launches International Broadcasting

In 1929, the Soviet Union initiated a significant international broadcasting operation, establishing radio stations that transmitted content in German, English, and French to reach a global audience.

1931: Creation of the Red China News Agency

In 1931, the Chinese Communist Party established the Red China News Agency, an organization tasked with overseeing the Red China newspaper and the internal Reference News publication.

1933: Press-Radio Bureau Agreement

In 1933, American radio broadcasters entered into an agreement to source news exclusively from the Press-Radio Bureau while avoiding advertising; however, this arrangement failed, leading stations to report their own news with advertisements.

1937: Renaming to Xinhua News Agency

The Red China News Agency underwent a name change in 1937, officially becoming known as the Xinhua News Agency.

1939: Radio Becomes Primary News Source

By 1939, data indicated that radio had overtaken newspapers as the preferred news source for 70% of Americans, with 58% perceiving radio broadcasts as more accurate than print media.

1942: Expansion of U.S. Office of War Information Broadcasting

In 1942, the United States established the Office of War Information to distribute radio programming across South America, the Middle East, and East Asia as part of its wartime communication strategy.

1949: Xinhua Becomes the Official News Agency

In 1949, the Xinhua News Agency was designated as the official state news agency of the newly formed People's Republic of China.

1955: Voice of America Surpasses British Radio Reach

By 1955, the worldwide radio programs produced by the United States Information Agency, known as Voice of America, officially surpassed the scale of the British radio network, which had previously held the record for the largest international broadcasting reach.

1980: Inauguration of CNN

In 1980, Ted Turner launched the Cable News Network (CNN), marking the beginning of the era of 24-hour satellite news broadcasting.

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1981: Founding of Bloomberg LP

In 1981, Michael Bloomberg established Bloomberg LP, a private company that would go on to revolutionize financial news through the integration of computerized, real-time stock market reporting and data analytics.

1991: Expansion of Global News Broadcasting and Gulf War Coverage

In 1991, the BBC launched BBC World Service Television, and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation expanded its influence with various regional channels. This year also marked the start of the Gulf War, which utilized nonstop media coverage and embedded reporters to report on the conflict.

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1992: Continued Media Coverage of the Gulf War

Throughout 1992, the United States continued the Gulf War with the assistance of the nonstop media apparatus established by 24-hour news networks.

1994: Expansion of Online News and Web Browsing

In 1994, the release of the Netscape browser expanded public access to the internet, transforming news websites from simple print archives into more accessible platforms. This period also saw the Electronic Telegraph emerge as one of the earliest online newspapers, and the 1994 California earthquake became a landmark event for real-time online news reporting.

April 1995: Online News Coverage of the Oklahoma City Bombing

During the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995, the public utilized newsgroups and chatrooms to share information. Major outlets, including the Oklahoma City Daily, the San Jose Mercury News, and Time magazine, provided rapid online updates, with the latter two being among the few capable of hosting images of the event.

April 1996: Closure of BBC Arabic Television

In April 1996, BBC Arabic Television ceased its operations, leading to the layoff of numerous news professionals who were subsequently hired by the newly emerging Qatar-owned broadcaster, Al Jazeera.

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2011: Thomson Reuters 2011 Annual Performance

In 2011, the multinational media and information firm Thomson Reuters maintained a massive global presence, employing over 55,000 individuals across 100 nations and reporting a substantial annual revenue of $12.9 billion.

2012: Twitter's Definition of Real-Time News Delivery

In 2012, Twitter officially characterized its platform as a personalized news delivery service, emphasizing its ability to provide breaking news, real-time insights, and immediate access to topics of interest for its users.

2013: Predictions on the Decline of Print Journalism

In a 2013 publication, experts and analysts predicted that traditional print newspapers in the United States would likely cease to exist within a window of 5 to 20 years due to the industry's shift toward 24-hour online publishing and digital consumption.