The World-Herald & Newspapering Through the...

The World-Herald & Newspapering Through the YearsA Newspaper in Education Student Guide

Timeline 1450

Johann Gutenberg assembles the fi rst modern printing press.

1470The fi rst printed European newsbooks are published.

1535 Italian printer, Juan Publos (Giovanni Paoli) sets up a print shop in Mexico City, the fi rst in the Americas.

1640English press breaks free of authority, providing fi rst real coverage of national news.

1690Boston’s Publick Occurrences, the fi rst newspaper in the British colonies, is banned after its fi rst issue.

Introduction...Newspapers serve an important role in American society. Many people rely on newspapers as their primary source of news and information each day. Because of this, newspapers have a great responsibility to their readers to be fair, accurate and timely.

The Omaha World-Herald has been producing newspapers for Nebraska since 1885. In this guide you will not only learn the importance of newspapers, but also how the Omaha World-Herald is created.

The History of NewspapersPeople have recorded important events since ancient times, when the Romans posted hand-written notes in public places. In 1450, Johann Gutenberg took a Chinese invention a step further and developed a successful European printing press, making printing relatively easy.

By the 16th century, newspapers had started to appear in Europe. The fi rst newspaper in North America was printed in 1690. Shortly after, Benjamin Franklin began publishing The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1720. He was one of the fi rst editors to use illustrations in a newspaper. For the fi rst time in history, common people could express ideas and opinions in leafl ets, fl iers and newspapers.

Today, nearly 2,000 daily newspapers exist in the United States. The newspaper remains many people’s preferred media because of its ability to cover more stories and present information in greater detail.

The World-Herald & Newspapering Through the Years Page 1

Gilbert M. Hitchcock founded the Omaha Daily World in 1885. The Omaha Daily World sold for 3 cents per copy. Hitchcock purchased the Omaha Herald in 1889, creating the Omaha World-Herald. On Monday August 24, 1885 Mr. Hitchcock introduced the newspaper to the public as the “people’s paper has come, and come to stay.” And it all began with a four-page issue. A mixture of local, national and world news, the paper promised to be non-partisan and independent. It also pledged to promote the best interests of the people. Since its inception the Omaha World-Herald has never missed an issue.

The World-Herald has received three Pulitzer Prizes for an editorial, a photograph and community service. In addition, the newspaper has received the Global Award for Media Excellence, the International Friendship Force Award and the Overseas Press Club of America Award. The Omaha World-Herald has played an important role in the development of Omaha and communities throughout Nebraska.

The Freedom Center, which opened in September 2001, houses a state-of-the-art printing press. The name, Freedom Center, reinforces the idea that the World-Herald is a part of the foundation on which Omaha was built. Just as newspapers protect the individual freedoms of Americans, construction of the Freedom Center demonstrates that the Omaha World-Herald will continue to fulfi ll this role for readers.

Henry Doorly 1934-1955

Walter Christenson 1955-1966

Harold Andersen 1966-1989

John Gottschalk 1989-Present

Gilbert Hitchcock 1885-1934

Peter Kiewit purchased The World-Herald in 1962 from the Hitchcock family to

ensure the newspaper would be locally owned. In his will, Kiewit provided for the

sale of the newspaper to its employees. The Omaha World-Herald has nearly 25

years of employee ownership.

Employee Ownership

The History of the Omaha World-Herald

CensorshipDirectly related to the First Amendment is the issue of censorship. In fact, a Supreme Court case, Hazelwood vs. Kulmeier, was a result of high school principal that would not permit an advanced journalism class to publish two articles.

The articles in question were about teen pregnancy and the impact of divorce on students. The principal believed that the articles were controversial, and might have been disruptive. The student editors sued the principal and the school district. They argued that their First Amendment rights had been violated.

The Supreme Court decided that the principal did not break any laws. It gave public school educators editorial control over the content of school-sponsored publications if they can show that their actions are reasonably related to educational concerns.

Timeline 1747

Andrew Bradford and Benjamin Franklin publish the fi rst magazines in the colonies.

1770Crusading newspapers and pamphlets unify Americans before and during the Revolution.

1848The Associated Press begins, allowing newspapers to share news-gathering activities and products.

1860Newspapers and the telegraph provide Civil War coverage. Exhibits of battlefi eld photographs bring the reality of war to civilians for the fi rst time.

1861Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony start The Revolution, a newspaper crusading for women’s suffrage and women’s rights.


“ A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.”

—Arthur Miller, Playwright

The Role of a Newspaper in Society“ Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government

without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

—Thomas Jefferson

What Makes a Story Newsworthy?Relevant: Does the information relate to current topics of the day?

Interesting: Will the readers fi nd the information interesting?

Timely: Is the news current or of interest to readers at this time?

Signifi cance: How important is this information? Is the story important to reader’s work, families, education or health?

Useful: Will the information benefi t readers?

Why Do We Have Newspapers?Newspapers are an essential part of all free societies because they allow the community a free exchange of information and opinions. Newspapers have been part of society for over 500 years. The modern newspaper provides a wide choice of information. It offers a greater depth of detail compared to what can be obtained from television and radio. Newspapers also serve as a permanent record of information and events.

Why Is Freedom of the Press So Important?A free press is part of a free nation. A democratic society depends on informed citizens, so a press which operates free of any governmental control is critical. From a wide dissemination of facts, and a free exchange of ideas and opinions concerning those facts, citizens can form their own ideas freely and make choices wisely. Thomas Jefferson said, “The only security of all is in a free press…No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is not free, no one ever will.”

A free press reports what free people think other people ought to hear, not just what a government thinks they ought to hear.

The First AmendmentThe First Amendment to the Constitution protects freedoms that Americans consider valuable: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. With the privileges of freedom come responsibilities. Responsible newspapers do not print stories that they know are false or that could lead to crime, riot or revolution.

The 3 Functions of a Newspaper

1. Inform 2. Interpret 3. Entertain

Timeline 1885

The fi rst edition of the Daily World is published by Gilbert Hitchcock in Omaha, NE.

1889Hitchcock purchases another Omaha newspaper, the Herald. The two newspapers combine to form the Omaha World-Herald.

1894William Jennings Bryan is appointed Editor in chief of the Omaha World-Herald.

1895Era of yellow journalism begins with intense competition and sensationalism in newspapers in New York.

1904Hitchcock’s son-in-law, Henry Doorly, brings fi nancial stability to the Omaha World-Herald. He knew that increased advertising in the newspaper would increase the number of readers.


Newspaper StructureExamples of Editorial ContentPolitical Information about: • Local, state and national elections • How people vote • New laws • What people think the government should do • Government’s relation to other countries

Economic Information about: • Prices • Business • Banking • Stock market • Employment • How people earn and spend money

Scientifi c Information about: • New discoveries • Space • Environment • Medicine and health • Nutrition

Society Information about: • The way people live • Modern lifestyles • School events • Community meetings • Sports • Entertainment • Social events • Celebrations

Editorial ContentEditorial ContentNews “Hard News” Late-breaking information about

international, national, state and local events

Features “Soft News” Timely information about subjects of general interest

Opinions • Editorials • Opinion columns • Advice columns • Reviews • Letters to the Editor

Advertising ContentDisplay (ROP) Ads for stores, businesses, amusements and political

Classifi ed • Help wanted • Person-to-person sales • Lost and found • Automotive • Real estate • Rentals

Inserts Free-standing, pre-printed retail

advertisements

Go through today's newspaper and fi nd one example of each.

The World-Herald & Newspapering Through the Years Page 4Timeline 1919

Harvey Newbranch of the Omaha World-Herald wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial, Law and the Jungle. The editorial was prompted because of riots that ensued when a mob lynched a black man and attempted to hang the mayor.

1919The fi rst U.S. tabloid starts pushing sensational, cleverly written stories. It is called the New York Illustrated Daily News.

1932The Omaha World-Herald is affected by the Great Depression and is forced to cut salaries by 6%. This cut allowed them to keep everyone on staff and continue producing the newspaper. One year later they reinstated all salaries.

Hot Off the Wire...Types of StoriesSpot News: Breaking news such as fi res, fl oods or events not scheduled. Spot news stories are primarily written to provide information.

Scoops: Reveal news to the reader. These are the result of an investigation by the reporter.

Explanatory: Stories that explain things to readers, such as the President’s tax plan or the rise of gasoline prices.

Features: Tell stories about the people and the community in which they live. They are written to entertain as well as inform. These stories are not as time sensitive as spot news and scoops. They are usually written in advance of their publication date. Features include columns, personality spotlights, historical perspectives and reviews.

The 5 W's

1. WHO is the story about? 2. WHAT happened or is about to happen? 3. WHERE did the action take place? 4. WHEN did it happen? 5. WHY did it happen?

A bit of background

A bit of action, detail

The story unfolds, develops

The most important event or climax

The conclusion wraps it up

Pyramid StyleFiction or feature story (human interest story)

Inverted PyramidStraight news story (hard news)

Lead paragraph: who, what, when, where, why and how

More details to explain lead paragraph

Smaller details

Trivia

Newspaper PyramidsNews stories are written to give readers the important information in a condensed format. The fi rst paragraph is called the lead. It tells the who, what, when, where and why of a story.

The difference between news stories and other writing is often illustrated using Inverted Pyramid and Pyramid Style.

1937The last of the Omaha World-Herald’s competing newspapers goes out of business, leaving the Omaha World-Herald as the leading provider of news in the area.

1934Gilbert Hitchcock dies, leaving Henry Doorly in charge.Ti

meline 1942

The Omaha World-Herald held a scrap metal drive to offer assistance during the war. This resulted in the newspaper’s second Pulitzer Prize.

1943The Omaha World-Herald receives its third Pulitzer Prize for a photograph of an Iowa solider returning home after World War II. The photo was taken by Earle "Buddy" Bunker.


Types of AdvertisingThere are three types of advertising found in the newspaper, classifi ed, retail & inserts.

The Whole Picture...

Photographs offer readers the ability to see the faces and places that are in the news.

Advertising...

Sometimes graphic artists create images to explain a point or idea in a story

by creating maps, charts, graphs & illustrations.

Editorial cartoons use humor to dramatize important issues. The cartoons appear on the opinion page because they refl ect the

perspective of the cartoonist.

Retail advertisements are also known as ROP ads. ROP stands for "run of paper" or "run of press." These ads are placed in the paper by specifi c stores, merhcants and political groups offering goods, services & information.

Inserts are pre-printed retail advertisements. These are the loose ads you fi nd inside the paper promoting grocery stores as well as regional and national department & discount stores.

Classifi ed advertising is an inexpensive way for the general public to reach a wide audience. You may know someone who has advertised a car or a garage sale in the newspaper, they placed a classifi ed ad. These ads are inexpensive compared to the retail ads. The price depends on the type of ad and the number of lines it contains. Most classifi ed ads are two to three lines and contain abbreviations to offer the most explanation in the smallest amount of space.

There are several ways in which newspapers are delivered:

Single Copy Home Deliverya) Store sales a) Delivered by youth or an adult b) Vending machine sales b) Traveling on foot, by bike or by automobile

1947The Omaha World-Herald breaks ground to construct a larger facility. This building stands on 14th and Dodge streets. It takes up a city block known as World-Herald Square.

1947More than 55 million newspapers are distributed daily to a population approaching 150 million.Timeline 1961

Henry Doorly dies. Walter Christenson takes over most of his duties. This is the fi rst time that the ownership of the Omaha World-Herald is in question.

1962Peter Kiewit assumes ownership of the Omaha World-Herald. He believes strongly in local ownership and does not want the newspaper purchased by a company outside of the metro area.


Circulation...The Final Piece of the Newspaper EquationOnce you have the news and the ads—and the papers are printed and inserted—the newspapers have to be delivered to the readers.

Mail DeliveryThe United States Postal Service delivers newspapers to subscribers living outside the delivery boundaries for the newspaper and to others who request and pay for it. Cost for mail subscriptions is higher than it is for home delivery or single copy papers due to the higher postage costs.

Third Party SalesThese are the complimentary newspapers that you receive when you stay in a hotel, college dorm, or apartment. Sometimes they are given away free at a special event. These papers are paid for by a “Third Party,” a company or companies with an interest in reaching the market that the recipients of the papers represent. These papers are delivered to the hotel rooms or handed to interested readers at events.

School Newspaper in Education ProgramsStudents benefi t from exposure to newspapers in their classrooms. Newspapers are one source of continuing education for our lifetimes. Each day’s newspaper presents you with something that you did not know until you read it in that paper. These papers are purchased by schools and also by caring community members and businesses which sponsor the newspapers. Look up the word "sponsor" in your dictionary.

Electronic Editions on the WebSome newspapers are actually utilizing software that allows their editions to be read in their entirety on the web—in the exact format as the physical paper—but miniaturized. This even includes the comics, ads and, in some cases, the inserts! A couple of the software companies providing this service include NewsStand, Inc. and Olive Software. The Washington Post gives readers a free month’s subscription to their print edition online and then readers have to start paying for their subscriptions.

Newspapers are delivered through rain, shine, hail, below-zero temperatures & wind seven days a week in order to reach the

newspaper single copy buyers and subscribers.

The term, Circulation, represents the actual number of hard copy editions of the newspapers that are sold in their entirety. These numbers are reported to advertisers who make their advertising buying decisions based on circulation numbers. It is very important that these numbers are reported accurately—after all, advertisers want to get a response to their ads and the higher the circulation, the higher their response and revenues will be. It is so important for these numbers to be accurate that most newspapers employ audit bureaus to review their records and report the precise circulation numbers to advertisers.

Circulation can be audited by one of several audit bureaus including ABC - the Audit Bureau of Circulations, CAC - Certifi ed Audit of Circulations, and the BPA - Business Publication Audit.

Readership, on the other hand, is the total number of people who actually read one copy of the newspaper. In your household, your father, mother and older sister may read the same copy of the newspaper. So the readership for that copy of the newspaper is actually 3—instead of 1 copy as is counted by the circulation department. If you see one lying in a restaurant, that copy may be read by a dozen or more people on any given day.

This is important information for advertisers because they want to know the total market that the newspapers reach just as radio and television have always measured their listeners and viewers by their audience.


Circulation...

1972Coverage of the Watergate story, led by the Washington Post brings the presidency of Richard Nixon to an end.

1966Harold Andersen becomes Publisher and CEO of the Omaha World-Herald.Timeline 1975

The Omaha World-Herald helps to reverse a gag order placed on the press. They take their argument to the Supreme Court and win the battle. It is stated that the courts cannot restrict the press from printing public knowledge and that to do so is unconstitutional.

1979The Omaha World-Herald becomes one of two metropolitan newspapers that are employee-owned. Employees purchase 80% of the company.

What's the Difference Between Newspaper Circulation and Readership?


1. LayoutAfter the reporters and photographers have gathered the story the articles are sent to the page layout designer. The page designer works to create a page that will make people want to read the newspaper. They assemble headlines, articles, photos, graphics and advertising electronically. In fact, the ads are scheduled in the paper before the news stories since that is how newspapers earn the majority of their revenue. News stories are then laid out in the paper.

2. Page OutputOnce each page is designed, it goes to Page Output and Plate-making. In this stage the pages receive a fi nal review. If they do not need correction, they are sent electronically to a plate-making machine.

3. Plate-MakingThe plate-making machine works like a printer that uses sheets of aluminum instead of paper. There are two plates made for every page of the newspaper. This allows the presses to print both the front and backside of the page at the same time. If a page has any color added to it, additional plates are needed: cyan (blue), magenta (red), and or yellow. The primary colors are the only colors needed because all other colors can be created through combinations of the primary colors.

4. PressOnce the plates are generated, press operators place them on the press. They then weave the newsprint through the press rollers to set-up for the press run.

5. ColorThe next stop is to set the amount and color of ink put on a page. This process uses computers for accuracy.

6. PrintingOnce the newspaper is printed, inserts which are usually advertisements are put into the newspaper by machines called hoppers.

7. Loading of CartsCompleted newspapers are bundled in stacks of 20-50 newspapers depending on the size of the day’s paper. The bundled newspapers are then placed on carts ready to be loaded onto trucks.

8. TransportationTruck drivers deliver newspapers to designated points across Nebraska. There are fi ve distribution centers across the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. Additionally, some drivers drop newspapers in towns outside of the Omaha area. Each driver receives a computer-generated list of routes. This list tells the number of newspapers to drop off at each location.

9. CarriersNewspaper carriers are responsible for delivering the newspaper directly to subscriber’s house each day. Carriers try to deliver a dry, complete newspaper in a consistent location for readers.

10. Single-Copy SalesCustomers who do not receive the newspaper at home can purchase it at many stores and newsstands. In this case, truck drivers deliver newspapers directly to each sales location.

11. Sales & Customer ServiceThe newspaper’s circulation department is responsible for selling and distributing the newspaper to subscriber. Circulation’s sales team introduces potential customers to the newspaper in a variety of ways. Customer service representatives start new subscriptions, schedule vacation stops, fi nd solutions to delivery issues and answer general questions.

Putting It All Together...

1982The USA Today is born, the nation’s fi rst national newspaper.

1979The Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) provides live camera feeds from Congress.Ti

meline 1988

U.S. Supreme Court’s Hazelwood School District vs Kuhlmeier decision declares that school-sponsored activities such as student newspapers and plays may be censored or banned by school offi cials under certain conditions.

1989Harold Anderson retires. John Gottschalk becomes Publisher and CEO of the Omaha World-Herald. Mr. Gottschalk is the fi fth publisher in the history of the Omaha World-Herald.


AP: abbreviation for the Associated Press, a wire service

Assignment: an event that a reporter has been delegated to cover

Banner: a headline running across the top of a page; also called a streamer or ribbon

Beat: the area assigned to a reporter for their regular coverage

Broadsheet: a "standard" or full-sized newspaper that usually measures 12-13" wide by 21-22" deep

Byline: name of the writer appearing at the head of a news or picture story

Column inch: one inch of type (measured vertically) one column wide

Composed: to set type

Copy: all printed material prepared for printing

Cover: to get all the facts of a news event and write it as a story

Cut: any piece of art in the newspaper; also, to trim a story’s length

Cutline: explanatory information under a picture or art

Dateline: words that give a story’s place of origin at the beginning of a story

Deadline: time at which all copy for an edition must be in; a term used by both editorial and advertising

Ear: either upper corner of the front page, sometimes used for weather news or to call attention to a special feature

Editorial: an article expressing the opinion of the newspaper or citizen regarding a specifi c, often controversial, topic

Feature: an article that may not have news value but is of interest to readers

Flag: the newspaper’s nameplate on the front-page

Gutter: margin between facing pages where the paper folds

Headline: title of a news story

Inverted pyramid: form for a news story in which facts are arranged in descending order of importance

Journalism: the profession of reporting, photographing or editing news stories for one of the media

Jump: to continue a story from another page

Kill: to eliminate all or part of a story

Lead: fi rst paragraph or two of a news story, tells the who, what, when, where, why and how

Masthead: detailed information printed in the newspaper stating the title, ownership and subscription rates

Morgue: newspaper’s library of stories, pictures, biographies and other references

Newspapering: journalism practiced for the newspapers

Press Release: specially prepared announcement for the media by a company or indiviual

Proof: page on which newly set copy is reproduced to make possible the correction of errors

Proofreader: one who reads proof pages and marks errors for correction

Scoop: story obtained before other media services receive the information

Stringer: a part-time reporter, a correspondent

Tabloid (or Tab): a newspaper with smaller pages than a broadsheet, usually measuring 11" wide by 16-18" deep;

very common in high-commuting markets

UPI: abbreviation for United Press International, a wire service

Wirephoto: a photograph transmitted by telephonic or telegraphic equipment

Glossary of Editorial Language

1998The Omaha World-Herald begins plans for the construction of the Freedom Center.

1994Some 27.9 million people worldwide have access to a computer necessary to send electronic mail and share information on the Internet.Ti

meline

2001The Freedom Center begins production and printing of the Omaha World-Herald.

1999Groundbreaking for the Freedom Center takes place on May 1.


1. News DecisionsStudent Objective: To identify why news stories are selected to appear in the newspaper.

What Makes News? Everyday, the editors of a newspaper must make decisions about which news stories will be printed in the available space. The following factors help make those decisions:

Timeliness: Is the news current or of interest to readers at this time?

Proximity: Did the action take place nearby? Does the story relate to local needs and interests?

Unusual: Is the story unusual?

Consequences: Does the story affect a large number of people?

Prominence: Does the story deal with well-known people or social groups?

Suspense: Does the story tell of suspense created by disasters?

Confl ict: Is there a confl ict dealing with interesting people, situations or emotions?

Emotions: Does the story deal with love, pity, horror, fear, hate, jealousy etc?

Progress: Does the story tell about the discoveries or advances of humankind though science, medicine or technology?

Importance: Is the story important to the reader’s work, family, education or health?

Directions: Select 5 stories in the newspaper. For each story, tell which factor(s) makes it newsworthy.

Newspaper Activities

Headline Why Is It Newsworthy?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


3. Scavenger HuntStudent objective: Navigate through the newspaper, locating information.

Directions: Locate all of the items listed below.

2. Getting the FactsStudent objective: identify the 5 W’s and the H of newspaper articles.

All news stories are planned to give the reader all of the important fact fi rst.

The important facts are:• WHO is the story about?• WHAT happened?• WHERE did the action take place?• WHEN did it happen?• WHY/HOW did it happen?

Directions: Find 3 stories in the newspaper and list the 5 W’s and the H of each.

1 2 3

Story

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why or How?

❏ A headline

❏ A story about something you would like to do

❏ The weather report for today

❏ A story about a place you would like to go or see

❏ A major sports story

❏ A story about crime

❏ A picture of someone smiling

❏ The fi rst name of one of your friends or family members

❏ What will be on TV tonight at 8:00 pm

❏ A job listing requiring a college degree

❏ A comic strip and make up a new ending

❏ Something that costs less than $1

Newspaper Activities

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