[00:00.00]NARRATOR: Listen to part of a conversation between a student and her history professor.
[00:05.17]FEMALE STUDENT: So I definitely wanna write my term paper on American journalism in the eighteenth century. [00:10.76]That old copy of the New York Daily Gazette you showed us, the one printed from the library's microfilm…[00:16.55]just seeing a newspaper that was published in 1789, that was really cool.
[00:21.77]MALE PROFESSOR: Yes, reading old newspapers can be a powerful experience, especially to a budding historian like yourself. [00:28.48]As a resource for scholars and researchers, I don't think any form of publication really captures the day-to-day life of a community better than a local newspaper.
[00:38.33]FEMALE STUDENT: Yeah, I mean I knew that the number of newspapers exploded in the eighteenth century, [00:43.00]but I figured they all deteriorated before the technology was invented to preserve them, or y'know, make copies.
[00:49.57]MALE PROFESSOR: Well, actually, before the mid-1800s, newspapers were printed on fairly sturdy paper made from cotton fibers. [00:56.78]Those that survived are in surprisingly good shape.
[00:59.94]FEMALE STUDENT: Are there many more copies of the Gazette on microfilm?
[01:03.15]MALE PROFESSOR: Yeah, we've got a great microfilm library on campus. You'll find it invaluable, I'm sure, as you research your paper. [01:10.20]Um, but also talk to the librarians, because they're creating an online archive of their microfilm collection. [01:17.35]I'm not sure of the project's status, but if it's done, it'll probably save you time. [01:22.55]So, um, eighteenth-century journalism; you must realize that that topic's too broad for this assignment.
[01:29.63]FEMALE STUDENT: I do. So one idea I had was like, looking at an important world event, like maybe the French Revolution of 1789, since we just finished a unit on it. [01:39.62]The readings you had given us were incredibly vivid; I loved them. But they were translations of French writers…historians. [01:46.72]So, I thought it'd be interesting to pick the Gazette and one other American newspaper to see how each covered the Revolution, [01:53.85]how the journalists reported it from America’s perspective….
[01:57.19]MALE PROFESSOR: Hmm. Interesting approach. [01:59.10]But remember, I’ll be grading your paper based on the details you include. [02:03.49]And at some point in your paper, you'll want to focus on a particular event of the Revolution, like maybe the storming of the Bastille prison?
[02:11.08]FEMALE STUDENT: How 'bout the formation of the French National Constituent Assembly?
[02:15.00]MALE PROFESSOR: Sure, that would work.
[02:16.32]FEMALE STUDENT: And since I'm gonna look at newspapers from two cities, I could read the editorials, the opinion pieces, to find out what each community thought about the National Assembly.
[02:26.12]MALE PROFESSOR: OK, but…y'know, I once attended a history conference where a professor presented a paper on the American press and the French Revolution. [02:34.99]She was discussing the development of democratic ideals here and in France at the time. [02:40.86]But, ah, she also pointed out that using old newspapers as primary sources…to be aware that they reflected the values of only a segment of society and should not be used to draw conclusions about all Americans.[02:56.10]I don't think I held onto her paper, but it was subsequently published, so you'll have no trouble tracking it down on the Internet. Let me give you her name…
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