DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN NEWSPAPER It was the last quarter of the 19th century that witnessed the beginning of changes in journalism which moulded the present character of the British newspapers. The first sign of change was struck by W. T. Stead in the Pall Mall Gazette, over 4o years ago. He popularised the interview, and humanised political jour nalism. He was cramped in his activities, as he edited an after noon review rather than a newspaper. The influence which the Pall Mall Gazette exercised under Frederick Greenwood, John Morley, W. T. Stead, and E. T. Cook was indirect. It had no popular appeal.
The first break in old traditions and appeal to democracy through the press came when the late T. P. O'Connor founded the Star in Jan. 1888. With the Star began a new type of popular jour nal. Human interest was its daily fare, and though small in size its scope was as wide and diversified as life. Politics and crime, special and personal news, finance and serial stories, books and fashions, labour, art, music, were all popularised by O'Connor. He had on his staff seven men who were afterwards editors of London newspapers, and the men who began their careers on the Star and gained fame in their own spheres in later years include George Bernard Shaw, A. B. Walkley, the greatest dramatic critic of his time, and that wayward genius Joseph Pennell.
As already mentioned the big advance in the new journalism was left to Alfred Harmsworth, the late Lord Northcliffe (q.v.).
Newspapers were the second stage of his meteoric career. He began with Answers and other periodicals, following the lead of Sir George Newnes with his Tit-Bits, and soon surpassed him. After his success in this sphere of journalism, Lord Northcliffe and his brother, Harold Harmsworth (now Lord Rothermere), acquired the London Evening News, and on this founded their phenomenal success in halfpenny morning journalism.
type of paper than the Daily Mail. and to appeal more to the interests of serious-minded women. It was still-born. It was Lord Northcliffe's greatest failure. But it was a lucky failure. The paper which was intended to be the women's Times was transformed into the first illustrated halfpenny daily newspaper. The Daily Mirror was bought by Lord Rothermere, and became as great a financial success as the Daily Mail.
The Daily Sketch was the next halfpenny daily picture paper to be published. The Daily Graphic had existed for many years as a penny daily illustrated paper, but never attained great suc cess nor won popular favour. All newspapers began, one after the other, to introduce a page of half-tone pictures and to publish other pictures in their news columns, the Times and the Daily Telegraph being among the last to adopt this feature.
Meanwhile other newspapers had been compelled by the success of the Daily Mail, followed by the Daily Express, to come down to a halfpenny and similarly to make their appeal to the masses. Leading articles became shorter, feature pages were introduced, and a magazine page with short articles and items of the tit-bit character, though it must not be assumed that this abbreviated style carried with it any real degeneration of journalism.
The World War brought more changes. At first, like all other industries, except those concerned with the production of muni tions or in some way associated with catering for the forces, the press was disorganized. The Government recognised that the press was an essential element in national effort, and facilities were granted to newspapers, both in regard to obtaining materials and in retaining man power. For the first time also, war corre spondents became more than camp followers, were granted uni forms and became officially attached to armies.
No industry has undergone such dramatic changes since the World War as the press. The late Kennedy Jones, who was asso ciated with the Harmsworths in founding the Daily Mail, said to the late Lord Morley : "You found journalism a profession, we have made it a branch of trade." It has now become also a branch of finance.