By common consensus, the newspapers as we understand them today – printed, dated, containing variety of news items; and brought out at frequent interval- made their appearance in mid 16th century. The term newspaper became common in the 17th century. Germany was the home to such publications in the beginning.
Historically though, Acta Diurna was the first newspaper published in Rome, around 59 BC.
Gazettes or Avvisi were a mid-16th-century Venice phenomenon. They were issued weekly on single sheets and folded to form four pages. These publications reached a larger audience than the handwritten news of early Rome. Their format and appearance at regular intervals were two huge influences on the newspapers as we know them today.
World Association of Newspapers recognise ‘Relation’ as the first printed weekly newspaper that was published in Antwerp in 1605. Johann Carolus (1575-1634) was the publisher of the ‘Relation aller Furnemmen und gedenckwurdigen Historien’ –Collection of all Distinguished and Commemorable News. The German edition of ‘Relation’ came out in Strasbourg.
The term Press itself was derived from Printing Press-the machine, and quickly became a synonym for publishing. Historian Johannes Weber has this to say, “At the same time, then, as the printing press in the physical, technological sense was invented, ‘the press’ in the extended sense of the word also entered the historical stage.”
The English –Language Newspaper
England was not the first to publish an English language newspaper. The first one known as ‘Currant’, was published in Amsterdam in 1620. A year and a half later, Corante, or weekely newes from Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, France and the Low Countreys, was published in England by one “N.B.” (either Nathaniel Butter or Nicholas Bourne) and Thomas Archer. These were just the English language editions, produced and edited elsewhere but published in England.
UK’s first successful Daily Newspaper, however hit the streets of London on March 11, 1702, precisely 320 years ago. Known as The Daily Courant, the newspaper consisted of a single page divided into two columns with advertisements on the back and a focus almost exclusively on foreign news. The name came from the phrase ‘au courant,’ meaning to be up to-date and well informed. The imprint at the bottom read: London. Sold by E. Mallet, next Door to the King’s-Arms Tavern at Fleet-Bridge.
Edward or Elizabeth?
Who was this E. Mallet? For a long time, it was believed that E stood for Edward. But indeed, this daily owed its existence to a remarkably courageous, sharp and indomitable Woman-Elizabeth Mallet-the newspaper’s first proprietor and editor. Printing was not unknown to her. She, along with her husband David Mallet, between 1670 and 1680, dominated the news world at the time, printing, among other things, the discourses of condemned prisoners before their public executions, held in Tyburn. Yet, to bring out a daily newspaper required not only strong business sense but an uncommon grit and courage, and an unusual appetite for financial and political risk. But she was resolute, unwavering and dogged in her pursuit. Knowing that publication by a woman would not only raise eyebrows but probably cause a significant boycott of the paper, she named the publisher simply as “E. Mallet”, leaving readers to assume that “E” was male.
Daily Courant was a single newssheet carrying digests of foreign papers. She avoided news from London because publishing it risked government attention and easy reprisals. Mallet claimed only to provide the facts, and to let the reader make up their own minds, saying: “Nor will [the Author] take it upon himself to give any Comments or Conjectures of his own, but will relate only Matter of Fact; supposing other People to have Sense enough to make Reflections for themselves.”
The Press Law Then
Why did England take so long to come out with a newspaper when everywhere else in Europe- Germany, France, Poland- this phenomenon was decades old? Could it be because of the Government controls on the Press?
The Licensing of the Press Act – more fully described as “the Act for Preventing the frequent Abuses in Printing Seditious, Treasonable and Unlicensed Books and Pamphlets; and for the Regulating of Printing and Printing Presses” – was introduced in 1662. It was brought in as a temporary measure ahead of a stronger Act for controlling the Press. It was renewed in 1663 and again in 1665.
In 1697, tight controls on the Press were abandoned. And The Daily Courant made its appearance some five years after the Government abandoned control over Press.
But it did seek to whet the public appetite for the course and sensational, like public hangings, whispered scandals and salacious indiscretions of high and mighty, scrupulously avoiding criticism of government. The Press may have assumed higher responsibilities in the years that followed but the readers’ taste has not much evolved even after three hundred years though.
The paper was published from premises on Fleet Street. This famous London thoroughfare had been the printing industry’s centre since William Caxton’s contemporary Wynkyn de Worde set up business there in 1500.
The Courant’s offices stood beside the Kings Arms public house on Fleet Bridge, and were described as being located “against the Ditch at Fleet Bridge.” Two centuries later The Times began getting published from a spot not far from here.
The Denouement
Remarkably for unknown reasons, Mallet decided after just forty days to sell the paper. Her editorship, although the first, lasted for merely 10 days in March 1702. By 1703 The Daily Courant had become the property of printer and bookseller Samuel Buckley. And it was under his stewardship that the paper first ran into trouble for publishing an account of House of Commons business, a legal transgression. He was imposed a heavy penalty.
The Daily Courant continued to be printed until 1735 and its 33 year- long journey came to an end when Buckley merged it with his other newspaper, the Daily Gazetteer.
The Courant’s name then disappeared, for ever.
scribo ad LX 