An Analysis Of Benjamin Harris's Publick Occurrence

Today's newspapers symbolize a trustworthy source of information within the society. In 1690, Benjamin Harris published the Publick Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick, America's first multi-paged newspaper (Clark, 1991). In a time of political instability, the Publick Occurrences circulated only four days until it was suppressed by the government (Sloan, 1993). The modern journalistic values, the contemporary approaches in design and content, as well as being censored by authorities induce the research-question of this paper: In which manner can Benjamin Harris' Publick Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick be seen as a precedent for today's newspapers?

Benjamin Harris, a British journalist, was "the leading printer and publicist for

In the first section of text which appeared in italics under the paper’s name and before the actual news stories he laid out his principles and goals (National Humanities Center, 2006). These are important commitments of purpose and ethics parameters of journalism and newspapers which have changed notable little since 1690. Until today all major codes of journalism stated that the main duty of a newspaper is to report the news (Skaggs, 1985). Harris set out as a reason for reporting the news by supporting the society to make informed decisions. That is especially relevant in a time of upheaval where a newspaper could reach a bigger audience for awareness and a sense of unity. Moreover, Harris said that the newspaper should account for the news in order for the Publick Occurrences to become a "newspaper of record" (Skaggs, 1985, p.38). Announcing that he intended to report the news, Harris asserted "it is designed, that the Country shall be furnished once a month (or if any Glut of Occurrences happen, oftener) (...)" (National Humanities Center, 2006, p1). Nowadays, media are the primary source of news and its objectivity is essential in forming opinions and creating a public