The daily newspaper

For several hundred years, people have got their news from daily newspapers, long before there were other media, like radio, television and internet. And even though there are many other media available today, we still keep reading the newspaper. Some like to read the newspaper because the articles and reports are often longer and more detailed than the corresponding stories in television and radio. It gives more room for analysis and reflection. Others read the newspaper just because they're used to it.

And many combine reading the newspaper with other news sources. The first newspapers were a kind of information leaflet that the those in power posted, to inform people about important events. In ancient Rome, messages were carved into plates of stone or metal, and placed in city squares and other public places. During the 8th century, the Chinese emperor had his messages written on silk, which were then read out to the people by public servants. In the Middle Ages it was hard to spread written information in Europe.

Paper and parchment - which is animal skin, used for writing on - were very expensive. And the only way to copy text was to write it again, by hand. There were also only a few people who could read. In the late 15th century, the first print shops opened. Now, with the possibility of printing many copies quickly, instead of copying them manually, it became cheaper and simpler to spread written information.

But what really helped the spreading of written news was the development of the postal service, during the 17th century. Even though it took a long time for letters to reach their destination, there was now the possibility of getting information about what happened in other countries. When Europe industrialised during the 19th century, the printing press was further developed, making it faster and better. At the same time, more children were sent to school, learning to read and write. During this period, many newspapers were founded in Europe and in America.

Today, there are millions of daily newspapers produced in the world, by thousands of publishers. The papers with the largest circulations in the world are in Japan, with millions of readers. The biggest newspaper outside of Asia is the German Bild Zeitung, with a circulation of about two million copies. Other than the national newspapers, there are also local newspapers, aimed at a single city, or even a city district. Some local newspapers report both on events of the world and what happens in the neighbourhood.

Others only report on the area where the paper is distributed. In many countries there are two major types of newspaper. One of the types, was typically distributed in the morning to the readers who subscribed to the newspaper. Newspapers of this type, often have slightly longer articles, fewer images and more advanced language. The headlines are often full sentences that summarise what is being said in the article.

Traditionally this type of newspaper was printed on much larger pages, so wide that they barely fit on the breakfast table. Hence, their name: broadsheet papers. But nowadays, many of them have switched to a smaller, and more practical format - the tabloid. The other type of paper is named after its traditional format: the tabloid. And these papers are normally not available for subscription.

If you want to read them, you buy them as single copies in the kiosk. Nowadays you can buy these papers too in the morning, but in many countries, these papers weren't available until later in the day, so they were called 'evening papers'. Since the tabloids depend on selling single copies, it's important for them to catch the attention of the reader every day. So, in these there is more news about crime, celebrities, and entertainment. Tabloids normally use large headlines and many pictures to lure their readers.

Try for yourself: find the same piece of news, in a few different papers and compare!