THE Penny Press was most famous for its low price, a paper per penny. It was invented by Benjamin H. Day; the founder of New York’s The Sun. The Sun was the first popular penny paper and it became popular with the American public because while other papers were priced around six cents, it was only priced for a penny.
The low price made newspapers and the news available to even middle- and lower-class citizens for the first time. Labourers were able to purchase a paper and read the news. As more people began buying papers throughout the country, news and journalism became more important overall.
The heavy dependence on advertising as a major source of revenue was a main reason that the Penny Press was able to sell papers for a lower price than anyone else. Other papers relied heavily on subscriptions and daily sales.
Newspapers rely heavily on advertising as a main source of income and that is also a major reason that they are still being offered at relatively low prices today.
The changes made to newspapers during the Penny Press era set a precedent for the way newspapers operate today.
RIZWAN AFTAB Karachi
