Use the menu on the right for more details about Media & Communications, then and now.
Then
Before the Civil War, newspapers were the primary source for news. It is estimated that more than 2,500 newspapers were being published at the time of the Civil War—more than two-thirds were published in Northern cities and towns. Serving as the main mode of communication for news on the progress of the Civil War, these media outlets were influential in shaping public opinion of the war.
Now
Today, we watch live coverage of breaking news across the globe, discuss our perspectives of current events of local, national and international concern, and have instant access to video clips of the news on the Internet, where there’s nonstop, 24-hour coverage. News is delivered both by journalists, who pride themselves on objective reporting, and partisan commentators and columnists, who endorse a particular point of view.