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Before the telegraph that was invented by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1844, editors of newspapers had to use the Newspaper Exchange System. This constituted of editors mailing newspapers to each other for free since the United States government subsidized the postal rates. Editors received these newspapers via newsboys, trains, steamboats, and horses. Since editors of a newspaper were often the sole reporter, they gathered their local information by letters from correspondents, documents from the courthouse, and other newspapers. With papers like the Prescott Paraclete in Prescott, Wisconsin, they also had sections dedicated to poetry and quite a few advertisements dedicated to available land for sale, apprenticeships, and local businesses. For newspapers like Washington Country Post, the content, compiled by the editor, was a combination of current events and pleasing miscellaneous topics. In the case of foreign news, editors would have to go down to the docks when the ships arrived. However, due to the nature of how slow travel was in the 19th century, by the time these newspapers from abroad got into the editors’ hands, this news would be a month old. The Newspaper Exchange System did not end until the privatized telegraph replaced the public mail. However, due to how expensive a telegraph was at the time, the use of it was limited to news that needed the rapid transmission, so the Newspaper Exchange System was still a useful and needed attribute to the journalism industry. These systems were very beneficial since the public was often more interested in news from outside their own town. But this did not stop editors from being selective from where a newspaper was sent because, despite the mailing being free, it still costed money to print the paper. Editors would often only send newspapers to other editors who offered valuable information in return. The editors’ exchange lists often held a form of prestige as it symbolized a form of status and indicated affiliations.

Even though newspapers made up 90% of what was mailed in 1832, it only made up a ninth of the postal service’s revenue, but U.S. Post Office was determined to have a wide circulation of political news to have informed citizens. Another aspect that caused a lot of people to be interested in newspapers was that the United States government did not tax them or their advertising. It also helped that the United States of America was the world’s leader in non-restrictive laws for publications. These attributes, along with the editors being able to be shipped to other news outlets, soon caused newspapers to be highly popular. They were so popular during this time that they were stolen from subscribers’ porches and post offices. Newspapers were also often lent out by subscribers to friends and family. Editors and owners begrudgingly allowed this in hopes of getting a wider audience which would attract more advertisers. However, this did not stop editors from threatening to stop delivering the newspaper, but readers often knew this to be an empty threat.

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