Crying the News

In another era, one much earlier than now, most major cities had multiple daily newspapers. Many cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, had newspapers that were written in different languages. New York, for instance, had newspapers printed in Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish, and Yiddish. 

Papers were sold at corner stores, at newsstands, train and subway stations and on the streets. Often on the streets, the job of selling newspapers fell to youngsters. Now only captured in period piece movies, young folk cried out the name of the paper, the headlines or feature stories to get people to buy newspapers. There was a skill in selling newspapers and it became a product of an urbanizing society. Indeed, this was hard work. But it was a job that had no age requirement, did not require a formal education, was not restricted by race, ethnicity or religion, yet required some mathematical and consumer-oriented skills.

Crying The News, Vincent Digirolamo’s award winning book on News Boys, highlights the lengthy period from 1830 to 1930 when the printed news dominated American society. These newsboys (who could be young boys, teenagers or young men) represent a unique type of entry position that had different limits and mobility ranges. The news boys were truly independent contractors, entrepreneurs working to supplement a family income, or maybe workers who were denied access to other occupations. Digirolamo defines them as the forerunners to our gig economy.

Today, the world has changed. Most cities have lost their stock of newspapers. New York for example is down to three major publications; the Times, Post and Daily News. Many patrons only read the news online or consume information from television or the internet. Newsboys, outside of those selling religious tabloids, have almost disappeared as very few people purchase newspapers on the street. 

This transformation says a great deal about American society and the world of work. By the 1950s and 1960s, selling newspapers was an occupation of suburban teenagers who threw newspapers from a bicycle onto the lawn. Now it’s a job for immigrants who throw the papers in plastic bags from cars or put them in front of apartment doors in more exclusive residential units. 

The story of news boys also tells us about the gig economy. The qualities that made their work possible still exists, but not for children. Delivery services for food and other goods is somewhat comparable to newspaper sales. There are degrees of negotiation and customer service varies. Car services like Uber and Lyft also are entrepreneurial in nature, but probably won’t do much more than help a family stay afloat. The average person in this new economy is still working extremely hard, not making a lot of money and his limited opportunities for upward mobility. 

The other aspect of Crying the News that Digirolamo highlights, but is not critical to my analysis is the impact of “fake news”. He skillfully highlights how fake news is not new and existed over a century ago. What he pinpoints is that Americans have to work much harder at detecting and limiting fake news. 

What I take away from reading his work and hearing him speak is that technology transformations still illustrate some central points about blue collar labor. The newsboys tried to master the system and make it work for them. Yet, in most cases they failed. The newspapers made the news both informational and sensational social gossip to attract readers of all social classes. Yet, in most cases the newsboys never achieved their social aspirations. A tension between the capitalistic press and a public service remained throughout the long century leading into the Great Depression.

In closing, both the social and labor historian can agree on a key finding. Our capitalistic society still found a way to make a profit off of the sweat and tears of the innocent. Over time, innocence can be corrupted as a means of survival. 

Crying the News is available in print and online. It is a fantastic read.