10 Ways People Got Their News Before 24-Hour Coverage
Before the rise of 24-hour news, people got their updates from voices in the streets, papers on doorsteps, and flickering reels in dark theaters—each method a snapshot of how the world once stayed informed.
- Alyana Aguja
- 3 min read
Before the days of endless headlines and breaking news tickers, individuals used a rich patchwork of sources to get informed—town criers and papers, radio announcements, and cinema newsreels. Each of these methods was indicative of the technology and culture of its day, influencing how people in communities made sense of the world around them. Looking back at these older channels shows us just how imaginatively and collaboratively news once moved.
1. Newspapers (Print Editions)
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For more than a century, daily newspapers were the preferred source of information on everything from politics to sports. Big publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Times of London produced several editions daily during major events. Individuals would stand by newsstands or have newspapers brought to their homes and read them with their breakfast coffee or in transit.
2. Radio Broadcasts
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Beginning in the 1920s, radio transformed news delivery through live bulletins. Networks like CBS and NBC broadcast historic moments, including Edward R. Murrow’s dispatches from London during World War II. Families gathered around the radio to listen to evening news or emergency reports.
3. Evening TV News Programs
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Prior to 24-hour news, networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC each had nightly evening news slots. CBS Evening News’ Walter Cronkite became a reliable family name, announcing JFK’s assassination and the moon landing. News arrived once daily, and families planned their evenings around it.
4. Newsreels in Movie Theaters
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Between the 1910s and the 1950s, film-goers saw brief newsreels before feature films. Pathé and Fox Movietone manufactured visual news of wars, politics, and popular culture. They carried moving images of things such as D-Day or presidential inaugurations to audiences before television.
5. Town Criers
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Centuries before mass media, town criers would shout out the news in public squares, ringing bells to attract attention. In medieval Europe and colonial America, they delivered government decrees, market reports, or royal announcements. Their loud voices were the sole source of news for the illiterate.
6. Bulletin Boards and Broadsheets
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In cities and towns, bulletin boards in public places carried government announcements, local news, and broadsheets. Broadsheets such as The Pennsylvania Packet or L’Ami du peuple disseminated revolutionary principles in the American and French Revolutions. These printed sheets were distributed or posted to notify the masses.
7. Word of Mouth
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For centuries, information spread by horse, ship, or on foot—from mouth to mouth. Travelers, traders, and sailors would pass on what they’d heard in other countries or cities. In the Renaissance, it was used to spread gossip, royal announcements, and big news throughout Europe before the printing press became widespread.
8. Pamphlets and Political Tracts
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Pamphlets had a significant role in spreading news and ideas, particularly during times of unrest. Think of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in 1776, which sold over 100,000 copies and rallied American colonists. They were easy to produce and widely read, igniting debates and movements.
9. Telegram Services
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In the mid-1800s, telegraphy enabled governments and newspapers to transmit news over vast distances in minutes. The Associated Press was founded as a response to the desire to exchange telegraphic news at a cheap cost across many papers. Battlefield reports from the U.S. Civil War were frequently transmitted through Morse code.
10. Weekly Magazines
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Newspapers such as TIME, The Saturday Evening Post, and The Spectator provided week-long reporting and analysis. They assisted readers in absorbing great events with background and commentary, rather than breaking news. They were a mainstay of middle-class living rooms during the 20th century.