The Partisan Era for dummies

Simply put, the Partisan Era, also known as the party press era, was a period in the United States history (1780s - 1830s) when news editors received patronage from political parties.

And to this day, partisanship in the media is nothing new. Individuals have access to social media, the Internet or even cable news, all of which give individuals a wide range of partisan media to choose from.

The American press saw massive growth during the party press era. Image retrieved from Meridian magazine

Britannica explains the Partisan Era more in-depth:

"An editor would readily endorse a party's candidates and champion its principles, typically in line with his own beliefs, and in return would receive support for his six-cent paper. This gave the editor, who often also served as a printer, writer and business manager, a sense of prestige and power in society, and patronage was critical to the paper's long-term economic stability," said David Bulla, an associate professor at Zayed University.

The American press saw massive growth during the Partisan Era. There were only 35 newspapers being published in 1783, but by 1833 it had grown to 1,200. And by 1860, there were 3000 newspapers being published. American newspapers began as "modest affairs," almost as a "sideline" for printers. But clearly, newspapers amassed to something much more. 

The following video gives more visual context of the Partisan Era:

"The nonadvertising content of the party press era was primarily political news and interpretation, including abuse hurled at opponents," said Bulla in the aforementioned Britannica article.

To me, the "abuse hurled at opponents" all seems very familiar. You know, CNN versus Fox News. CNN hates Trump and hates any and every Republican, Fox News hates Biden any and every Democrat. Perhaps, newspapers in modern times aren't as prevalent; however, American newspapers became a political force in the campaign for American independence. 

Nevertheless, the party press era ended in the 1830s, following with the rise of the penny press. As its name suggests, it allowed for a less-expensive publication.