The Evolution of News

Information has always been king throughout the times. It has allowed stories to spread in villages and cities, tactics and strategies to be created in times of war, and rumors to spread that have led to either the downfall or ascension of individuals or otherwise.

However, the most powerful form of information has always been news. A form of spreading factual knowledge capable of spreading like wildfire, news has brought with it a staggering amount of information dissemination as time went on. Covering topics from sports, politics, world events, entertainment and more, the news has been everyone’s go-to to be in the know.

When civilizations were ancient, no one had thought to document information on tablets or pieces of parchment. Instead, there were storytellers who would spread the word of all that is happening locally. Events that would occur outside their realm would remain a mystery until storytellers from faraway lands would venture and spread the word of battles won or of their own traditions, of which would be alien to one another.

It wasn’t until around 3,200 BCE information had begun being logged onto tablets by the Sumerians, described as one of the earliest writing systems in the world. Cuneiform tablets were used to keep track of anything of import that would occur, be it for purposes of royalty to something as simple as preserving tales that would have been passed down from generation to generation.

Fast forward to the 15th century and we come to the printing press, a significant leap in the journey of spreading the news. Invented by Johannes Gutenberg, it wasn’t until the 18th century that the printing press would be used for printing newspapers, which saw its start across the United States of America and Europe. Prior to that, books were being printed for leisurely reading and for expressions of art through the written word and otherwise. Pamphlets became quite popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, allowing for news of politics, social matters and scandals to reach far and wide.

Then came the penny press in the 19th century, allowing citizens in the states access to the news. But this was still a much slower process in spreading information across the country, which was remedied with the invention of the telegraph in the 1830s. Long distance transmission of information became the norm, allowing reporters to break the news in a much faster and timely manner.

In the 1920s, the home radio was seen as nothing but extraordinary. Voices were coming out of tiny boxes through signals being sent across vast distances, spreading real-time information at the drop of a hat. This allowed the general public to stay up-to-date on current events, fostering not just an environment of being aware, but environments where debates, exchanging of ideas and communities could thrive.

The television came soon after, with news outlets broadcasting news not only sonically but visually, increasing engagement all around. The 1990s saw the invention of the internet, which has been elevated to staggering proportions, having cast its net across the world.

Digital mediums have increased with time, allowing people to consume the type of medium that they desire the most, with social media being the most prevalent. Anyone who has a smartphone nowadays tends to see news firsthand on a social media platform, at which point they are redirected to the website of the news outlet. Mediums such as podcasts are also high up the list, where topics are discussed in-depth and for longer spans of time, a fantastic way to gain higher levels of insight into any one or few topics.

However, with information being spread within seconds, it has allowed disinformation to spread in parallel to the facts, sowing chaos along with it. News organizations tend to have the most neutral stances on all pieces of information, with social media tending to inflate certain details for the sake of more views even if it means people are fed the wrong information.

It was 82 years ago on 5th June 1943 that Maldives saw its very first newspaper begin publishing, the Sarukaaruge Khabaru. It was created initially to disseminate developments regarding the Second World War, along with major announcements regarding the state and ongoing updates to the citizens of the island nation.

This six-page paper went on to publish 197 issues, and included complaints from the public regarding various matters, one of the main ones being rice imports being disrupted, subsequently leading the public to adapt to wheat and wheat flour after the government had acknowledged the dissatisfaction and highlighted said substitutes be embraced.

The Sarukaaruge Khabaru was the foundation of quick dissemination of information in Maldives, with 1st January 1979 seeing the appearance of the Haveeru newspaper, a mere 14 years after Maldives claimed its independence over the British.

Haveeru would go on to become the longest-running newspaper in the country, with major achievements along the way such as being the first newspaper to acquire satellite connectivity, the first to partner with an international news agency in 1985 and bringing their website, HaveeruNet, online in 1997 once the internet reached Maldives.

Haveeru has since changed to Mihaaru in 2017, and continues to bring news to the masses as efficiently and as timely as ever. Since the advent of Haveeru, many others have cropped up, such as Sun Online, PSM News, Adhadhu, Maldives Independent and more.

Maldives has kept up with global changes in terms of news since then, with social media having been integrated quite well into their daily operations. The utilization of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (now known as X), YouTube, Telegram and in most recent years, TikTok, has seen both long-form and short-form news content spike in both quality and quantity. Short-form content has allowed news organizations to let the public know of major and minor changes within the country at breakneck speeds with the most pertinent information being made readily available at the fingertips of consumers.

Political news spreads as quickly as it surfaces, amendments to laws and acts are informed to the public the second the Parliament makes such changes, disasters are reported on post-haste, businesses rely on news organizations to spread word of their promotions and events, activities within the community bring those who are interested together and much more.