Post by terrus on Jun 5, 2014 7:40:47 GMT -5
Matthew Swaim grew up in relative luxury in Boston, Massachusetts, born 1762. The son of the deputy editor of the Boston News-Letter, Swaim never knew his mother, who died during childbirth. The British shutdown the News-Letter in 1776, and arrested most of its staff. The remaining staff fled the city, and Swaim followed suit.
Too young to serve in the Continental Army, but too angry not to become involved in the conflict, Swaim traveled to Philadelphia. There, he took advantage of his father's contacts to gain an apprenticeship at the Pennsylvania Gazette, where he ultimately came to write incredibly effective colonial propaganda. The Gazette made Terrus a full staff writer in 1779, and an editor in 1783.
Following the war, Swaim learned that his father had died in captivity, and he traveled to New York City to recover the body. There, he met Lily Terrus, the daughter of a local merchant and politician, and he quickly fell in love. Taking a job with the New York Morning Post, Matthew married Lily in 1784, just a year after meeting her. The two had four children together, three of whom survived infancy.
Though incredibly patriotic, Swaim strongly favored objective journalism, and he wrote a series of editorials in 1788 decrying the propaganda style work he did during the Revolutionary War. Impressed by Swaim's integrity, James Terrus funded Swaim in 1789 when Swaim sought to establish the New York Daily Times, an objective paper. Swaim gladly accepted, and founded the paper in 1789.
The New York Daily Times quickly achieved success, becoming the nation's largest newspaper by the end of 1791, thanks to its largely objective reporting. The Times actually acquired the Morning Post in 1790, allowing Swaim to take ownership of his former newsroom.
Too young to serve in the Continental Army, but too angry not to become involved in the conflict, Swaim traveled to Philadelphia. There, he took advantage of his father's contacts to gain an apprenticeship at the Pennsylvania Gazette, where he ultimately came to write incredibly effective colonial propaganda. The Gazette made Terrus a full staff writer in 1779, and an editor in 1783.
Following the war, Swaim learned that his father had died in captivity, and he traveled to New York City to recover the body. There, he met Lily Terrus, the daughter of a local merchant and politician, and he quickly fell in love. Taking a job with the New York Morning Post, Matthew married Lily in 1784, just a year after meeting her. The two had four children together, three of whom survived infancy.
Though incredibly patriotic, Swaim strongly favored objective journalism, and he wrote a series of editorials in 1788 decrying the propaganda style work he did during the Revolutionary War. Impressed by Swaim's integrity, James Terrus funded Swaim in 1789 when Swaim sought to establish the New York Daily Times, an objective paper. Swaim gladly accepted, and founded the paper in 1789.
The New York Daily Times quickly achieved success, becoming the nation's largest newspaper by the end of 1791, thanks to its largely objective reporting. The Times actually acquired the Morning Post in 1790, allowing Swaim to take ownership of his former newsroom.