Everything is prone to change and evolve over time, as Darwin said. We don't need to be experts in the Theory of Evolution to know that journalism has changed a lot since its creation. From the Gutenberg press to the use of data to determine and produce an agenda, a lot has happened in the history of this profession.

Technology has always been present in the history of journalism and communication, after all, it has always been a great tool to facilitate interpersonal interactions around the world. There were periods when a lot was said that “technology will be the end of journalism”, but one thing we learned is that there is always room to dance to the music and improve the way we communicate. 

And do you know how journalism was born? It is natural to think that it is a paradox similar to that of the chicken and the egg, as telling facts has always been present at the core of the human being. Just stop and think about the records of cave paintings in the caves, there we have a sample of records to show how they lived and communicated. 

Day Minutes

Considered the first newspaper in the world, created in 59 BC in the Roman Empire under the command of Julius Caesar. Acta Diurna emerged as a way of publicizing Caesar's military conquests and also reporting on the expansion of the Empire. 

With daily “publications”, Acta Diurna gave birth to the first journalists in the world: the Imperial Correspondents, who were sent to all the Roman provinces to follow the facts and write about them. 

As there was no printing technology yet, Acta Diurna was produced on large white paper and wood plates, very similar to a billboard. The signs were displayed in the main squares so they could be read for free. 

Another curiosity about the Roman creation is that, as it was not an officially journalistic publication, there was no obligation to be impartial. Negative news about defeats by the Roman Army was never published, much less scandals involving the Emperor's allies.

Johannes Gutenberg

This is the name of the person responsible for one of the biggest technological leaps in journalism. Still in the Middle Ages, German made it possible for work done manually to be done by machines. Which made the publication of newspapers and books faster, wider and cheaper. 

The inventor brought the paper press to the world, built on a technological basis of types, letters that could be moved. Even though today it seems very simple and still artisanal, the Gutenberg press was considered by many to be a step into the Renaissance Era, bringing about the awakening of professional journalism. 

Radio and TV

With the birth of radio and TV, journalism found itself in a new era with hitherto unknown territory. They were largely responsible for the beginning of journalism as mass communication, after all, they are vehicles that were created with the aim of reaching the largest number of listeners/viewers possible. To this day, they are two means of communication with great strength within journalism, especially television. 

Internet and the digital world

A period long considered uncertain for printed journalism, as the internet arrived as a threat to the paper world of journalism. Large media outlets found themselves facing a major change, and that was when online newspapers were born. 

A hybrid beginning with content without much distinction until, over the years, journalists and communicators realized that digital language was not even remotely similar to that of print. Newspapers have adapted to the new reality and in the last few years many exclusively digital vehicles have been born. Leon bet Portugal 

The digital world is currently so integrated into journalism that we can see many professionals in the field using and abusing data, statistics, applications and everything that technology has to offer. 

Realities may change, new technologies emerge, but one thing will always be present in journalism: the commitment to the truth and to the public.