Dear readers,

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, much ink will be spilled about where we are as a nation: what we’ve overcome, what’s broken, what works, and where we’re going. 

Like many Americans (and American writers), I’ve been ruminating on this anniversary from many angles. But today, my mind is stuck on one specific part of our country’s story: The freedom of the press, and the power of the “publish” button. I don’t take it for granted that I have the ability to immediately reach half a million readers directly, and millions more indirectly, at any moment, with a few clacks on the keyboard and a couple clicks of the mouse. Despite the ease of that feat, it was never guaranteed — not technologically, culturally, or legally — until very recently. Few of us have taken time to reflect on how we got here, why we’re here, and how important it is to spend the next 250 years keeping the spirit of the American press and press freedom alive. 

Tangle, like all daily news publications, descends from Acta Diurna(“daily acts”), the posted announcements of political and social events in Rome. Starting in 59 BC, these notices were often carved into stone or metal and alerted the citizenry to the happenings of the government. Despite serving as an act of transparency — and functioning as a new democratic norm — Acta Diurna were distinct from today’s news outlets in an important way: They were authorized narratives of the government, first ordered by Julius Caesar. 

Still, every newspaper and form of mass media can trace its origins back to this practice, though the posted notices would evolve over millennia into myriad new formats and media. By the 17th century, the Dutch had “corantos” (currents of news), which pulled together foreign journals and translated them for the country’s citizens. Rudimentary newspapers were popping up across European countries and Japan at this time, too. In 1621, the first English corantos appeared in London, and by 1702, The Daily Courant was publishing, well, daily. 

But it was never easy.

Ad-free podcasts are here!

To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. 

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.