Journalism Heroes: Benjamin Franklin
An American Hero. When someone hears the name Benjamin Franklin, they think of the changes he made to better American politics. These accomplishments should not go unacknowledged, however there is much more to Mr. Franklin that just signing the Declaration of Independence. Franklin was a printer. Franklin was a writer. Franklin was a journalist.
Benjamin Franklin was only educated in school for two years. At the age of 10, he no longer went to school and therefore had to teach himself. This didn't stop his love for reading. Franklin was always reading and even used his books to teach himself to write,
Franklin would write what his books would say, teaching him the basics of writing. He would continuously practice and write using his books and his memory. This all paid off and started his initial love for writing and journalism. But his path to writing was not easy and was definitely not handed to him.
Following in his father's footsteps, Franklin started as a soap maker and worked in the family business. It wasn't until his older brother James introduced Benjamin to printing, that he feel in love with the world of journalism. James appointed Benjamin to be his apprentice while he worked for a Boston printing company. Benjamin begged James to let him contribute his own writings but James did not let this happen. This didn't stop Benjamin.
Every night Benjamin would slide his works under the company door under an alias 'Silence Dogood'. The stories were a hit. Silence Dogood was the name around the town and everybody loved their writings. After 14 submissions, Benjamin Franklin finally admitted to being Silence Dogood. He ended up leaving his apprenticeship and took matters into his own hands.
Down the line in his career, he opened his own printing shop. He saw success but after purchasing the Pennsylvania Gazette his journalist career skyrocketed.
Franklin also went on to publish the first political cartoon in America. This set the tone for political reporting from this point on and changed the landscape on political parties.
After much success with the Pennsylvania Gazette, Franklin went on to become the official printer of Pennsylvania in 1730 and then 6 years later, the official printer of New Jersey. Also in 1736, Franklin became the elected clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
With many different jobs under his belt, Franklin's initial career as owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette was coming to an end. In 1748, he sold his stake to his business partner David Hall.
Towards the end of his career, Benjamin Franklin worked closely focusing on the basis of American Politics. Serving as part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Treaty of Paris, Franklin played a pivotal role in developing the foundations of America.
Following his death, and even today, Benjamin Franklin is considered one of the most important figures in American history. But people can not overlook the work he put in for journalists, especially with his work against partisanship. Benjamin Franklin is more than an American Hero. Benjamin Franklin is a journalism hero.
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