E X T E N S I O N JOURNALISM Journalism was born in the 17th century, when periodical1 pamphlets began to circulate2. But it was in 1665 that the first news-sheet3 appeared: its name was the Oxford Gazette. It then became the London Gazette. With the freedom of press4 there were more newspapers. In 1704 Daniel Defoe himself started to publish The Review, which was about political matters. The most important newspapers were: The Tatler and The Spectator. Richard Steele, an Irish writer, started The Tatler in 1709. It appeared three times a week and contained news about politics but also articles about fashion, gossip5 and women. The Spectator appeared in 1711 and became very popular thanks to Joseph Addison, one of its founders6. It was a daily7 newspaper, it talked about manners, the principles of good behaviour, literature and contemporary affairs. The language was simple and realistic. The name of the newspaper comes from an invented character, Mr. Spectator, who observes the society around him and makes comments about it in a simple and conversational way. Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. 1. periodical: published every week, month etc. 2. circulate: be published. 3. news-sheet: small newspaper with only a few pages. 4. freedom of press: the freedom to report any events and express opinions. 5. gossip: information, often unkind or untrue, about other people s lives or behaviour. 6. founders: people who start something, for example an organization, a company, a newspaper, etc. 7. daily: every day. 47