List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Melony Shemberger
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
John Peter Zenger spent nearly eight months in jail starting in 1734 but still printed The New York Weekly Journal with the help of his wife while he was on trial for seditious libel. In those days, libel was anything that was against the government. It didn’t matter if the information was true or false. Controversy plagued Zenger’s trial from the beginning as William Cosby, the governor of New York, did everything he could to sabotage Zenger as Cosby was the centerpiece of most of Zenger’s editorials. Zenger was one of the first journalists to emphasize the importance of the media being the fourth estate and being a watchdog of the government.
Location
Small Ballroom, Curris Center
Start Date
April 2016
End Date
April 2016
Included in
Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons
Truth was his defense: The libel trial of John Peter Zenger
Small Ballroom, Curris Center
John Peter Zenger spent nearly eight months in jail starting in 1734 but still printed The New York Weekly Journal with the help of his wife while he was on trial for seditious libel. In those days, libel was anything that was against the government. It didn’t matter if the information was true or false. Controversy plagued Zenger’s trial from the beginning as William Cosby, the governor of New York, did everything he could to sabotage Zenger as Cosby was the centerpiece of most of Zenger’s editorials. Zenger was one of the first journalists to emphasize the importance of the media being the fourth estate and being a watchdog of the government.