Journalism is the enterprise of news specialists.
It is called journalism because journals, that is, newspapers, newssheets, and magazines, were the principal medium in which news specialists worked for four and a half centuries following the invention of the printing press. Prior to the invention of the printing press, news specialists were criers, smoke signalers, runners, talking drummers, letter writers, and travelers with fresh news for conversation. Because journalism has been linked to the written word since the invention of writing and even more intensely linked to written speech since the in vention of the printing press, it has overlapped with literature and consistently has placed a high value upon skilled prose writing. It continues to do so even where delivery of news is electronic, because broadcasted news is delivered from scripts and on-line news is written language electronically printed. The field of journalism now includes all public discussion related to news, including commentary, analysis and meditation upon news developments.