Perfect Diurnall – November 7, 1642

It wasn’t until the outbreak of the British Civil Wars (1642 – 1651) between the King and Parliament when restraints of news printing weakened. This breakdown in command ushered in a new era of newsbooks, such as the distinct a Perfect Diurnall of the Passages in Parliament, which was edited by Samuel Pecke, considered by many historians as the first English journalist. A Perfect Diurnall, published both domestic and foreign news from 1642 through 1655 with no text-dividing columns. It was among the first to regularly use woodcut illustrations and influenced several imitator “diurnals”. The Civil Wars also witnessed a war of words via the presses with Royalist and Parliamentarian newsbooks “wildly spinning the news of the conflict and both parties’ rationales for power,” according to Ranters and Corantos, an article by Richard Byrne in The Nation, January 12, 2009.