News

====Asia====
[[File:KaiYuanZaBaoRemake.jpg|thumb|Reproduction of Kaiyuan Za Bao court newspaper from the Tang dynasty]]
The world's first written news may have originated in [[Spring and Autumn period|eighth century BCE China]], where reports gathered by officials were eventually compiled as the ''[[Spring and Autumn Annals]]''. The annals, whose compilation is attributed to [[Confucius]], were available to a sizeable reading public and dealt with common news themes—though they straddle the line between news and history.<ref>Zhang, ''Origins of the Modern Chinese Press'' (2007), p. 13.</ref> The [[Han dynasty]] is credited with developing one of the most effective imperial surveillance and communications networks in the ancient world.<ref>Smith,''The Newspaper: An International History'' (1979), p. 14. "The Chinese civilization was one of the earliest to have found it convenient to set up a systematic news-collection network across a large land mass. During the Han dynasty (206BC–AD219) the imperial court arranged to be supplied with information on the events of the Empire by means of a postal empire similar to the princely message systems of the European Middle Ages, when the postmasters of the Holy Roman Empire were required to write summaries of events taking place within their regions and transmit them along specified routes."</ref> Government-produced news sheets, called [[tipao]], circulated among court officials during the late Han dynasty (second and third centuries AD). Between 713 and 734, the ''[[Kaiyuan Za Bao]]'' ("Bulletin of the Court") of the Chinese [[Tang dynasty]] published government news; it was handwritten on silk and read by government officials.<ref name=Smith14 /> The court created a Bureau of Official Reports (''Jin Zhouyuan'') to centralize news distribution for the court.<ref>Zhang, ''Origins of the Modern Chinese Press'' (2007), p. 14. "However, it was in the Tang dynasty that a specific bureau—the Bureau of Official Reports (''Jin Zhouyuan'')—was created to accommodate the local representatives. During this time, there were many rising powerful dukes, princes or governor-generals in charge of the large territories, equal in size to a modern province in China. These dukes or princes would naturally provide for their own news service at the capital Chang'an, which handled all official documents submitted by these representatives and transmitted imperial edicts in return. Recent archaeological research has uncovered such official reports from the Tang dynasty. Two archive documents of that period, originally found in Dunhuang have been regarded by Chinese scholars as the earliest forms of newspaper in the world (Fang 1997 53–8)"</ref> Newsletters called ''ch'ao pao'' continued to be produced and gained wider public circulation in the following centuries.<ref name=Smith14a>Smith,''The Newspaper: An International History'' (1979), p. 14. "At a later stage of its development, during the Sung period (960–1278), the ''ti pao'' was made to circulate among the purely intellectual groups, and during the Ming (1367–1644) was seen by a wider circle of society."</ref> In 1582 there was the first reference to privately published newssheets in Beijing, during the late [[Ming dynasty]].<ref name="brook xxi">[[Timothy Brook (historian)|Brook, Timothy]]. (1998). ''[[The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China]]''. Berkeley: [[University of California Press]]. {{ISBN|0-520-22154-0}} p. xxi.</ref><ref>Stephens, ''History of News'' (1988), pp. 68–69.</ref>

Japan had effective communications and postal delivery networks at several points in its history, first in 646 with the [[Taika Reform]] and again during the [[Kamakura period]] from 1183 to 1333. The system depended on ''[[hikyaku]]'', runners, and regularly spaced relay stations. By this method, news could travel between Kyoto and Kamakura in 5–7 days. Special horse-mounted messengers could move information at the speed of 170 kilometers per day.<ref name=Distelrath45>Distelrath, "Development of the Information and Communication Systems in Germany and Japan" (2000), pp. 45–46 .</ref><ref>Alice Gordenker, "Postal Symbol"; ''Japan Times'', 21 May 2013.</ref> The Japanese shogunates were less tolerant than the Chinese government of news circulation.<ref name=Smith14>Smith,''The Newspaper: An International History'' (1979), p. 14–15.</ref> The postal system established during the [[Edo period]] was even more effective, with average speeds of 125–150&nbsp;km/day and express speed of 200&nbsp;km/day. This system was initially used only by the government, taking private communications only at exorbitant prices. Private services emerged and in 1668 established their own ''[[Kabunakama|nakama]]'' (guild). They became even faster, and created an effective optical telegraphy system using flags by day and lanterns and mirrors by night.<ref name=Distelrath45 />