World Press Freedom Day: what are the origins of the words ‘press’, ‘journalist’ and ‘media’?

The word ‘press’ entered English parlance via French and has been used to mean journalists collectively since 1868

From the 17th century, a journal became a daily record of events or matters kept for private or official use

Lisa Lim

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Published: 10:45am, 3 May, 2021

Updated: 10:45am, 3 May, 2021

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Copies of The Chicago Defender roll off the press in 1944. Photo: Getty Images

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Lisa Lim

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Lisa Lim has worked in Singapore, Britain, Amsterdam and Sri Lanka, and until June 2018 was Associate Professor and Head of the School of English at the University of Hong Kong, where she still holds an Honorary position. She now is Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Sydney. She is co-editor of the journal Language Ecology, founder of the website linguisticminorities.hk, and co-author of Languages in Contact (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

World Press Freedom Day: what are the origins of the words ‘press’, ‘journalist’ and ‘media’?

The word ‘press’ entered English parlance via French and has been used to mean journalists collectively since 1868 From the 17th century, a journal became a daily record of events or matters kept for private or official use

The word ‘press’ entered English parlance via French and has been used to mean journalists collectively since 1868

From the 17th century, a journal became a daily record of events or matters kept for private or official use