A debate simmers here at Bee HQ over whether newspapers are a good analogy for the kind of service we're building. I won't say where I come down on the issue, but I will recap a brief piece of research in the online Oxford English Dictionary (it's an expensive paid site, if you're wondering) on the origins of some popular media terms:
Newspaper
The OED's earliest citation is for 1667: "EARL OF ARLINGTON Let. to W. Temple 18 Oct. (1701) 187, I must refer you to our News Papers for a further account of the Proceedings of the Parliament."
Magazine
The earliest cited use, in the sense of a periodical, is 1731, and was part of a publication title: "The Gentleman's magazine; or, Monthly Intelligencer."
Pamphlet
The earliest OED citation carrying the specific sense of a periodical is 1681: "N. LUTTRELL Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 119 The publisher of the Observator, Heraclitus Ridens, and the Loyall Protestant domestick Intelligence (three pamphlets that come out weekly)."
Periodical
First citation for periodical in the publication sense: "1716 J. ADDISON Freeholder No. 45 {page}7 No Periodical Author..must effect to keep in vogue for any considerable time."
Journal
First: "1728 POPE Dunc. I. 42 Hence Journals, Medleys, Merc'ries, Magazines."
Interesting to me that these appear during just over a half-century. My guess is that the words evolved at the same time new printing technology was becoming widely available.
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