The newspapers of Hawaii form a unique role in the history of Hawaii and of American journalism. In a period of 165 years, from 1834, when American Protestant missionaries introduced the Hawaiian language Lama Hawaii (Hawaiian Luminary), to the present, newspapers have spanned the history of Hawaii from its status as an independent nation, a republic, and a U. S. territory, to its position as a state. By newspapers, I mean publications that have titles and mastheads,...
There are several ways to classify newspapers. In Shaping History: The Role of Newspapers in Hawaii (University of Hawaii Press, 1996), I placed newspapers within four major categories: establishment, opposition (or alternative), official, and independent. Establishment papers represent the mainstream or dominant power. Alternative or opposition publications voice anti-establishment or countervailing views. Official papers, the third type, are sponsored by government...