Question

Ohio's Columbus Dispatch is credited with being______?

• A. The first newspaper to go online.
• B. The first newspaper to be modeled after television.
• C. The first newspaper to break a major story on its website instead of its front page.
• D. The first newspaper to be launched as underground newspaper.

Hint:

Think of the early 1980s and CompuServe.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question
The question asks what distinction the Columbus Dispatch of Ohio holds in newspaper history. It is a fact based question on the history of online journalism.

Step 2: Recall the fact.
In 1980 the Columbus Dispatch became the first newspaper in the world to put its content online. It did this through the CompuServe service, long before websites became common.

Step 3: Check option 1.
This matches the fact above. So option 1 is TRUE.

Step 4: Check option 2.
No newspaper is known as the first to be modeled on television. Television styled layouts came much later and are not linked to this paper. So option 2 is FALSE.

Step 5: Check option 3.
Breaking a story on a website instead of the front page is a later web era practice and is not the claim to fame of this paper. So option 3 is FALSE.

Step 6: Check option 4.
An underground newspaper is a small, often illegal or alternative paper. The Dispatch is a mainstream daily, so option 4 is FALSE.

Final Answer:
The Columbus Dispatch was the first newspaper to go online. This is option 1.