Imagine only hearing about news stories via word-of-mouth. Someone sees a news-worthy event occur and tells a friend about it. Then that person tells a friend, who tells a friend, who tells you. That information would not be very reliable. Such events would be described in biased fashions and without much factual information. History would be portrayed completely differently, as these stories would grow more and more elaborate and further away from the truth.
This was the unfortunate reality of journalism before the printing press. This technology gave journalism the power to convey the truth to the masses. Arguably one of the greatest inventions in history, the printing press created journalism.
History and journalism are closely related; you cannot have one without the other. Take the Vietnam War for example. TV journalism during this time period changed the way this event was viewed by the public, and the American government viewed the TV coverage of the war to be the enemy. When the American people had the opportunity to see the cruelty of the war from their own homes, they reacted. Citizens began distrusting the government, and protests broke out. In this way, journalism shaped history.
There are multiple examples of the connection between journalism and history. The coverage of the Nixon vs. JFK debates, the Edward Snowden leaks, and the 2016 presidential election all affected the world. We cannot have history without journalism.