Just as the Civil War helped reshape the U.S. militarily, new technologies and a growing demand for information during the war influenced the nation's press, according to a Penn State researcher. "It was absolutely an important moment in the history of the press," said Ford Risley, professor and head of the Department of Journalism. "The practices, technological development you begin to see during the war -- the importance of the telegraph, the use of illustrations, for example -- and the growth in demand for newspapers, so many of these things came together during this remarkable and tragic event."