<span>A shift toward more militant tactics by colonial
protestors. A British revenue schooner, the Gaspee, ran aground in shallow
waters near Warwick, Rhode Island. Local men boarded the ship, looted its
contents, and finally torched it. The event amplified hostilities between the
American colonists and British officials, subsequent to the Boston Massacre in
1770. The British had wanted to decrease tensions with the colonies by cancelling
some aspects of the Townshend Acts and working to end the American
boycott of British goods. British officials in Rhode Island desired to
increase their control over the trade that had clear the small colony. But
Colonists progressively began to dispute the Stamp
Act, Townshend Acts, and other British burdens that had
clashed with the colony’s history of rum engineering, maritime profession,
and slave trading.</span>
Public service journalism "refers to times when the media acts as an advocate for the public" and "<span>is also known as investigative reporting and
attempts to uncover information that might be helpful or prevent
exploitation of the public or individuals."</span>
