Answer:
Being a journalist myself, I know a bit about journalism and its publications. Newspapers impact the public's opinion because they are seen as a source for credible information, and reach a wide area of people with a variety of different topics. An article's job is to give unbiased information of both sides, and allow the reader to form an opinion off of this information. The biggest way the newspaper can affect the reader's opinion is with what information they chose to share.
Extra if you would like:
There was a big backlash and newspapers have become less influencial in the world because of the idea of fake news. That is the malpractice, spreading biased information of one side, that has inevitably destroyed the reputation of journalists across the country. It is sad, because most journalists provide completely factual material, but it was a few that didn't, and it only took a few to ruin everything. That is why newspapers are seen less now, and the businesses who manufacture them have worked more carefully on editing, and discouraging sources of news that ruin it for everyone else.
If newspapers are the world's only source for information and the information they are getting is biased, this means that entire populations could be mislead and groups modernly known as cults could start. Imagine if the only thing you ever heard from your family when you were little was that lollipops tasted disgusting. You would end up believing that, and would probably never try a lollipop unless you heard from somewhere else that they were good. Now imagine this with a much more important issue, and that is essentially what was happening with the world.
