Answer:
Censorship by the English governors was common, meaning that newspapers were scarce or did not contain much information.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the American colonies, newspapers took second place to news because censorship by the English government was common. Therefore, the information that the colonists received was often incomplete or inaccurate. This motivated people to exchange news through social interaction, as it would often provide more reliable information. Moreover, the social environment of the colonies made this possible, as the population was not very large and they had an active public life.