Before photography was invented, mass communications was all just words on paper, right?
How would you know that the British burned down the white house in 1812? Anyone could fake a paper document saying it so. (Except many people were illiterate.)
As far as I can see you need institutions you can trust.
1) it’s not the tech. It’s the rate of production. You had only 1 newspaper, no mass media, and boatloads of time in the 1800s
2) Before photography was created we lived in a world steeped in superstition, inequality and ignorance. A tiny economy compared to what we have today.
3) humanity changed with the advent of photography. It ushered in a new standard of proof that modern society depends on to this day.
How would you know that the British burned down the white house in 1812? Anyone could fake a paper document saying it so. (Except many people were illiterate.)
As far as I can see you need institutions you can trust.