Backward then Forward...Forward then Backward?

So your student is being exposed to the specifics of journalism for the first time?  They encounter media daily but is not aware of the many aspects that make up their latest magazine, most treasured photo, or favorite book.  But where do you start.  Do you address the current state of the media and communication and then work backward to the early days or start from the very beginning to present date?  Why would you choose to teach the material in that manner?