This book attacks the conventional history of the press as a story of progress; offers a critical defence and history of public service broadcasting; provides a myth-busting account of the internet; a subtle account of the impact of social media and explores key debates about the role and politics of the media.
It has become a standard book on media and other courses: but it has also gone beyond an academic audience to reach a wider public. Hailed as 'a classic of media history and analysis' by the Irish Times and a book that has 'cracked the canon' by the Times Higher, it has been translated into five languages.
This edition contains six new chapters. These include the press and the remaking of Britain, the rise of the neo-liberal Establishment, the moral decline of journalism, the impact of social media and a history of attempts to reform the press. It contains new research on the relationship between programmes, institutions and society. It places key UK institutions in the wider context of international affairs and their impact. The book has been updated to take account of new developments like Brexit and the rise of Jeremy Corbyn and the shift in authority and legitimacy prompted by social media. It does this with a clear explanation of how policy can shape media outcomes.
Part I
Press history
James Curran
Press history as political mythology
The struggle for a free press
Janus face of reform
Industrialization of the press
Era of the press barons
Press under public regulation
Post-war press: fable of progress
Press and the remaking of Britain
Rise of the neo-liberal Establishment
Moral decline of the press
Part II
Broadcasting history
Jean Seaton
Reith and the denial of politics
Broadcasting and the Blitz
Public service commerce: ITV, new audiences and new revenue
Foreign affairs: the BBC, the world and the government
Class, taste and profit
Managers, regulators and broadcasters
Public service under attack
Broadcasting roller-coaster
Part III
Rise of new media
New media in Britain - James Curran
History of the internet - James Curran
Sociology of the internet - James Curran
Social media: making new societies or polarization - Jean Seaton
Part IV
Theories of the media
Jean Seaton
Metabolising Britishness
Global understanding
Broadcasting and the theory of public service
Part V
Politics of the media
Industrial folklore and press reform - James Curran
Contradictions in media policy - James Curran and Jean Seaton
Media reform: democratic choices - James Curran
Bibliography
Index
