A Global History of Journalism

Journalism history is mostly examined from a national perspective, but the boundaries of the profession have been porous from the very earliest days of the regular publication of news. This book examines the variety of influences from different societies that have shaped the development of journalism from the newsletters and corantos of early 17th-century Europe to the techniques of digital news gathering and dissemination today. A Global History of Journalism examines how the profession has incorporated practices, styles and modes of operation from diverse cultures. It provides a comparative discussion of developments in countries as far apart as the US, Europe, China and India.

The emergence of the dedicated news gatherer in the 18th century, the reporter, is described and the contrasting interpretations of the process of reporting are evaluated. The changes in the profession in the 19th century, with the growth of specialist reporters such as the foreign, war and political correspondent and the speeding up of newsgathering through technological innovation, are part of the transformation which took place in the newspaper industry. The expansion of journalism into other walks of life and the growing diversity of practice in a multimedia world are traced throughout the 20th century. Rooted in a national context, the book emphasises that journalism has been 'global' in perspective and performance since wars, commotions and strange events from faraway places featured prominently in the output of the first newspapers.

Kevin Williams is Professor of History at the University of Swansea, UK. He is the author of Get Me A Murder a Day! A History of Mass Communication in Britain (2009) and Read All About It! A History of the British Newspaper (2009).