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Power Without Responsibility 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; and surveys key debates about the role and politics of the media.
List of contents
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
About the author
James Curran is Professor of Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Jean Seaton is Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster, and Director of the Orwell Foundation.
Summary
Power Without Responsibility 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; and surveys key debates about the role and politics of the media.
Additional text
‘This is the book that changed everything in media studies.’
Sally Young, University of Melbourne
‘This is a brilliant seminal history of broadcasting, press and the new media, vividly and insightfully told, with sharp vignettes of political interference and policy challenges. It is a powerful reminder of why public service broadcasting and truthful communication is vital to our democracy.’
Baroness Helena Kennedy, President of Mansfield College, Oxford
‘This skillfully revised and updated edition of Curran and Seaton’s magnificent history is just as fresh and relevant now as it has been over the decades.’
David Hesmondhalgh, Leeds University
‘The pleasure of a classic that just keeps redelivering. Power Without Responsibility proves itself yet again as the go-to source for analysis of the British media at their best and worst.’
Barbie Zelizer, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania
‘If I was able to suggest one book about the history of journalism – whether to a student, a journalist or someone who simply wanted to know more about the role of the news media in our democracy – it would be Power Without Responsibility. Much of our understanding of the past is altered by the present, so we are all indebted to James Curran and Jean Seaton for this excellent new edition. There has been no shortage of controversies and debates about the news media in recent years: this book guides us through them with a sharp eye, a clear head, and the wisdom that comes from a formidable sense of history. Packed with eloquently delivered information, it is analytical but jargon-free, critical without ever being doctrinaire.’
Justin Lewis, Cardiff University
