The Rise and Fall of the British Press takes an artful look at the past, present and immediate future of the printed newspaper. Temple offers a thought-provoking account of the evolution of Britain’s news consumption across the centuries, situating it within significant social, cultural and political currents of the time. Chapters cover: The impact of key technological developments; from the birth of print and the introduction of television, to the rise of the internet and digital media; The ever-shifting power play between political parties and the press; The notion of the ‘public sphere’ and how newspapers have influenced it over the decades; The role of news media during some of Europe’s most significant historical events, such as the French Revolution, the First and Second World Wars and the Suez crisis; The aftermath of the Leveson inquiry and the question of increased media regulation; The successes and failures of important media players, including Baron Beaverbrook and Lord Northcliffe in the nineteenth century, and Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Throughout the book, parallels are drawn between current issues impacting on the press and society and those from previous decades, further illuminating the role, both historic and ongoing, of the news media in Britain. Temple concludes the book by looking to the future of print journalism, calling for a reassessment of its role in the twenty-first century, redefining what journalism should be and reasserting its value in society today. This far-reaching analysis will be an invaluable resource for both students and researchers of journalism and media studies.

Politics and the Rise of the Press compares the rise of the newspaper press in Britain and France, and assesses how it influenced political life and political culture. From its social, economic and political sources, to its importance for the middling ranks in eighteenth-century British society, and its transformation after the French revolution. This detailed, comparative account, which also contains considerable original research on the early Scottish press, will be of value to all students of French and British history of the period.