Journalism: Stories and Histories

This module introduces students to the history of journalism and aims to give them an understanding of both the
broader patterns of social change that underpin that history and also key stories and pieces of journalism from the
past. The module starts with the birth of modern journalism in the late eighteenth century, going on to look at the rise
of the radical press, the spread of literacy and the development of the popular press. It considers the birth of
campaigning and investigative journalism, the beginning of war reporting and the rise of the press barons. Moving to
the twentieth century, it considers cinema newsreels and the birth of PR, the rise of radio and TV journalism, the
development of modern magazines and tabloid journalism, alternative media in the 60 and 70s and global cable
news outlets before moving to consider the development online journalism. Students are encouraged to look at
examples of journalism drawn from history and to do their own historical research. Whilst the module will focus
primarily on journalism as it developed in the UK and the West, it will also consider more global perspectives where
appropriate.