All in all, we need to consider the perspectives of 4 main things;
1. Technological Determinism - the way technology is driving things
2. Whig/Liberal Accounts - a greater sense of freedom
3. Market Models - things change as the market drives it
4. Social Conflict - clashes between different social groups
15th Century - 1836
State controls:
-Large amount of social control - Henry V11 edict: 'to curb lewd and naughty matters' in 15th Century.
State controlled printers by:
-Laws: issues such as Libel and sedation
-Fiscal restrictions taxes on a retail price. --> Advertising tax
-Bribes: Prime minister Walpole spent £50,000 on bribing Journalists in the 18th Century
-Government paid £600 to The Morning Herold
-Issues licences to print
Newspapers emerge as:
-Technological infastructure developments in things such as roads, transport links between towns, and the weekly post between main towns in 1637.
New ideas come to the fore:
- Religious and Political ideas are communicated in print and there is a desire for these.
- Emergence of the country as an 'idea' that people share.
- Gradual decline in old systems of power
- Matched and facilitated by a steady increase in literacy in 1700. Approximately 60% male literacy and 40% female literacy.
News Markets to 1836
- Stamped papers catered for newly emerging professional and middle class readers
- The duty paid on these gradually increased from 1/4 D in 1712 to 3 1/4 by 1997.
- The Observer, The Times, Daily Telegraph plus others. Consequently they were restricted from ability due to such issues as The Peterloo Massacre.
- A number of radical unstamped papers catered for industrial working class - The Cap of Liberty and The Black Dwarf. The claim to be periodicals and therefore accused from tax.
The radical press up to 1836
-Law production costs - avoid stamp duty
- Law distribution costs - networks of illegal street sellers - 800 arrests between 1830 and 1836.
- Close connection between newspaper and particular communities
- In 1850 the stamp duty was abolished
- During this time, the training for Journalists was increased and it was seen as a real profession rather than something people did on the side.
- Industrial and commercial growth begins to generate huge mass markets
It can be said that there are many consequences for these changes.
1. Mainstream papers attract advertising revenues
2. To challenge this the radical papers have to dilute politics to attract advertising revenue to go further up market
Lessons of this
- The decline of radical papers can be understood in different ways depending on the perspective we adopt.
- The Market Theory - deregulation leads to more efficient papers
- Whig/Liberal view - the press escape from the state and therefore can be seen as 'free'
- Technological Determinism - there is an improved production
- Social Conflict - advertising is a new patron and editorial power shifts towards being capital.
Proprietorial Power
- 1st age of press barons
- Structures of control allocated power to proprietors e.g. Murdochs values shown in The Sun.
- 1945 onwards, newspaper circulation declines due to broadcasting etc.
- In 1987 Wapping comes to place - this relates to the structure of the newspaper industry changing
- Open conflict
As a final question:
Does online news mean better or worse working conditions for Journalists?
It can be said that new media is making many Journalists loose jobs, and therefore having a negative effect on their place as a Journalist. Personally, I believe although this is true, new ways of media such as Blogging, Twitter and Online Websites allow new prospects for Journalists, leaving more jobs open for them as a whole. What do you think?
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