Front cover -- Half title page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: From Gutenberg to mass medium -- Introduction: early news -- The birth of print -- The Civil War and Glorious Revolution -- The beginning of 'the public sphere' -- The development of a national press -- The slow rise and sharp fall of the radical press -- The triumph of a free press? The 'fourth estate' myth -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 2: The shock of the new: the rise of the 'popular press' -- Introduction: the birth of the popular daily press -- The rise of 'new journalism' -- Political parties and the press -- A crisis in the public sphere -- Alfred Harmsworth, Lord Northcliffe -- The press and the First World War -- The era of the press barons: the interwar years -- Politics and the press barons -- The press and fascism -- A mass readership -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 3: The press and the Second WorldWar: the triumph of radio -- Introduction: the press's road to war -- War is declared -- Wartime media regulation -- The Dunkirk spirit -- A radicalised and mass public sphere -- The press and the 1945 general election -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 4: The post-war press and the decline of deference … and sales -- Introduction: press freedom in a centralised state -- The party's over: the long fall in circulation and titles -- The Suez crisis and the press -- The television age arrives -- The decline of deference -- Murdoch arrives: the Sun also rises -- Changes in the public sphere -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 5: New technology:Wapping and beyond -- Introduction -- The lead-up to Wapping -- The battle begins -- The post-Wapping bonanza - an enhanced public sphere? -- The post-Wapping landscape -- Today's newspapers -- The 'quality' press -- The mid-market duo.

The redtops -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 6: The local press -- Introduction -- A brief history -- The local press today -- Control and regulation -- The 'regional' press -- Challenges for the local press -- Advertising and the local press -- Local politicians, the local press and the public sphere -- Power in the local -- The digital future for local papers? -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 7: Theories of news production and news values -- Introduction -- A pluralist environment? -- Elitist perspective -- Marxist perspective -- Manufacturing consent? The press as propaganda -- From control to chaos? -- The nature of media influence -- News values -- The pluralistic assumptions of journalists -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 8: Censorship -- Introduction -- What is censorship? And why does it matter? -- Government 'censorship' -- Censorship by owners -- The role of advertisers -- Censorship by journalists -- Other controls -- The abdication crisis: King Edward VIII and 'that woman' -- Modern war and modern media: censorship rules -- A right to privacy? -- The Net: the end of censorship? -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 9: Spin, public relations and the press -- Introduction -- Spin and the art of 'spin doctoring' -- A brief history of political spin -- Spinning a web of deceit? Alastair Campbell and the Iraq War -- The increasing necessity of spin -- The non-political spin doctors: the rise of public relations -- A crisis of independent journalism? -- The impact of spin and PR on the public sphere -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 10: Newspapers and 'dumbing down' -- Introduction -- The dumbing down debate -- Newspapers and dumbing down: a new culture of celebrity? -- The dumbing down of the 'quality' press -- Have quality newspapers really dumbed down?.

In defence of dumbing down: the need for an informed public -- The local press and dumbing down -- Dumbing down and the public sphere -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 11: The press and democracy: speaking for the public? -- Introduction -- Tribunes of the people? -- Newspapers and the invocation of public opinion -- A well informed public? -- Do newspapers provide a forum - or the illusion of a forum? -- Newspaper influence over the public -- Conclusion: a new space for public opinion? -- Further reading -- Chapter 12: Future imperfect? -- Introduction -- Optimism or pessimism: the future for print -- The press under attack: failing the public sphere -- The online future: the importance of trust -- Are we all journalists now? -- The future of political journalism -- Conclusion: put your faith in journalists -- Bibliography -- Index -- Back cover.