Newspaper Journalism
- Peter Cole - University of Sheffield, UK
- Tony Harcup - University of Sheffield, UK
This text is essential reading for all students of the press, with comprehensive and critical coverage of the most important debates in the study of newspaper journalism - from ethics and investigative journalism to political economy and the future of the industry. Given the shifting boundaries and central importance of newspapers, it will be of interest to all students of journalism and the media.
Praise for the Journalism Studies: Key Texts series:
'It is easy to describe a good textbook for a specific journalistic format… The ideal book has to satisfy a list of requirements that are also bullet-pointed in journalism assignment outlines. A text has to: synthesize the existing body of knowledge; explain concepts clearly; have a logical order of topics; and provide enough information and directions to pursue further study. One may also hope it would include real life examples and be lucid, vivid and a pleasure to read. Hard to find? Not anymore. The new SAGE series Journalism Studies: Key Texts satisfies the main requirements on the list. Carefully planned and meticulously edited by Martin Conboy, David Finkelstein and Bob Franklin, the textbook series is a welcome contribution to the literature of journalism studies…
All three books follow the same structural template: an overview of historical development; explication of the political and economic frameworks within particular types of journalism; a review of contemporary practices; social demographics; a comparative analysis of practices around the world; a summary of main conceptual approaches; an indication of future directions; recommendations for further reading. This strong organization resembles a template for a course outline. This is intentional because the series is aimed both at students and their practice-based lecturers, who often come straight from industry and need time to adjust to the academic environment…
[The series] achieves its aim to bridge the sometimes too evident dissonance between journalism theory and practice… They successfully situate discussions about journalism in social and historical contexts. We see the faces of individual journalists, the circumstances of news production, the relationship with owners, the battle between the public service and the profit nature of news, the relevance of journalism work. The detailed account of the conditions under which newspaper, radio and alternative journalism is produced and performed make the Journalism Studies: Key Texts series mandatory reading for both journalism students and their lecturers' - Verica Rupar, Journalism Studies
Authoritative and accessible, Cole & Harcup's book should be essential reading for all journalism students
Mick Temple
Professor of Journalism and Politics, Staffordshire University
Cole and Harcup offer a powerful counterblast to those who see the newspaper as a fatally wounded creature in terminal decline. They present a wealth of evidence to demonstrate the continuing global significance of newspapers in a changing world, and they provide a sober and balanced assessment of the future of newspaper journalism in the digital age. This is an engagingly written analysis that bridges the divide between media academics and practitioners, and which is essential reading for both
Professor Justin Lewis
Head of the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University
While not shirking collapsing circulations and the problems that beset the industry, Cole and Harcup conclude that newspapers are not on death row - cheering news indeed. An irresistible read for all print journalists
Bill Hagerty
British Journalism Review
Lucid, relevant and relentlessly forward looking, this is the best book around on the future of the newspaper in the digital age. Cole and Harcup is now required reading for all students of journalism and media studies
David Bradshaw
Head of Media, Canterbury Christ Church University
Anyone who has worked in newspapers never forgets the first time they heard the presses roll. Cole and Harcup's authoritative account conveys the pride and passion print journalism inspires amongst its readers, reporters, proprietors - and its critics
Sarah Niblock
Head of Journlism, Brunel University
Newspaper Journalism is not just about what's gone wrong with the industry but in many ways a celebration of why newspapers continue to be important and fascinating
Jon Slattery
jonslattery.blogspot.com
[A] good read and written, it should be said, with obvious affection for the job
Gentlemen Ranters
gentlemenranters.com
Incredibly useful... Well researched, very well written, insightful and entertaining, this book is a comprehensive atlas of British newspapers... Mandatory reading for both journalism students and their lecturers
Verica Rupar
Journalism Studies
A welcome refutation to the doom-mongers... The key to this book’s understanding of the future of newspapers is their insistence that content is king, their assurance that well-trained and educated professionals will still be needed to provide readers with journalism, whether gossip, investigation, analysis or comment. They believe that providing material that is popular need not be the same as dumbing down and that high standards are the way forward in a world that can easily find low standards for free anywhere, anytime
Chris Frost
Journalism
I will be suggesting this for the module coordinator for a level 5 module - Journalism in Context.
This book is excellent for out Print Journalism and Journalism degrees. It gives students a solid grounding in issues surrounding Newspapers and will act as an academic aid throughout their undergraduate studies.
Love this series - used the series for the first time last year and student feedback was very positive so as it grows, I shall be adding the books to the reading list.
Good overview of the continued importance of newspapers and the changes going on within the industry
Clear-eyed and accessible.
very useful for our history module
This is a timely book that I think will be quite useful for several of my courses and will be added in some cases as required reading and in some cases essential readings. I particularly found the section on the changing nature of the political economy of the press useful, as well as the press in the digital age helpful.
Cole and Harcup have tackled many of the most pressing issues facing British newspapers today in an authoritative, yet accessible volume. Newspaper Journalism puts national and local papers under the spotlight and examines how the press might emerge from its current malaise.
Students seeking a career in print journalism should take note.
Written by two people who have their fingers firmly on the pulse in what is happening in the fast and ever-changing newspaper industry, it is an authoritative and entertaining read. A valuable addition to any newspaper journalism course reading list
