The Function of Newspapers in Society: A Global Perspective

(Hardback)

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Description

The demise of the newspaper has long been predicted. Yet newspapers continue to survive globally despite competition from radio, television, and now the Internet, because they serve core social functions in successful cultures. Initial chapters of this book provide an overview of the development of modern newspapers. Subsequent chapters examine particular societies and geographic regions to see what common traits exist among the uses and forms of newspapers and those artifacts that carry the name "newspaper" but do not meet the commonly accepted definition. The conclusion suggests that newspapers are of such core value to a successful society that a timely and easily accessible news product will succeed despite, or perhaps because of, changes in reading habits and technology.

Reviews

[c]onsiders the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates.-Choice
[f]or students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....[e]venly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly.-American Journalism
"considers the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates."-Choice
"for students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....evenly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly."-American Journalism
"[c]onsiders the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates."-Choice
"[f]or students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....[e]venly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly."-American Journalism

Author Bio

Shannon E. Martin is Professor of Journalism at the University of Maine. David A. Copeland is the A. J. Fletcher Professor of Communication at Elon University and Past President of the American Journalism Historians Association.