Journalism: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #139

by Ian Hargreaves

Journalism entered the twenty-first century caught in a paradox. The world had more journalism, across a wider range of media, than at any time since the birth of the western free press in the eighteenth century. Western journalists had found themselves under a cloud of suspicion: from politicians, philosophers, the general public, anti-globalization radicals, religious groups, and even from fellow journalists. Critics argued that the news industry had lost its moral bearings, focusing on high investment returns rather than reporting and analyzing the political, economic, and social issues of the day.

In the new edition of this thought-provoking and provocative Very Short Introduction , Ian Hargreaves examines the world of contemporary journalism. He considers how technology has impacted the way major international events are reported, examines the development of online entertainment journalism, and chronicles the impact of the international financial crisis on the industry. By looking not only at what journalism has been in the past, but also what it is becoming in the digital age, major issues related to reportage, warfare, celebrity culture, privacy, and technology worldwide are closely examined.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Journalism, Nonfiction, History, Writing, Language, Social, Essays

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Ian Richard Hargreaves CBE is Professor of Digital Economy at Cardiff University, Wales, UK.

Reviews

[Kendal Clawson]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I am interested in being a photojournalist someday and this really gave me some good insight on what my future may look like. It has given me a good perspective on what I need to be thinking about as I am moving forward in this career. In our world history, there are plenty of examples of journalist being criticized either drastically resulting in their deaths or minor criticism. Journalists are revolutionists in a way. They fight to be heard and when they are heard, wars can start with the information that is spread through their reporting. I love the point made within the book that "Journalism is a domain of moral choices, occasionally involving a melodramatic interplay between good and evil." There needs to be a balance between the two especially when it comes to being a journalist and even in expressing one's self.

Yes, this is a brief introduction, but i expected that. It jumps into the history of journalism which started when individualism came into effect. When people felt it important to express themselves. These recordings whether they be in art or literature were powerful ways of changing the perspectives of their society.

[Carlota]

Isn't quite a short introduction to journalism but rather an introduction to journalism history. Doesn't really debate any of the ideals or values behind journalism to any meaningful extent, focuses on the development of the journalistic business and how it's adapting. Not a bad book if that's what you're expecting from it but quite a disappointing read for what you usually expect from these very short introductions.

[Masoud]

ترجمع از نازنین برادران. نوشته روان نبود. میشود گفت که مترجم علاقه‌ای به کارش نداشته. همانطور که از اسم کتاب پیداست، توضیحات کوتاهی راجع به خیلی چیزها در ژورنالیسم میدهد. که برخی جالب هستند، بعضی هم خسته کننده. برای درک اولیه روابط اجتماع، حکومت، جهان، و ژورنالیسم خوب است! بطور کلی نیاز به حوصله دارد خوانداش

[Daniel Wright]

Solid stuff. As pretty much everyone reads stuff by journalists on a reasonably frequent, even if not regular, basis, it's worth everyone's time to consider its purpose and practice, even if you have no intention of being a journalist yourself.

Introduction: Waiting for the endgame
Chapter 1: Born free: a brief history of news media
Chapter 2: Big Brother: journalism and the altered state
Chapter 3: The first casualty: journalists at war
Chapter 4: Star-struck: journalism as entertainment
Chapter 5: Up to a point, Lord Copper's: who owns journalists?
Chapter 6: Hacks vs flaks: journalism and public relations
Chapter 7: Murder is my meat: the ethics of journalism
Chapter 8: Digital: after the deluge

[طارق]

Everything about this book was short! I borrowed it from a friend for 3 days, finished it in 2 nights, and the title itself is very short.

As a business professional working in a media organization, I wanted to get a quick overview of the journalism field. This book does the job without getting into too much details.

[Sarah]

Media studies isn't my area, so I'm not really qualified to judge this book. That said, I did find it clear and engaging, and am confident I could use it as a starting place for more in-depth reading.

[Keeko]

I'm giving this author a big five stars because I thought I knew about this subject, and he surprised me. He did a lot of research and explained things clearly, and I like how he cares about the ideal of being a journalist.

[Christine B.]

Solid overview of journalism and the challenges it faces today. I do wish it had more history of the field though.

[Peter]

The British-born professor of Digital Economy, Ian Hargreaves, wrote Journalism: A Very Short Introduction. I read the 2014 edition, so the book is a little older. The book has illustrations. The book has a section titled “Further Reading” (Hargreaves 141-143). I read the book on Kindle. The book has an index. Hargreaves begins the book with the “history of journalism followed by a discussion of the role of the state in journalism” (Hargreaves 4). Hargreaves writes, “My outline of journalism’s history and its entanglement with the adventure of democratization owes much to John Keane’s writing on democracy, which influenced both editions of this book” (Hargreaves 4). Chapter 3 is “considering journalism and war” (Hargreaves 5). Chapter 4 is “considers journalism’s ‘tabloid’ instinct: its pursuit of mass audience via entertainment and a much-criticized obsession with celebrity” (Hargreaves 5). Chapter 5 discusses news media ownership of the mid-2010s. Chapter 6 is on the relationship between journalism and public relations. Chapter 7 is on the ethics of journalism. Chapter 8 discusses the state of digital journalism in the mid-2010s. I feel like the field of journalism has changed quite significantly since 2014. The book is an excellent introduction to the state of journalism in the mid-2010s.

[Declan Waters]

Journalism has been attacked recently from within and without. This book - although published in 2005 (written in 2003) - gives an overview of journalism in these trying times, and a history of its past. Whilst there is a mention of the dot-com bubble the later changes caused by the internet are missing, as you would expect from a book published 15 years ago.

A useful start if you are interested in journalism.

[amber]

I had to read this book for my course at university, but I found it surprisingly interesting. I must admit, I didn't necessarily enjoy this book, but I did find some of the subject matter interesting.

[Alvania Kartika]

It took me a long time to finish this book because I read it casually. The book is not fulfilling my expectations at all despite the title. It is more about history of journalism instead of the principles.

[Apostolos]

Ενδιαφέρον, αλλά παρωχημένο σε μεγάλο βαθμό.

[Sam]

Vond het heel interessant, kwam er alleen niet super makkelijk doorheen. Heb wel veel geleerd over de geschiedenis van kranten en online nieuws zoals Buzzfeed en de Huffington Post.

[Nick]

Interesting to a point. But my copy was first issued 2003, then 2nd Edition 2005, so there's a lot missing. I would love to see an updated version.

[Ian Sowers]

The fact that this was written more than 20 years ago is what makes it interesting: it’s a snapshot of a moment in journalism’s history when it was just starting to become what it fully is today.

[Rosie Greatorex]

read for uni

[Svetozar]

Keep in mind it's a bit outdated especially last chapters about impact of the internet.

[Sevaramashrabzoda]

aaa

[Bethany B.]

Gives a brief history and raises all sorts of questions. Good for a straight read or as reference.

[neen]

2.5/5

I agree with other reviews that say the title is a little bit misleading.
This wasn’t a bad book, but it definitely isn’t a GREAT one.
Overall, I learned a few things on the history of journalism, but nothing extraordinary.