The Rise and Fall of Television Journalism : Just Wires and Lights in a Box?

Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction: The Argument -- The problem with television -- The importance of regulation -- Television, knowledge and democracy -- Television and trust -- Comparative and theoretical context -- 1. Laying the Foundations: Policies, Practices and a Public Monopoly -- The early political context for broadcast journalism -- The first test of independent journalism - the general strike -- 'Constrained independence' consolidated -- Early BBC news culture and the Dimbleby effect -- Pre-war self-censorship -- The legacy of war: journalism, trust and BBC independence -- Discovering television's limitations -- The BBC's institutional response -- BBC journalism after the 14-day rule -- Suez and BBC independence -- Conclusion -- 2. Competition and Commercialism: The Early Days -- Ending the BBC monopoly on news -- The new regulatory philosophy - birth of ITN and the ITA -- The ITA goes into battle -- A different news culture -- Current affairs on commercial television - ITV stakes its claim -- Current affairs on the BBC -- 'TW3' and the birth of television satire -- Impact of new technology -- The legacy of regulation -- Over the Atlantic - a very different regulatory model … -- … and a different news culture -- 3. Competition, Commercialism and the 'Golden Age' -- Pilkington and current affairs journalism -- Pilkington and ITV news - the birth of 'News at Ten' -- Northern Ireland, regulation and commercial television's challenge -- A shift in emphasis on commercial TV -- Birt and the 'bias against understanding' -- Channel 4 and a new approach -- BBC journalism and the Thatcherite onslaught -- Over the Atlantic -- 4. 'Real Lives' v 'Death on the Rock': Journalism, Terrorism and Accountability -- The story of 'Real Lives' -- The programme -- The politics -- The BBC response -- The aftermath -- Implications for BBC journalism.

The Story of 'Death on the Rock' -- The programme -- The politics -- The aftermath -- Conclusion -- 5. The Propaganda Model and the 1990 Broadcasting Act -- The propaganda model and British television journalism -- The propaganda model and the transformation of British television -- BBC journalism in the post-Thatcher era -- Compromised journalism or sensible precaution? -- 6. Competition and Commercialism into the Twenty-first Century -- Deregulation and television current affairs: ITV after the 1990 Broadcasting Act -- Democratization or emasculation? -- The end of 'World in Action' -- Deregulation and commercial television news in the 1990s -- The two battles for 'News at Ten' -- Paying for news on commercial television - ITN's funding crisis -- Public service approaches to journalism: BBC television in the 1990s -- 7. Tabloidization -- Definitional issues -- The problem of classification - what is a 'tabloid' news story? -- Is TV news dumbing down? -- Changing patterns of television news -- Findings at the first level -- Findings at the second level -- Other evidence -- Presentation and style -- US comparisons -- Is TV current affairs dumbing down? -- Programme findings -- Interpreting the evidence - has current affairs dumbed down? -- Interview findings -- Conclusion -- 8. The BBC and the Aftermath of Hutton -- Popularization, BBC 'bias' and Greg Dyke's appointment as Director General -- Prelude to war: government, the BBC and the 'threat' from Iraq -- Aftermath of war: how the BBC raised questions about government intelligence -- The Hutton Report, its aftermath and BBC accountability -- Longer term impact on BBC journalism: the Neil report and a new regime -- BBC independence, journalism and the future -- 9. Television Journalism, the Market and the Future -- Protecting television journalism: The 2003 Communications Act and News.

New problems, new solutions: regional TV journalism and the market -- National news and the market: commercial television and editorial influence -- Commercial television and the impact of ownership -- A different commercial model - news and Channel 5 -- A different approach to the market: the future of journalism on Channel 4 -- The counterfactual: television news in a free market -- But can regulation still work? -- 10. 24-hour News Channels and the 'New' Television Journalism -- The pioneer - CNN -- The 'CNN effect' -- The UK pioneer - Sky News -- The UK's latecomer - BBC News -- A new approach - Fox News -- Costs and profitability -- Dewesternizing news - the rise of Al Jazeera -- The 24-hour TV news club expands -- The 24-hour problem - 'don't just do something, sit there' -- Conclusion -- 11. Television Journalism and Impartiality -- Questioning the impartiality regime: news and political engagement -- Questioning the impartiality regime: diversity and relevance -- Questioning the impartiality regime: convergence and new technologies -- Arguments for retaining impartiality rules -- Impartiality and the BBC -- From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel -- A hidden agenda? -- Conclusion -- Conclusions: What is Television? What is Journalism? And Why does it Matter? -- Television's future -- Journalism's future -- Protecting television journalism -- Appendix 1. Methodology for News Study -- Sampling -- Coding -- Appendix 2. Detailed Breakdown of Story Types on UK News Bulletins 1975-99 -- Notes -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.

This book traces the history of television journalism in Britain from its austere roots in the BBC's post-war monopoly to the present-day plethora of 24 hour channels and celebrity presenters.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.