Visions of the Press in Britain, 1850-1950

Historians recognize the cultural centrality of the newspaper press in Britain, yet very little has been published regarding competing historical understandings of the press and its proper role in British society.

In Visions of the Press in Britain, 1850-1950, Mark Hampton argues that qualities expected of the contemporary British press—lively writing, speed, impartiality, depth, and the ability to topple corrupt governments by informing readers—are not obvious attributes of journalism but ...