towards an international history of journalism

Elliot King, Towards International History of Journalism,

In Journalism Studies, Volume 4, Number 1, 2003, pp.121-131.

 

This is a collection of essays and debate, discussing the idea that we should start considering developing an international history of journalism. It came forth out of a panel organized at a joint meeting of the American Journalism Historians Association and the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Three Canadian scholars presented their views on the issue of creating an international perspective on the history of journalism, followed by a roundtable including scholars from the United States (and one from Paraguay).

 

Why A Call for International History?

There is a growing realization of the limited scope of much work done in the field of journalism history. The limited scope is not just with regard to the (non-existing) international nature of journalism history, but even within US journalism history, it is a shame that much of the work is (unduly) New-York centric and print-centric.

Towards an International History: Strategies
Several strategies were mentioned that can help us overcome the nation-state framework most journalism history research is embedded in. These include:

 

1. Comparative research – the best way to explain similarities and variations.

Taking my cue from Siebert et al.’s (1956) Four Theories of the Press:

1. • “Why is journalism as it is?”
   • “Why does it apparently serve different purposes and appear in widely different forms in different countries?”

 

2. Transnational research

Some suggestions include focusing on institutions or technologies that are “inherently” international, such as the news agency, the telegraph. Other suggestions included focusing on flows of people (diaspora, migration) and the flow of news as a commodity, in order to expand our inquiry.

 

3. Subnational research

Being aware, and using different lenses to write the history of journalism, for example, the lens of feminism or subculture. Curran (2002) in Media and Power, for example, presents six different versions of media history, including a liberal, feminist, populist, libertarian, anthropological and radical version.

 

4. Interdisciplinary research

The challenge is to work together with other disciplines, such as literature and history departments, in order to benefit from each other’s work.

 

Towards an International History: Challenges

Challenges to developing an international history of journalism history include:

 

1. National histories of journalism are often lacking. How can we do comparative research if the building blocks are not there yet?

First, there is a problem of shallow research, there is simply not enough to work with. It highlights the importance of keeping good archives. One researcher cited the subsequent problem of the literature review being too shallow. However, this does raise the issue of how ‘marginal’ research is framed. Do we write for a niche audience or do we broaden it to a general level, making it relevant for the mainstream? But then, why does the mainstream (US?) have no interest for events taking place in other countries, “unless there is some direct impact on them or their nation”? (126).

 

2. Knowledge of languages, cultures often lacking

Is this a cheap excuse? “I am never going to get to know French history as well as somebody who has gone to graduate school and studied it” (128). The challenge, I suggest, here is overcoming the idea that cultural proximity, through language and cultural knowledge, is necessary for research. How can we do this? First, I suggest you do know your ‘own’ culture and history and you can work with that. Second, there is a challenge for research, especially comparative research, to see cultural distance not as a deficiency but as an opportunity for (comparative) research.

 

3. Turning the arrow of causality around

Instead of asking, how does society, whether it is the nation-state or another conceptualization of society, shape journalism and the news, we should start considering how does news shape society, especially on an international level?

 

4. The ultimate challenge: Why should we care??

The challenge is there to think normatively about an international history of journalism.  Can we do better than justify it with “Gee, wouldn’t it be great if we could hear what everybody is doing?” (129).

 

Literature

Curran, J. 2002, Media and power, Routledge, London ; New York.

Siebert, F.S. 1956, Four theories of the press : the authoritarian, libertarian, social responsibility, and Soviet communist concepts of what the press should be and do, University of Illinois Press, Urbana.