Rise and Fall of Television Journalism

<p>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. It asks why a medium whose thirst for pictures personalities and drama makes it some believe intrinsically unsuitable for serious journalism should remain in the internet age the most influential purveyor of news. <p/>Barnett compares the two very different trajectories of television journalism in Britain and the US arguing that from the outset a rigorous statutory and regulatory framework rooted in a belief about the democratic value of the medium created and sustained a culture of serious responsible accurate and interrogative journalism in British television. The book's overarching thesis is that despite a very different set of historical regulatory and institutional practices there is a very real danger that Britain is now heading down the same road as America.</p>