The Function of Newspapers in Society: A Global Perspective

The demise of the newspaper has long been predicted. Yet newspapers continue to survive globally despite competition from radio, television, and now the Internet, because they serve core social functions in successful cultures. Initial chapters of this book provide an overview of the development of modern newspapers. Subsequent chapters examine particular societies and geographic regions to see what common traits exist among the uses and forms of newspapers and those artifacts that carry the name newspaper but do not meet the commonly accepted definition. The conclusion suggests that newspapers are of such core value to a successful society that a timely and easily accessible news product will succeed despite, or perhaps because of, changes in reading habits and technology.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by John Merrill Introduction by Shannon E. Martin Newspaper History Traditions by Shannon R. Martin Arab Cultures and Newapapers by William A. Rugh African Continent Cultures and Newspapers by W. Joseph Campbell Asian Cultures and Newspapers by Bradley Hamm Pacific Rim Cultures and Newspapers by Rod Kirkpatrick Newspapers in Europe Before 1500 by Ralph Frasca Newspapers in Europe After 1500 by Tamara Baldwin Newspapers in the Americas by David A. Copeland Newspapers in the 20th Century by Tracy Gottlieb American Daily Newspaper Evolution by Donald Shaw and Charles McKenzie Conclusion by Shannon E. Martin Index

About the Author :
SHANNON E. MARTIN is Professor of Journalism at the University of Maine. She is the Author of Bits, Bytes and Big Brother: Federal Information Control in the Technological Age (Praeger, 1995) and Newspapers of Record in a Digital Age: From Hot Type to Hot Link (Praeger, 1998), DAVID A. COPELAND is the A. J. Fletcher Professor of Communication at Elon University. A past president of the American Journalism Historians Association, he was named Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Virginia Professor of the Year in 1998.

Review :
?[c]onsiders the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates.?-Choice ?[f]or students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....[e]venly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly.?-American Journalism "Ýc¨onsiders the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates."-Choice "Ýf¨or students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....Ýe¨venly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly."-American Journalism "[c]onsiders the role of newspapers in modern societies by revealing how news has worked from a historical perspective. Presenting primarily European and American illustrations, the book also examines relationships between societies and newspapers in the Arab world, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Rim....to students seeking to understand newspapers in a global context....Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates."-Choice "[f]or students unfamiliar with global media, Function is an open gate to the wider world....[e]venly written and sometimes inspiring if you believe that communications and public accountability are indispensable to human prosperity and positive social change. The typologies presented are important devices for generating talk about moral obligation. The book's review of the emergence of Western media will help readers appreciate the best efforts of modern press. To bring Third World and modern Asian media onto the canvas is to enlarge the picture properly."-American Journalism