When people think about media these days, the internet and social media immediately spring to mind. But of course, these are only the latest developments in a long history of humans communicating to ever larger numbers, about a wider variety things, over greater expanses of space and time.

This module surveys that history, focusing on journalism’s role as the intellectual backbone of modern media. We look at both the form and the content of media representations.

Journalism is important not only because it is the primary source of the news but also because it is the source of our understanding of ‘the media’ as a distinct force in society. We shall look at such journalistic roles as the critic, the muckraker, the pundit and the broadcaster. These roles were formed when the media consisted of print and, later, radio and television. To what extent do they remain current in the age of the internet?

The module also pays special attention to the rise of public relations in the 20th century as a competitor to journalism in presenting audience-targeted, client-driven information on a mass scale: Is it necessary? Is it ethical? Is it just capitalism run amok?

Finally, we shall look at how the highly distributed and democratised nature of the internet and social media is challenging, not only the top-down ‘broadcasting’ model of 20th century mass media, but also the very nature of expertise and authority in society.