British Media by Mark D. Harmon gives readers an in-depth, up-today look at the media systems and entities of Great Britain.
Drawing upon both experience and a series of recent interviews, Harmon explains the structure of the press, the place of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the minds of the British People, and the role of the Press Complaints Commission in trying to assure a fair and honest dissemination of the day’s news.
Among the other topics covered in the book are
the British magazine and book industry
the development of radio and television
some of the recent scandals involving the BBC
the role of public opinion in the British political environment
the relationship of journalists and politicians
the United Kingdom’s film industry
Harmon explains much in the book with a reliance of videos from experts in various aspects of the British media.
Among Dr. Harmon’s observations:
“Heritage and tradition are a significant part of UK media messages, and these moments of popular history both define and perpetuate a national character. Winston Churchill called this phenomenon “Long History” and others have called it “Deep England.” Mostly those messages have been about England, but content has expanded recently to include Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. One can get a good discussion going when one compares the mythology of a people transmitted over generations to the remaining historical record of events. Another good discussion topic is whether cultural identity mythology also carries certain power relationship assumptions; it subtly says what matters and who matters.”
Dr. Mark Harmon is a professor of journalism and electronic media at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
