INTRODUCTION: THE CULTURE OF NEWS 1 THE RISE OF 'OBJECTIVE' NEWSPAPER REPORTING From smoke signals to daily newspapers The emergence of popular journalism Separating 'facts' from 'values' The toil of ink-stained hacks 'Objectivity' as a professional ideal Further reading 2 THE EARLY DAYS OF RADIO AND TELEVISION NEWS BBC News on the 'wireless' The start of radio news in the USA The limits of 'impartiality': British television news US television news begins Further reading 3 MAKING NEWS: TRUTH, IDEOLOGY AND NEWSWOPK Structuring public debate News values and frames Routinizing the unexpected A hierarchy of credibility Issues of access Further reading 4 TUE CULTURAL POLITICS OF NEWS DISCOURSE News and hegemony The common sense of newspaper discourse The language of radio news The textuality of television news 'The obvious facts of the matter' Further reading 5 NEWS, AUDIENCES AND EVERYDAY LIFE Mapping the newspaper audience Sceptical laughter? Reading the tabloids 'Decoding' television news The everydayness of news Conclusion Further reading 6 THE GENDERED REALITIES OF JOURNALISM Feminist critiques of objectivity Macho culture of newswork Gender politics of representation (En)gendering violence in the news Further reading 7 'US AND THEM': RACISH IN TH[ NEWS Naturalizing racism Reporting law and order The enemy 'Other': journalism in wartime AI-Jazeera and the sanitization of war 'Writing white': ethnic minorities and newswork Further reading 8 JOURNALISM ON THE WEB: SEPTEMBER 11 AND THE WAR IN IRAQ News on the Internet Reporting September 11 Citizen-produced coverage Searching for answers Blogging the war in Iraq The digital divide Further reading 9 'GOOD JOURNALISM IS POPULAR CULTURE' Ratings, profits and relevance Celebrities, tabloidization and infotainment Strategies for change Points of departure Further reading Glossary References