Newspapers, Politics, and Public Opinion in Late Eighteenth-Century England

Barker, Hannah

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207412.001.0001

Cited by 184 publications

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“…As newspaper historian Hannah Barker notes, mid-19th-century histories of the press hailed these developments as the dawn of a new era. 23 Post-1855: Freedom from what? Renowned 19th-century legal commentator A.V.…”

Section: Liberating Expression: Two Historiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For a detailed account of the legal and legislative history under Anne, see Hamburger (1985)-"The Development of the Law of Seditious Libel and the Control of the Press." For a history of newspapers in the eighteenth century, see: Barker, 2000-Newspapers, Politics and English Society, 1695-1855 For more on Wilkes and popular radicalism, see, among others, Colley (1992)-Britons, Chapter 3 for the British side; for Americans and John Wilkes, see Maier (1963)-"John Wilkes and American Disillusionment with Britain." Scottish philosopher David Hume, importantly, tried to protect his defense of freedom of speech from radicals like Wilkes with whom he did not agree in the particulars, though they clearly shared a belief in the importance of holding government accountable through it.…”

Section: The Staying Power Of English Defamation Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…23 23 Barker (1998)— Newspapers, Politics, and Public Opinion in Late Eighteenth‐Century England , 9.…”

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Freedom of expression and the palladium of British liberties, 1650–2000: A review essay

Shaw

2020

History Compass

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London has a reputation for being the "libel capital of the world." Seemingly arcane defamation laws continue to constrain free speech. At the same time, Britain has long been celebrated as a pioneer of freedom, being one of the first to eliminate censorship and enshrine the liberty of the press. This article surveys the extensive literature on freedom of speech, newspapers, and censorship from the late-17th century through the 20th. By drawing this scholarship together, the author emphasizes long-standing continuities in debates over freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and the place of defamation law in determining the limits of these dearly held liberties. It is in this context that the notorious libel laws begin to look less obscure and, indeed, more central to negotiations over civil liberty since the 18th century. When examined in this light, Britain looks far less exceptional; its struggles over the boundaries of free speech are at the core of public debates across the globe. 1 | INTRODUCTION Theater critic Kenneth Tynan understood the impact of censorship. In 1967, when he testified before a parliamentary committee on theater censorship, Tynan was in the midst of a 2-year struggle to stage German playwright Rolf Hochhuth's Soldiers: An Obituary for Geneva at London's National Theatre. The Lord Chamberlain's Office refused the license, though it was clear to all at the time that this would be one of the office's last acts. An outspoken supporter of free expression, Tynan argued that Britain could afford to undo this last corner of censorship because the laws of libel were sufficient to protect personal reputation. 1 Tynan's comment might strike one as odd-ironic, too. English libel laws are notorious for their "chilling effect" on freedom of expression and are far more stringent than either American or European law. 2 The British might enjoy a free press and freedom of expression, but it comes with much-hated defamation hazards which frequently make

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Section: Liberating Expression: Two Historiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Staying Power Of English Defamation Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Freedom of expression and the palladium of British liberties, 1650–2000: A review essay

Shaw

2020

History Compass

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“…117 In Ware's case, that definition was based on experience, for he knew his readers socially, through correspondence and via his network of agents. Ware was a member of middling society, the same social milieu that his readers occupied.…”

Section: -1805mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Communications Broker and the Public Sphere

Gardner

2013

Cultural and Social History

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Later eighteenth-century newspapers have been credited with shaping and reflecting readers' politics and growing sense of regional and national identity. However, historians have long ignored the role that newspaper proprietors played in the construction of those newspapers. Through a close study of one provincial proprietor, John Ware of Whitehaven, this article demonstrates that newspaper owners were shrewd operators in the public sphere. They were businessmen and women for whom the imagined community of readers was a real community of friends and business associates.

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“…Also important was the improvement of communication as the century progressed, road systems, postal services and carrying facilities becoming more extensive and economical, physically linking London papers with major towns in the provinces thus further increasing sales and revenues. 17 This fiscal basis of newspaper stability lessened to a great extent the need for ministerial patronage and permitted the transmission of fair and accurate news to a receptive public. Unlike the libelous, inflammatory publications of an earlier period, 18 the newspapers of the 1780s displayed a more definable political stance combined with greater interest in forming and accurately reflecting public opinions on major national issues -themes such as changes in suffrage and governance which, part of Britain's growing reform movement, broadened distribution both in the metropolis and the provinces.…”

Section: Hanoverian Era K a R L W S C H W E I Z E Rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Newspapers, Politics and Public Opinion in the Later Hanoverian Era

Schweizer¹

2006

Parliamentary History

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Newspapers, Politics, and Public Opinion in Late Eighteenth-Century England

Cited by 184 publications

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Freedom of expression and the palladium of British liberties, 1650–2000: A review essay

Freedom of expression and the palladium of British liberties, 1650–2000: A review essay

The Communications Broker and the Public Sphere

Newspapers, Politics and Public Opinion in the Later Hanoverian Era

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