With the introduction of the printing press in England in 1476, a struggle over its control - and its potential for interrupting power - was joined. The written word, once the domain of the upper levels of society that controlled politics, economics, and religion, could be seen passing into the hands of anyone throughout the social strata who wished to voice opinions on any topic of interest or importance. How the advent of printing led to the idea of a free press is the story told by David Copeland in this book, which traces a confrontation that began with issues of religion and gradually expanded into the realm of political freedom. The rise of a free press was, in many ways, a legacy of the Reformation and Enlightenment. Copeland describes a discourse centered on questions of religion - a discussion that the government, with all its religious authority, could not suppress because of the belief that the ability to reason for oneself was God-given. In this account, we see how the debate moved from religion to the purely political sphere, and how, through the increased use of the printing press, it was opened to a multiplicity of voices and opinions. Spanning nearly four centuries in Britain and America, Copeland's book reveals how the tension between government control and the right to debate public affairs openly ultimately led to the idea of a free press; in doing so, it documents an intellectual development of unparalleled relevance and importance to the history of journalism.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Northwestern University Press
ISBN-13
9780810123298
eBay Product ID (ePID)
95928984
Product Key Features
Subject Area
Civil Service
Author
David A. Copeland
Publication Name
The Idea of a Free Press: the Enlightenment and Its Unruly Legacy
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Subject
History
Publication Year
2006
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
320 Pages
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
David A. Copeland
Series Title
Visions of the American Press
Country/Region of Manufacture
United States
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