Power Without Responsibility

Reviews / Votes

'This is the book that changed everything in media studies.'

Sally Young, University of Melbourne

'This is a brilliant seminal history of broadcasting, press and the new media, vividly and insightfully told, with sharp vignettes of political interference and policy challenges. It is a powerful reminder of why public service broadcasting and truthful communication is vital to our democracy.'

Baroness Helena Kennedy, President of Mansfield College, Oxford

'This skillfully revised and updated edition of Curran and Seaton's magnificent history is just as fresh and relevant now as it has been over the decades.'

David Hesmondhalgh, Leeds University

'The pleasure of a classic that just keeps redelivering. Power Without Responsibility proves itself yet again as the go-to source for analysis of the British media at their best and worst.'

Barbie Zelizer, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania

'If I was able to suggest one book about the history of journalism - whether to a student, a journalist or someone who simply wanted to know more about the role of the news media in our democracy - it would be Power Without Responsibility. Much of our understanding of the past is altered by the present, so we are all indebted to James Curran and Jean Seaton for this excellent new edition. There has been no shortage of controversies and debates about the news media in recent years: this book guides us through them with a sharp eye, a clear head, and the wisdom that comes from a formidable sense of history. Packed with eloquently delivered information, it is analytical but jargon-free, critical without ever being doctrinaire.'

Justin Lewis, Cardiff University