Look Who it Was Random video

Has the Internet Changed News for Better or Worse? - Steve Schifferes

1,609 views · Published 29 November 2018 · 53:07 · Indexed 21 October 2026

Channel: Gresham College · 2018 · Education

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00:00 // Introduction: Where Is the Internet Taking News?
02:15 // Utopian vs. Dystopian Views of Online News
05:30 // How Technology Has Always Changed News
08:45 // The Origins of Newspapers: From Gutenberg to Coffee Houses
14:20 // The Newspaper Revolution: Mass Circulation & the Telegraph
21:10 // The Birth of Investigative Journalism & Yellow Journalism
26:40 // Broadcasting Arrives: Radio Changes Everything
33:00 // Television: News Gets a Face
38:30 // The Rise of Online News & the Browser Revolution
45:00 // The Economics of Digital News: Google, Facebook & Survival
51:20 // Fake News, Trust & Moral Panics Through History
56:00 // Lessons from History: Path Dependence & Our Power to Choose

Many claims have been made, both positive and negative, for the transformative nature of internet news in the age of social media. An historical perspective is brought to that debate, by looking at the effects that earlier changes to news production have had for politics, society and commerce. 

It focuses on two major revolutions - the creation of the mass media in the 19th century, and the broadcasting revolution of the 20th century. What can we learn from history about how deeply the internet could transform news in the 21st century? And how does it relate to broader social and economic trends?

This lecture was recorded by Helen Czerski on the 15th November 2018 at Barnard’s Inn Hall, London

Steve Schifferes was Majorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism at City University London from 2009–2017. He is a former BBC economics correspondent, where he covered, among other big stories, the global financial crisis, the Enron scandal, and UK public spending. 

He began his academic career studying interwar housing policy, and subsequently worked for Shelter, the homelessness charity.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://studio.youtube.com/video/FBJ7mo39Ftg/edit

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