History of the Provincial Press in England , The

by Rachel Matthews

Regional newspapers around the globe are fighting to survive in the face of challenges to their economic model, due to the constant influx of new technology. At the same time, while studies of the national press have created a continuous narrative on the newspaper, the history of the regional press has been subject to relatively little academic scrutiny, despite being a significant industry in terms of a readership, circulation and profit.

By focusing on provincial English newspapers, Matthews makes the case for the larger issue of the future of local newspapers worldwide. She argues that a comprehensive approach to the history of the regional press can result in a conceptualization of the industry in terms of the shift in emphasis between the key elements of state control, ownership, social influence and production techniques. They can be categorized into six distinct the local newspaper as opportunistic creation; the characterization of the local newspaper as fourth estate; the impact of New Journalism; the growth of chain control, the shock of the free paper and new technology and finally, the current picture, the search for a new business model.

254 pages, Hardcover

Published May 18, 2017

About the author

Rachel Matthews is a Melbourne author and educator. She recently completed her second novel, Siren, as a PhD in creative writing at Victoria University. Her first novel, Vinyl Inside, was commended in the 2003 Australian Vogel Award and received strong reviews in the press.

Matthews has over 15 years experience as a tutor and lecturer in professional writing within a diverse range of learning environments. These include RMIT's Professional Writing and Editing programs and short courses, the VCE English department at the Distance Education Centre Victoria and writing programs at the Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne.

She is also an experienced presenter with the Victorian Association for Teachers of English.