Press Gang: How Newspapers Make Profits from Propaganda

"In a comprehensive account of the national newspaper industry from 1945 onwards, Press Gang goes behind the headlines to reveal the Machiavellian takeover plots, the power wielded by proprietors and the influence enjoyed by editors." "It details the end of the era of the old-style press barons and the emergence of global media tycoons. It highlights the often fraught relationships between owners and editors. It explains why some papers succeed and others fail. Most importantly, it illustrates why men are prepared to sacrifice millions of pounds to own papers." "But it is much more than either a business history or a chronicle of events. The book also considers editorial content at key moments in history, analysing the impact on public attitudes of what papers publish. What influence did papers have during the Profumo affair? Were papers disloyal during the Suez crisis? Was it really the Sun 'wot won it' in the 1992 election? How did the Government manipulate the press during the Falklands War?" "It exposes how papers create myths about society and about themselves. For the central thesis of this history is that, despite the increasing requirement on owners to make profits, the primary reason for ownership has always been the ability to make propaganda." "Key figures who feature in this story include charismatic owners, such as Lord Beaverbrook, three Lords Rothermere, Lord Thomson, Lord Hartwell, Rupert Murdoch, Lord Black and Robert Maxwell. Among the scores of editors are the brilliant and often controversial Hugh Cudlipp, Arthur Christiansen, Alastair Hetherington, Harry Evans, Kelvin MacKenzie and David English."--Jacket.