Transnational Journalism History

Journalism history so far has mostly been a national endeavour. As a field of study, it emerged in parallel with the rise of the nation state and the construction of national identities. This special issue, edited by Frank Harbers and Marcel Broersma, aims to expand the boundaries of scholarship and study journalism history through a transnational lens. All articles demonstrate the importance of international networks for the transfer of norms, practices and forms, but also how individual journalists acted as change agents. Beyond personal contacts between journalists from different countries, the special issue also shows how textual conventions, ranging from genres to style, presentation and illustrations, that were 'invented' in one country inspired journalists in other countries to pick up on this and to adapt foreign examples in a local context