''Power Without Responsibility'' (subtitled: ''The Press and Broadcasting in Britain'' or ''Press, Broadcasting and the Internet in Britain'') is a book written by James Curran (Professor of Communications at

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

) and

Jean Seaton Jean Seaton (born 6 March 1947) is Professor of Media History at the University of Westminster and the Official Historian of the BBC. She is the Director of the Orwell Prize and on the editorial board of '' Political Quarterly''. She is the wi ...

(Professor of Media History at the

University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...

). Originally published in 1981 by

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone * Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi ...

, it has been translated into several languages and is now in its eighth edition. The title comes from a quotation by the writer

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

; though it is widely attributed to

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley (3 August 186714 December 1947), was a British statesman and Conservative politician who was prominent in the political leadership of the United Kingdom between the world wars. He was prime ministe ...

, the former

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

, he was quoting Kipling. It details the history of the news media in the UK from the eighteenth century to the present. In the introduction to ''

Manufacturing Consent ''Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media'' is a 1988 book by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. It argues that the mass communication media of the U.S. "are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out ...

'', Edward S. Herman and

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

have cited this book; Chomsky has cited it again in a televised

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

interview with

Andrew Marr Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British journalist, author, broadcaster and presenter. Beginning his career as a political commentator at ''The Scotsman,'' he subsequently edited ''The Independent'' newspaper from 1996 to ...

Nick Cohen Nicholas Cohen (born 1961) is a British journalist, author, and political commentator. He was previously a columnist for '' The Observer'' and is currently one for ''The Spectator''. Following accusations of sexual harassment, he left ''The O ...

rated it "the best guide to the British media" in a review for the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

''.

Contents (Eighth edition)

Part I: Press history * Whig press history as political mythology * The struggle for a free press * Janus face of reform * Industrialization of the press * Era of the press barons * Press under public regulation * Post-war press * Press and the remaking of Britain * Rise of the

neo-liberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

Establishment * Moral decline of the press Part II: Broadcasting history * Reith and the denial of politics * Broadcasting and

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

* Public service commerce: ITV, new audience and new revenue * Foreign affairs: The

, the world and the government * Class, taste and profit * Managers, regulators and broadcasters * Public service under attack * Broadcasting roller-coaster Part III: Rise of new media * New media in Britain * History of the internet * Sociology of the internet * Social media: Making new societies or polarizing merchants? Part IV: Theories of the media * Metabolising Britishness * Global understanding * Broadcasting and the theory of public service Part V: Politics of the media * Industrial folklore and press reform * Contradictions in media policy * Media reform: Democratic choices Books about the media