Government by Journalism was a form of
New Journalism
New Journalism is a style of news writing and journalism, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, that uses literary techniques unconventional at the time. It is characterized by a subjective perspective, a literary style reminiscent of long-form non- ...
pioneered by the English newspaper editor
William Thomas Stead
William Thomas Stead (5 July 184915 April 1912) was a British newspaper editor who, as a pioneer of investigative journalism, became a controversial figure of the Victorian era. Stead published a series of hugely influential campaigns whilst e ...
in which he began to think of journalism as more than just a position to report information, but through the paper the journalist or editor could become ruler.
Lord Cromer and Government by Journalism
In 1883, Stead launched a crusade which resulted in
General Gordon being sent to Sudan, where he was killed. According to Stead's biographer Grace Eckley, this was an exhibit of Stead's "journalistic prowess". Stead published an article titled "Lord Cromer and Government by Journalism" detailing his viewpoint of the affair.
The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
"The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon" was a series of newspaper articles on child prostitution that appeared in ''The Pall Mall Gazette'' in July 1885. Written by the paper's crusading editor W. T. Stead, the series was a ''tour de force'' of ...
is an example of 'Government by Journalism', since it led to the passage of the
Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885
The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c.69), or "An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls, the suppression of brothels, and other purposes," was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the lat ...
, also known as the 'Stead Act' or 'Stead's Act'.
W. T. Stead wrote of the connection between the 'Tribute' series and his 'Government by Journalism' in his publication
The Review of Reviews
The ''Review of Reviews'' was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890–1893 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead (1849–1912). Established across three continents in London (1891), New York (1892) and Melbourne (1893), t ...
: "The Pall Mall Gazette, however, held its hand. Its object being to pass a new law, and not to pillory individuals, there was no need to mention names."
Criticism
In 1887,
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lit ...
was credited with coining the phrase "New Journalism", a term that went on to define an entire genre of newspaper history, particularly
Lord Northcliffe's turn-of-the-century press empire. However, at the time, the target of Arnold's irritation was not
Northcliffe, but the sensational journalism of
Pall Mall Gazette
''The Pall Mall Gazette'' was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood. In 1921, '' The Globe'' merged into ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', which itself was absorbed in ...
editor,
W.T. Stead.
He strongly disapproved of the muck-raking
Stead, and declared that, under Stead, "the P.M.G., whatever may be its merits, is fast ceasing to be literature."
[Quoted in ]Harold Begbie
Edward Harold Begbie (1871 – 8 October 1929), also known as Harold Begbie, was an English journalist and the author of nearly 50 books and poems. Besides studies of the Christian religion, he wrote numerous other books, including political sa ...
The Life of General William Booth
, (2 vols., New York, 1920). Available nline/ref>
See also
* {{annotated link, Fourth Estate
* Muckraking
The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...
References
External links
''Government by Journalism''
on archive.org
''My First Imprisonment''
W. T. Stead (London: E. Marlborough & Co, 1886)
Types of journalism