“Baby–Beer–Bullets!!!” British Perceptions of American Journalism in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

For much of the nineteenth century, American journalism fascinated writers in British periodicals. This interest is particularly important because the era marked the emergence of the press as the chief medium of public communication in Britain. Articles ranged from effusive tributes to stinging condemnations, from narrow profiles of journalists to sweeping evaluations of journalism. Among the authors who penned these columns were British reporters and editors, former ones who were pursuing other careers, and even the occasional expatriate American. This study, based on a survey of thirty-nine reviews and magazines that cut across political, religious, and class lines, explores the ideas of these analysts. Although their perceptions differed, three themes appear in their commentary. Two are comparative, stressing the similarities between American and British journalism and the cross-cultural exchanges that common experiences fostered. The third motif deals with the differences in journalistic development in the two societies. Irrespective of these unifying threads, it is clear from the evidence that no dominant British vision of the American press surfaced in the century.