Theory

Journalism theories usually cross over from the United States. This is also immediately the explanation of why theory formation almost exclusively pays attention to the political side of the media business (the media as a watchdog, protector of democracy). In recent years, however, even Anglo-Saxon publications on the connection between journalism and literature have appeared. Among the most recent publications are John C. Hartsock’s A History of American Literary Journalism; The Emergence of a Modern Narrative Form (2000) and Jason Harding’s The Criterion; Cultural Politics and Periodical Networks in Inter-War Britain (2002). The biographical approach of this specialization appears still to be very fruitful.

Since the French Revolution, and down to today, the political press in France with the weekly Le Canard enchaîné has been strongly influenced by literary traditions and also by literary and satirical styles, by staff and by relationships with publishing houses. The study Le Canard enchaîné ou les Fortunes de la vertu; Histoire d’un journal satirique 1915-2000 by Laurent Martin (2000) has shown that such links have far-reaching consequences for the news selection of French newspapers. The high amount of attention to art in the national papers is just one illustration of this standpoint. Which cultural-historical explanation lies behind this? This type of question creates the space to research not only news selection, beats and styles, but also ideologies disguised as art, biographies, intellectual history, publishing house histories and the role of journalistic magazines. When we look at the history of De Arbeiderspers, Het (Vrije) Volk and other Social Democratic institutions, then this appears to be a wide-ranging field for prospective research. A biography of J.F. Ankersmit or Klaas Voskuil would be able to tell us a lot about the editorial policy of Het Volk in the period between the wars, but also about Social Democratic journalism in general at that time.