[Commlist] Newspapers as Miscellany Symposium

*At the crossroads of modernity: Newspapers as miscellany from the 1880s*

*Centre for the Study of Journalism and History, University of 
Sheffield, 19 May 2023*

**

What do newspapers tell us about the times they were printed in and 
read? Most research into newspapers concentrates on them as purveyors of 
news or as contributors to political debate. This underestimates the 
rich, untapped potential of what has always characterised newspapers, 
namely their miscellany. Newspapers, in content and presentation, have 
always incorporated a mixture of styles and topics. In fact, it is this 
very miscellany that has driven interest from willing purchasers and 
added attractiveness to advertisers, certain of a mixed readership of 
taste. Concentrating on the more ephemeral aspects of newspapers as 
opposed to the coverage of high politics may tell us more about their 
attractiveness as a media form.

This miscellany grew to its full potential in the popular press, broadly 
defined, from the 1880s. Technological innovation adopted within 
journalism’s existing practices enabled the development of a rich 
variety of formats all dedicated to increasing market share by 
attracting wider readerships across social class and gendered 
boundaries. This was manifested in, not exhaustively, the incorporation 
of photos, cartoons, new layout templates, sport, cross-exploitation of 
films, fiction, television and celebrity, gossip and readers’ letters. 
This symposium encourages contributions to this exploration of 
newspapers across a long twentieth century as a meeting point and 
melting pot of inter-media influences, extending the potential of 
newspapers as a conduit to new approaches to the study of popular 
culture and history.

We invite proposals, of max 400 words, for 20-minute papers, to be sent 
to (james.whitworth /at/ sheffield.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(james.whitworth /at/ sheffield.ac.uk)> by Friday 20 January. We are 
not prescriptive in terms of national contexts and we encourage both 
international and transnational explorations.


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