Esteemed journalism historian James Startt has crafted an intriguing case study of the relationship between political leadership and the mass media during its early days, using the political ascendancy of Woodrow Wilson as its focus. Wilson's emergence as a major political figure coincided with the arrival of a real mass media and a more independent, less partisan style of political coverage. While most nineteenth-century presidents remained aloof from the press, Wilson understood it could no longer be ignored: "The public man who fights the daily press won't be a public man very long."

Between 1903 and 1913, an extensive public debate played itself out in the British press involving the self-governing dominions of the Empire. The debate centered on three large topics--tariff reform, South African reconstruction, and imperial unity--and saw the participation of some of the most respected figures in Edwardian journalism. This book presents a thorough discussion of the involvement of these renowned journalists and the quality press in this debate, examining Edwardian imperial thought as it was reflected in their work. In addition, the quality of their political journalism is evaluated, particularly in regard to its enduring value. The book begins with several introductory chapters, including sections on the journalists James Louis Garvin, John St. Loe Strachey, and John Alfred Spender. The three imperial issues are then fully detailed in light of serious journalistic opinion regarding them. These chapters help to underscore the perceptions informed publicists had about the Empire in general and its future, and to trace the development of thought concerning dominion relations, press opinion about South African reconstruction, and the Tariff Reform vs. Free Trade debate. Among the other topics addressed are the role of the quality press in Edwardian public debate, the attitude toward imperialism following the Boer War, and the strength of the public press in Edwardian political journalism. The book concludes with a chapter that places the entire subject in a broader, 20th-century framework. This book will be a valuable addition to public, college, and university libraries, as well as a useful resource for courses in British history and the history of journalism.