Journalism research: the beginning of the field between the 17th Century and the 19th Century

Abstract

In this text we summarize the evolution of the research about journalism between the 17th and the 19th centuries. We conclude that research about journalism began in Europe. The European thought about journalism provided the matrix that framed the development of journalism studies and journalism theory subsequently, because the European thought about journalism from the 17th century to the 19th century paid attention: (1) to the interaction between journalism, people and society; (2) to the rhetoric of journalism (speech/discourse); (3) to journalism criticism, many times framed by the discussions concerning the freedom of the press; and (4) to the history of journalism.