News in Times of Conflict traces the development and spread of the newspaper and the development of the printing industry in Germany in the first half of the seventeenth century. Based on an inspection of all printed newspapers of this period, the book offers an overview of regional and thematic reporting and the development of journalistic styles and ethics.
The book offers an examination of the coverage of two major events: the death of the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, and the execution of King Charles I of England. These case studies provide the opportunity for a comparison with the newspaper markets in France, England and the Low Countries, and with the provision of news through manuscript newsletters.
Jan Hillgärtner, PhD, is Research Fellow at the Universal Short Title Catalogue. He has published on the history of the German newspaper and is currently preparing a bibliography of German newspapers in the seventeenth century (Brill, 2021).
Acknowledgements
List of Figures and Tables Terminology, Dates, Titles and Translation
1 The History of the German Newspaper â1âNewspapers, Broadsheets and Pamphlets
â2âThe Spread of the Newspaper
â3âUnderstanding the Growth of the Press and the Mechanics of Reporting
â4âBibliographical Coverage
â5âThe Newspaper as an Object of Research
â6âNewspaper Research, the Public Sphere and Network Analysis
2 The Growth of the Newspaper Industry â1âThe First Fifty Years. Hopes and Setbacks
â2âThe Long and Short Story of Success and Failure
â3âPromoting the Idea of the Newspaper
â4âNews and Big Business. The Period After 1650
â5âA Profitable Business in Full Swing
3 The Anatomy of the Newspaper Revisited â1âAn International Network of Correspondence
â2âStories from Far-Flung Places
â3âSwitzerland â A Forgotten Land?
â4âThe Dutch Backbone of the German Newspapers
â5âDutch News as Gateway for Foreign Reporting
â6âDomestic Reporting in Disguise: River Reports
â7âWinning the Readersâ Attention: Title-Pages
â8âThe Pitfalls of Seriality
â9âA Corrector of News: Johann Jakob Gabelkover and the Zeittungen
4 1632. Digesting an Unforeseen Death â1âMeasuring the Kingâs Presence
â2âA (Presumably) Good Time to Start a Newspaper: The Early 1630s
â3âConveying the Right Story
â4âConfusion, Propaganda and Bias in the News
â5âWritten Reactions in an Elitist News Network
â6âThe Legacy of the King in Print
5 1649. Of Confusion and Daily Fear â1âThe Plot Thickens: The Civil War and British News
â2âEnglish Perspectives on the Execution
â3âDutch and German Voices
â4âNews, Plays and the Dissemination of Royalist Ideas
â5âDeliberately Patchy Reporting in the Gazette de France
6 A Reflection through Satire
Appendix A: Places of Correspondence in German Newspapers, 1609â1650
Appendix B: Chronological Bibliography of German-Language Newspapers, 1605â1650 Bibliography Index
All interested in the early history of the press in Germany, the history of journalism and communication, and the development of the public sphere.