Focusing mainly on the development of newspapers, film, radio, television, and the Internet in the United States and Western Europe, Media and Society in the Twentieth Century fills a critical need for students and scholars by offering a historical introduction to the mass media in our time.

* Provides an up-to-date, readable, and informative survey of the history of mass media in the twentieth century.

* Offers a historical and comparative perspective to emphasize the importance of contemporary media and to explain why particular media systems exist.

* Focuses on the development of newspapers, film, radio, and television for purposes of entertainment, information, and persuasion.

* Explores recent media developments, including the Internet and globalization, from a historical perspective.