<DIV><P>This book traces the history of television journalism in Britain from its austere roots in the BBC's post-war monopoly to the present-day plethora of 24 hour channels and celebrity presenters. It asks why a medium whose thirst for pictures, personalities and drama make it, some believe, intrinsically unsuitable for serious journalism should remain in the internet age the most influential purveyor of news.</P><br><P>Barnett compares the two very different trajectories of television journalism in Britain and the US arguing that from the outset a rigorous statutory and regulatory framework rooted in a belief about the democratic value of the medium created and sustained a culture of serious, responsible, accurate and interrogative journalism in British television. The book's overarching thesis is that, despite a very different set of historical, regulatory and institutional practices, there is a very real danger that Britain is now heading down the same road as America. As a result, Britsh public life will be diminished.</P></DIV>