Reading, writing, rumour: press readership and the making of war knowledge in Australia 1914–1918
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Studies of the media during the First World War have highlighted its weaknesses and deficiencies, yet the question of how citizens actually engaged with the press and made sense of the war remains elusive. Based on extensive analysis of Australian civilians’ correspondence, this article argues that citizens were capable of engaged and effective reading of the forms of information available in the press, including reportage, casualty lists and extracts from soldiers’ letters. That sensitive reading of the press, made in conjunction with their own contacts with soldiers on and returned from the front, allowed civilians to achieve a genuine, if necessarily imperfect, understanding of the nature, course and shocking costs of the war. Far from being entirely deceived, Australians’ determination to continue the struggle suggests they fought with their eyes open, even as they longed for the conflict to end.
Source: Media History
Author: Bart Ziino
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Australian Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W7162806116