The Press

One of the many ways in which Victorian London was at the centre of British life and that of the British Empire was by the provision of news. Much of the news was of course made in London, but much was not; whichever was the case, it was London newspapers that spread information and orchestrated opinion. Through its press, London created the image and idiom of Empire, shaped its opinions and laid claim to the title of the 'fourth estate' of the realm. Aside from this political function, the press also played a central economic, social and cultural role, setting and spreading fashions, whether of company statements or through theatrical criticism. In what was increasingly a commercial society, the press played a pivotal role inspiring emulation, setting the tone, fulfilling crucial needs for an anonymous mass-readership in a society in which alternative means of spreading opinion, such as the church, appeared increasingly weak or redundant.