Rowntree Newspaper Ownership in the Early 20th Century

As part of the Joseph Rowntree Centenary, The Rowntree Society is hosting a public event exploring a fascinating yet little known chapter in the Rowntree family’s history, their ownership of newspapers in the early 20th century.

At a time when questions about who controls the media remain urgent, this evening will shine a light on how and why the Rowntrees entered the world of newspaper ownership, the challenges they faced, and the political debates their involvement sparked.

Three expert speakers will bring these themes to life:

• Charlotte Vallis (University of York PhD student): presenting The Rowntree Society’s new research into the Rowntrees’ role in newspaper ownership.
  
• Dr David Vessey (University of Sheffield): on the history of the Joseph Rowntree Social Service Trust and their ownership of the Sheffield Independent.
  
• Jim Waterson (former media editor of the Guardian and founder of local news start-up London Centric): on who owns the media today, whether you can still influence the agenda by owning newspapers, and how the modern equivalent of the Rowntree family would be spending their money if they wanted to influence the news agenda.

The event will prompt us to consider what political ideas get disseminated and by whom, as well as who controls newspapers and other news media and for what purposes. A panel discussion will bring all three speaker’s perspectives together to discuss parallels with media ownership today and what can be learned from the Rowntrees' experience.

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