Introduction

Since 1970 technology has transformed the mass media of communication. This transformation is obvious in the cinema, television and radio, where new products (videocassette recorder, satellite television, the Walkman) and new cultural forms have proliferated. The products of the newspaper industry have remained relatively stable: newspapers have not changed their role, and in many cases formats remain traditional, although ownership patterns have changed. However, the production system of newspapers has been transformed; in particular, methods of text production have changed radically. The technological transformation has had major implications for work organization, both in terms of the job tasks themselves and social relations, as well as in employment levels, pay and union organization. Although several other changes occurred simultaneously, the transformation has been primarily associated with the introduction of computerized photocomposition. This chapter examines developments in Fleet Street, the major centre of national newspaper production in Britain until the 1980s, linked with this process. The focus is upon industrial relations, institutions and processes, and the extent to which they provided an effective framework within which the conflicting interests associated with the introduction of new systems could be reconciled. In doing so, the purpose is to illustrate four major themes concerning technological change, social organization at work and resistance to new technology.