East and West during the Cold War

In the Cold War confrontation between East and West, journalism played a key role in shaping people’s perceptions of their own bloc and that of the adversary. At the same time, Cold War dynamics influenced journalism on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Western, normative perspectives dominated early Cold War journalism history, which often foregrounded experiences of Western correspondents. Starting in the 1990s, historians have engaged in a reassessment of Cold War journalism historiography. This process was fueled by increased access to archival and other types of sources, as well as easier transnational scholarly collaboration. There has also been growing – but still limited – consideration of North-South connections during the Cold War era. This chapter addresses definitions of Cold War journalism terms and concepts before tracing different and shifting historiographic perspectives. Key topics in Cold War journalism history research are then explored, followed by highlights of current contributions and some recommendations for future research.