Travel Journalism and Travel Media: Identities, Places and Imaginings Ben Cocking

This book charts the trajectory of travel journalism from its print based origins to the emergence of hybridised multi-platform content. It considers how this has led to not only different kinds of travel journalism but different kinds of travel journalists; the professional travel journalist is now challenged online by user generated content. Cocking focuses on the conventions and “news values” of British print-based travel journalism, examining the genre’s liminal position between truth and fiction. In the context of the expansion of global tourism, Cocking explores how travel journalism from different parts of the world negotiates cultural differences in its depictions of destinations, regions, and tourist practices. Consideration is also given to the political potential of travel journalism and its capacity for awareness raising. Based on original research including qualitative analysis of print-based articles and blogs this book offers an innovative and original contribution to this emerging field of study.