The press, patriotism, and public discussion: C.P. Scott, the Manchester Guardian, and the Boer War, 1899-1902

This article demonstrates the connections between journalism, patriotism, a nd the culture of public discussion in late Victorian Britain, taking as a case study C. P. Scott's use of the Guardian in opposing the Boer War. It a sserts that while opposing the war, Scott was simultaneously trying to rede fine 'patriotism' and preserve a rapidly waning ideal of the press as an ag ent of public discussion, two interrelated goals. In contrast to a predomin ant image of the patriot as blind supporter of the government's imperial ex pansionism, the Guardian put forth an ideal of a critical patriotism. At th e same time, Scott rejected the prevailing contemporary notion that the pre ss should merely 'represent' the readers' interests. Instead, he sought to use leading articles and news reports to encourage a culture of public disc ussion. Scott's journalistic and political goals overlapped, as his notion of patriotism required maintaining a healthy public sphere. Although this s tudy demonstrates Scott's role in the persistence of critical ideals of pat riotism and journalism, it concludes that Scott had a content himself with appealing to an elite audience.