Abstract: During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa were increasingly drawn together by an imperial press system. This is the first scholarly study of the development of that system. Revealed to contemporaries by the South African War, the basis on which the system would develop soon became the focus for debate. Commercial organizations, including newspaper combinations and news agencies such as Reuters, fought to protect their interests, while ‘constructive imperialists’ attempted to enlist the power of the state to strengthen the system. Debate culminated in fierce controversies over state censorship and propaganda during and after the First World War. Based on extensive archival research, this study addresses crucial themes, including the impact of empire on the press, Britain's imperial experience, and the idea of a ‘British world’. Challenging earlier nationalist accounts, the author draws out the ambiguous impact of the imperial press system on local, national, and imperial identities.

Keywords: South African War, newspaper combinations, news agencies, power of the state, state censorship, propaganda, First World War, impact of empire, British world