‘‘WINDOW ON THE WIDER WORLD’’ The rise of British news in the United States Melissa Wall and Douglas Bicket Elite British news media such as the BBC, The Economist and the Guardian have experienced large increases in US audiences in the post-September 11 media environment. This article explores the nature and extent of this new ‘‘British invasion,’’ outlining key institutional, cultural and journalistic factors distinguishing mainstream US media from their UK counterparts. In particular, the British are seen as stepping into a void created by shrinking US international news coverage as well as providing a broader range of liberal political views that may contribute to expanding the US news agenda. The possible perils of the increased flow of their journalism into the United States for UK-based media are also considered. KEYWORDS Anglo-American; British; globalization; news flows; transborder Introduction In the post-September 11 news environment, millions of Americans have turned to the British media to supplement their news consumption. The terrorist attacks in 2001, then the invasion of Iraq in 2003, occasioned a multifold increase in that access. BBC radio and television as well as publications such as the Guardian and the Independent have substantially increased their US presence via the media channels of digital cable television, public radio and television, and/or the World Wide Web (Allan, 2006). They quickly became attractive alternatives for elements of the US political and cultural elite who were either looking for a trusted supplement to traditional US news sources, or who believe that US news content has become woefully distorted in favor of a pro-US bias (Boyd-Barrett, 2007; Tunstall, 2008). On the Internet, the majority of this traffic went to UK news sites, which have retained their popularity in the years following the Iraq War (Boyd-Barrett, 2007; Thurman, 2007). While this shift has been fairly dramatic, the fact that US news consumers are choosing to rely on the nation’s long-time ally is not surprising. After all, the grounds had been laid in previous years*from the connections between US public broadcasting and British news outfits to the import of British news personnel by US news outlets (Miller, 2000; Tunstall and Machin, 1999). What is different about the British news media’s roles in the 21st century is that in many cases they are marketing themselves to US audiences without an American co-producer. Particularly post-September 11, many British news media have directly targeted the US market, developing special editions or channels specifically for Americans. The Times of London, for example, began a US edition while the BBC launched a 24-hour US cable news network, created by their commercial arm, the BBC World division. The Guardian Online launched a website devoted to US news and commentary. These initiatives point to a level of confidence among elite UK news providers that a niche for British-produced news not only exists within the US market but is ready to be exploited. Journalism Practice, Vol. 2, No 2, 2008 ISSN 1751-2786 print/1751-2794 online/08/020163-16 – 2008 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/17512780801999345