In part one, the author looks at the international context of journalism and how it works: governments and the media, economics and policy, industry and ownership, and new media. Part two looks at the practice of international journalism and the pressures modern life puts on the collection and dissemination of news in all its forms.

The book also addresses the future for international journalism in the 21st century: at how journalists are prepared for their task of informing the wider public and how different countries train differently for their kind of journalism.