Abstract: This article argues that an approach focused on the historical transformation of journalistic routines and textual forms makes it possible to overcome a confinement to national histories. This kind of suty focuses on the transfer of norms, practices and forms, and their adaptation in national contexts. It has an eye for dissimilarities regarding the pace and content of transformations between and within countries. It emphasizes transnational contacts, networks and patterns and underlines intertwining national and transnational developments.