Reciprocal and universal' : Robert Donald, the Press Union and Empire wireless 1920-1930

This article focuses on changes to empire wireless policy during the critical 1920s decade and documents the contribution of Robert Donald in his capacity as policy maker and executive member of the Empire Press Union. In particular, it examines Donald’s role as a critic of what he called the ‘wireless muddle,’ including the role of the British Post Office, analysing in the process, his working relationship with Dominion representatives and the British press in a reformist capacity. Finally, it argues that Donald’s biographers have largely subsumed his contribution on wireless within a liberal journalistic narrative which tends to understate his service on matters other than the press.