The radical ideas of Voltaire and Rousseau critically influenced the French Revolution, but how did an entire generation learn about such ideas prior to the Revolution? Censer marshals a vast literature in order to provide a coherent and original interpretation of the role of the French press in the dissemination of social and political ideas in the years leading up to the Revolution. He also explores the relationship between journalists and government officials, and unearths a range of sophisticated censorship techniques employed by the government to keep "Bad News" off the front pages.