The history of modern Shanghai newspapers can be roughly divided into four periods. The first period (1850 to 1895) witnessed their birth and initial development as Shanghai as a city began to take shape, marking the preliminary development phase of Shanghai newspapers. The second period (1895 to 1915) saw a breakthrough in development, with the support of democratic political movements and the protection of foreign concessions. This period solidified the development pattern of Shanghai newspapers, which became a necessity in the daily lives of the citizens. The third period (1915 to 1937) was characterized by comprehensive and stable development. The fourth period (1937 to 1949) experienced contraction and stagnation due to two significant wars: the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. During this time, freedom of speech was restricted, exacerbated by issues like inflation, imposing immense operational pressure on the newspaper industry. By 1949, with the change in the Chinese political landscape, commercial newspapers were placed under strict military control by the new regime, leading to an unprecedented depression in the newspaper industry.

This book compiles diverse historical materials, including archives from the Shanghai Municipal Archives, recollections of journalists, and articles from newspapers and magazines. It is divided into three main themes:

1. Newspaper Industry Overview, encompassing the basic characteristics of Shanghai's newspaper industry, the history of major newspapers in early 20th century Shanghai, and the functioning of newspaper industry associations.

2. Newspaper Staff, providing insights into various types of staff in newspapers, such as educational qualifications, working hours, efficiency, and salaries required by printing workers. The book also includes contracts for proofreaders at that time, shedding light on the requirements for proofreading work. Information about the treatment of newspaper staff can be referenced from a comparison table of employee benefits between Xinwen Bao and Shen Bao, detailing the number of employees in each department, work standards, and remuneration methods.

3. News Editing and Reporting, covering information collection in newspapers, and regulations related to editing news. It provides a detailed introduction to the production process of newspapers, including gathering news, editing, printing, and distribution, all meticulously documented.

近代上海報刊的歷史，大致可分為四個時期。第一個時期（1850年至1895年）誕生與初步發展，隨著上海都市的形成，上海報刊進入初步發展時期。第二個時期（1895年至1915年）突破性的發展，依靠著民主政治運動與外國租界的庇蔭，上海報刊發展格局奠定，報刊已成市民日常生活必需品。第三個時期（1915年至1937年）全面穩定的發展。第四個時期（1937年至1949年）萎縮與停滯，此時期發生了兩次的戰爭：抗戰爆發與國共內戰，致使言論空間遭到限縮，加上通貨膨脹問題，帶給報業極大的營運壓力，至1949年中國政局轉易，商業報紙遭到新政權軍管封閉，報界出現空前的蕭條。

本書收集史料種類多元，如上海市檔案館檔案、報人回憶、報章雜誌文章等，分為三個主題：

壹、報業概況，包含上海報業的基本特色、民初上海各大報的歷史、報業公會的運作。

貳、報館職工，可知報館各類職工的相關訊息，像是報館對印刷工學歷、工作時數、效能、薪資的要求，也收錄了當時校對員工的合約，了解報館對校對工作的要求。有關報館員工的待遇問題，可參考新聞報與申報兩報的員工待遇比較表，包括報館職工每部門的人數、工作標準與計薪方式，皆有完整記錄。

參、新聞編採，包含報館收集訊息、編輯新聞的相關規定，詳盡介紹從採訪、編輯、印刷、發行，報紙的出產環節均一一收錄。