The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution That Will Begin the World Again - Softcover

McChesney, Robert W.; Nichols, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568586361 ISBN 13: 9781568586366

Publisher: Bold Type Books, 2011

Synopsis

American journalism is collapsing as newspapers and magazines fail and scores of reporters are laid off across the country. Conventional wisdom says the Internet is to blame, but veteran journalists and media critics Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols disagree. The crisis of American journalism predates the Great Recession and digital media boom. What we are witnessing now is the end of the commercial news model and the opportune moment for the creation of a new system of independent journalism, one subsidized by the public and capable of safeguarding our democracy.

About this title

About the Author

Robert W. McChesney is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He hosts Media Matters on WILL-AM radio. John Nichols is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Nation and the associate editor of the Capital Times.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* American newspapers are dying at an alarming rate, killed off by a failing corporate model that puts profits before journalism and a reliance on advertisers who are flocking to the Internet. Respected journalists McChesney and Nichols offer historical perspective—how we got into this sorry state—and analysis from journalists, economists, and advocates on how we might be able to get out of it. They cite statistics, chronicling efforts to move newsgathering to the Internet and the success of many bloggers who rely on aggregated news from old media. Their bottom line: without some kind of government support, journalism as we know it will not survive. Despite resistance to the idea of government support of media, they point to postal subsidies dating back to the 1700s. They also offer the model of government and philanthropic support of media in Britain (the BBC and the Guardian), as well as the much leaner history of government support for public broadcasting in the U.S. Among their suggestions: worker and community cooperative ownership of local media and quasi nonprofit news organizations. The authors argue passionately for radical solutions but also offer an exhilarating vision for the direction of American journalism. --Vanessa Bush

About this edition

• Publisher: Bold Type Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1568586361
• ISBN 13: 9781568586366
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416